The 3 Biggest Problems of the HubSpot Adoption Gap - and How to Solve Them for Lasting Success

Investing in HubSpot is a significant milestone for any business aiming to modernise its operations, but purchasing the software is just the beginning. Many organisations face challenges in making HubSpot work effectively for their teams, leading to what we call the HubSpot Adoption Gap.

At Real Inbound, we see this gap manifest in three major ways:

1. Sales and marketing efforts fail to grow the business.
2. Teams work in silos, leading to inefficiencies and misalignment.
3. Disconnected systems and processes create roadblocks.

If these sound familiar, you’re not alone. The good news? These issues are solvable. Closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap requires a strategic approach that connects your go-to-market (GTM) strategy, aligns your teams, and leverages HubSpot’s tools to their full potential.

What Is the HubSpot Adoption Gap?

The HubSpot Adoption Gap is the space between purchasing the platform and making it an integral part of your operations. It’s the result of underutilisation, a lack of alignment, and failure to connect HubSpot with your business strategy.

This gap can have far-reaching consequences, including:

• Reduced ROI from your HubSpot investment.
• Frustration among teams who struggle with unclear processes.
• Missed opportunities for efficiency and growth.

To close this gap, businesses need more than a technical implementation—they need a structured approach to adoption.

Symptom 1: Sales and Marketing Efforts Aren’t Growing Your Business

The Problem

Despite efforts from your sales and marketing teams, your business growth remains stagnant. Campaigns underperform, leads go cold, and sales pipelines fail to deliver consistent results.

Why It Happens

• Misaligned Objectives: Sales and marketing teams lack shared goals, leading to fragmented efforts.
• Ineffective Metrics: Teams measure vanity metrics rather than outcomes that drive business growth.
• Data Silos: Disconnected systems prevent seamless lead handoffs and shared insights.

The Solution

Develop a Unified GTM Strategy
Your sales and marketing teams must work together, not in isolation. HubSpot can serve as the bridge, but only if you align its tools with shared objectives.

Key Steps:

• Define clear, actionable goals for both teams, such as improving lead quality or reducing time-to-close.
• Create shared KPIs, such as marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) and sales-qualified leads (SQLs).
• Use HubSpot’s automation to streamline lead handoffs and ensure timely follow-ups.

Practical Example

A company struggling with lead conversions implemented shared dashboards in HubSpot. Marketing focused on improving lead quality, while sales prioritised faster follow-ups. Within three months, conversion rates increased by 20%.

Symptom 2: Siloed Teams Working at Cross Purposes

The Problem

Departments operate independently, often duplicating work or pursuing conflicting priorities. This creates inefficiencies, frustrates employees, and delivers a fragmented customer experience.

Why It Happens

• Cultural Resistance: Teams resist change, sticking to familiar processes.
• Lack of Transparency: Teams don’t have visibility into each other’s work, leading to confusion and friction.
• Disjointed Tools: Teams rely on separate systems that don’t integrate with HubSpot.

The Solution

Foster Collaboration and Transparency
HubSpot can act as a central hub for communication and collaboration, but only if teams are encouraged to work together.

Key Steps:

• Use HubSpot’s project management and ticketing tools to improve visibility into cross-departmental tasks.
• Schedule monthly alignment meetings to review shared goals and progress.
• Celebrate collaborative successes to reinforce the value of working together.

Practical Example

A business reduced silos by creating a shared content calendar in HubSpot. Marketing and sales teams co-created assets, resulting in more cohesive campaigns and improved lead engagement.

Symptom 3: Disconnected Systems and Processes

The Problem

Disconnected systems lead to inefficiencies, duplicate data, and manual workarounds. This fragmentation prevents teams from getting a clear picture of customer interactions.

Why It Happens

• Legacy Systems: Older tools aren’t compatible with HubSpot.
• Lack of Data Strategy: Inconsistent data management leads to errors and duplication.
• Overwhelming Tech Stack: Too many tools create confusion and inefficiency.

The Solution

Streamline and Integrate Systems
Consolidating tools and integrating HubSpot with existing systems creates a unified source of truth for your teams.

Key Steps:

• Conduct a systems audit to identify gaps and redundancies.
• Use HubSpot’s native integrations and APIs to connect essential tools.
• Implement data hygiene practices to maintain clean, reliable records.

Practical Example

After integrating HubSpot with their accounting software, a company eliminated duplicate data entries and reduced billing errors by 30%.

How to Close the HubSpot Adoption Gap

Closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap requires a structured framework that aligns strategy, empowers teams, and leverages data for continuous improvement.

1. Define Clear Objectives

Start by setting measurable goals for each GTM area. For example:

• Sales: Increase deal close rates by 15%.
• Marketing: Boost landing page conversions by 20%.
• Customer Service: Reduce ticket resolution time by 25%.

2. Build KPIs into HubSpot

Use HubSpot’s reporting tools to track progress against these objectives. Create dashboards for:

• Email open and click-through rates.
• Social media engagement.
• Pipeline metrics like deal size and velocity.

3. Run Regular Reviews

Regular reviews help you stay on track and adapt to changing needs:

• Weekly Sense Checks: Address immediate issues and track short-term progress.
• Monthly Deep Dives: Analyse trends and refine strategies.
• Quarterly Reviews: Evaluate overall performance and set new priorities.

The Importance of Keeping It Simple

HubSpot is a powerful platform with extensive features, but complexity can hinder adoption. Focus on mastering the basics first:

• Email Marketing: Track opens, clicks, and conversions.
• Social Media: Measure engagement and reach.
• Landing Pages: Monitor form submissions and lead generation.
• Pipeline Metrics: Analyse deal stages, close rates, and revenue growth.

Once your team is comfortable, gradually introduce more advanced features.

Building a Management Control System (MCS)

A Management Control System (MCS) helps you maintain focus and control over your business strategy. With HubSpot, you can:

• Monitor Progress: Use dashboards to track key metrics.
• Identify Bottlenecks: Spot inefficiencies and adjust workflows.
• Drive Growth: Align data insights with your strategic objectives.

An effective MCS turns HubSpot from a tool into a driver of business success.

The Real Work: Taking Ownership of HubSpot

While Real Inbound provides the expertise and framework to close the HubSpot Adoption Gap, true success comes when your team takes ownership. Adoption is not a one-time effort—it’s an ongoing process that requires alignment, training, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Get Started: Close Your HubSpot Adoption Gap Today

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