3min
For many B2B Tech Manufacturers, investing in a CRM like HubSpot feels like a no-brainer. You’ve got a powerful tool at your fingertips, promising to streamline your sales and marketing, align your teams, and drive growth. But here’s the thing: buying HubSpot is just the first step.
What happens next is where the real challenge begins.
We’ve worked with countless B2B Tech Manufacturers, and time and time again, we’ve seen the same pattern. Businesses invest in HubSpot with high hopes, but months—or even years—later, they’re left wondering why it hasn’t delivered the results they expected.
The problem isn’t HubSpot. It’s the HubSpot Adoption Gap.
In this article, we’ll break down what the HubSpot Adoption Gap is, why it happens, and—most importantly—how you can close it using our proven SIMPLIFI Framework.
What is the HubSpot Adoption Gap?
The HubSpot Adoption Gap is the space between buying your CRM and getting it to deliver real results. It’s where businesses struggle to fully embed HubSpot into their operations, leaving them stuck with:
- Degraded Data: Information in HubSpot is unreliable, outdated, or incomplete, making it useless for decision-making.
- Siloed Teams: Sales, marketing, and service teams operate in isolation, with HubSpot failing to connect them.
- Lack of Leadership: HubSpot adoption is often delegated to middle management or individual teams, with no leadership involvement.
- Resistance to Change: Teams default to old habits, maintaining spreadsheets and workarounds instead of embracing the CRM.
Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.
Why Does the HubSpot Adoption Gap Happen?
Let’s be honest: adopting a CRM like HubSpot isn’t easy. It requires more than just plugging in the software and hoping for the best.
Here are the three main reasons we see businesses fall into the Adoption Gap:
- Lack of Management Strategy and Drive
HubSpot adoption needs to be led from the top. When leadership isn’t involved, the platform becomes an isolated tool rather than a fully integrated system.
- Lack of Psychological Safety
Change is hard, and employees often fear making mistakes. Without a culture of psychological safety, teams hesitate to fully embrace HubSpot, sticking to old habits instead.
- Lack of an Overwhelming Purpose for Change
If the “why” behind HubSpot adoption isn’t strong enough, people resist change. Without leadership setting a compelling reason, HubSpot remains an optional tool rather than a business-critical system.
The Symptoms of the HubSpot Adoption Gap
How do you know if your business is stuck in the Adoption Gap? Here are some tell-tale signs:
- Your data is a mess: HubSpot is full of outdated or incomplete information.
- Your teams are siloed: Sales, marketing, and service aren’t working together.
- Your processes are unoptimised: HubSpot isn’t being used to streamline workflows.
- Your employees are frustrated: HubSpot feels more like an obstacle than an enabler.
- Your leadership lacks visibility: You can’t access accurate reporting or insights.
If any of these sound familiar, it’s time to take action.
How to Close the HubSpot Adoption Gap
At Real Inbound, we’ve spent years helping B2B Tech Manufacturers close the HubSpot Adoption Gap. And we’ve learned that the key to success is a structured, management-led approach.
That’s why we developed the SIMPLIFI Framework.
The SIMPLIFI Framework
Your Path to HubSpot Success
The SIMPLIFI Framework is a step-by-step approach to closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap and turning your CRM into a growth-driving engine. Here’s how it works:
S - Set the Scene
Before you dive into HubSpot, you need to define your goals and assess your starting point. What does success look like for your business? And where are you now?
I - Interview Everyone
Talk to your teams, your customers, and your stakeholders. Gather insights into their challenges, needs, and expectations. This step is crucial for building a system that works for everyone.
M - Map the Processes
Take a close look at your current workflows. What’s working? What’s not? Then, map out the processes you want to execute in HubSpot.
P - Plan the Way Forward
With your goals, insights, and processes in mind, create a roadmap for success. This should include clear milestones, timelines, and responsibilities.
L - Lead the Adoption
HubSpot adoption needs to be led from the top. When managers lead, teams follow. Make sure your leadership team is fully bought in and actively driving the change.
I - Implement the Plan
Now it’s time to put your plan into action. Build your HubSpot system, set up your processes, and train your teams.
F - Fix It
Let’s be real: things will go wrong. And that’s okay. The key is to address issues as they arise and keep moving forward.
I - Iterate
HubSpot adoption isn’t a one-and-done process. To get the most out of your CRM, you need to continuously optimise and improve.
Real-World Results
Closing the Gap in Action
We’ve seen the SIMPLIFI Framework transform businesses. One of our clients, a B2B manufacturer, was struggling with siloed teams, poor data quality, and a lack of ROI from HubSpot.
By following the SIMPLIFI Framework, they were able to:
- Align their sales, marketing, and service teams.
- Clean up their data and create a single source of truth.
- Streamline their processes and improve efficiency.
- Drive real growth and revenue.
The result? A fully integrated, business-critical HubSpot system that delivers real results.
Final Thoughts
HubSpot Isn’t the Problem—Adoption Is
If your business is struggling with HubSpot, you’re not alone. But the solution isn’t abandoning the platform or blaming the tool—it’s about fixing adoption at the management level.
HubSpot succeeds when it’s embedded into the fabric of your business, led from the top, and backed by a clear strategy.
That’s where we come in.
Ready to Close the HubSpot Adoption Gap?
Join us for our upcoming webinar:
“Modernising Sales & Marketing for B2B Tech Manufacturers”
Date: 17th April 2025
Time: 10.00 AM GMT
Location: MS Teams
Learn how to close the HubSpot Adoption Gap and modernise your sales and marketing with real-world insights from industry leaders.
