Think HubSpot Is ‘Set It and Forget It’? Here’s Why You’re Wrong

At Real Inbound, we’ve worked with countless businesses who expect HubSpot to transform their sales, marketing, and service operations overnight. And while HubSpot can absolutely drive growth, there’s a common misstep we see time and time again: stopping at implementation. Without a continuous improvement plan, your business risks falling into the HubSpot Adoption Gap—that space where HubSpot has been set up but isn’t being used to its full potential.

Implementing HubSpot is a big step, but it’s only the beginning. Much like any business-critical system, HubSpot needs regular assessment, updates, and optimisation to deliver ongoing results. Here’s why stopping at implementation sabotages your long-term success and how a continuous improvement plan helps ensure HubSpot drives the growth you need.

Why Stopping at Implementation Isn’t Enough

Implementation is often a whirlwind of setup and initial training but leaving it there leaves value on the table. The HubSpot Adoption Gap isn’t necessarily about missing features or improper usage; it often stems from a lack of ongoing refinement and alignment with changing business needs. As your company grows and your processes evolve, HubSpot needs to keep pace.

Key Reasons Why Implementation Alone Isn’t Enough:

1. Business Goals Shift Over Time: Your strategy changes, and HubSpot needs to evolve to match.
2. New Features and Updates: HubSpot continuously rolls out updates, and staying current ensures you’re using the best tools available.
3. Team Engagement Requires Reinforcement: Without regular training, adoption can decline over time.
4. Data Needs Regular Maintenance: Data gets messy over time, so ongoing data hygiene is essential for accurate insights.

Much like any other tool, HubSpot needs regular “tuning” to keep it working at peak performance. An ongoing improvement plan helps you get the most out of your investment, prevents you from falling into the adoption gap, and keeps your CRM aligned with your long-term goals.

Building a Continuous Improvement Plan for HubSpot

A successful improvement plan focuses on regular assessment, optimisation, and training to keep HubSpot aligned with evolving business needs and to avoid sliding into inefficiencies.

1. Conduct Regular Assessments: Know Where You Stand

Regular assessments are essential for understanding how well HubSpot is serving your business and identifying areas for improvement. Conducting these assessments helps you spot inefficiencies early and avoid stagnation.

Key Areas to Assess:

• User Engagement and Adoption Rates: Are team members actively using HubSpot, or is usage waning?
• Lead Quality and Conversion: Are the right leads moving through your funnel, and are they converting as expected?
• Data Quality: Is your data clean, complete, and accessible to all relevant teams?
• Workflow Efficiency: Are your workflows still aligned with current processes, or do they need adjusting?

Practical Tip:
Conduct quarterly reviews of key performance indicators (KPIs) like lead conversion rates and email engagement. Get feedback from each department that uses HubSpot to understand what’s working well and what isn’t.

2. Optimise Workflows, Automations, and Integrations

Once you’ve completed your assessment, the next step is to optimise your HubSpot workflows, automations, and integrations. Over time, certain processes may need to be refined to ensure they’re still efficient and relevant.

Key Optimisation Strategies:

• Streamline Workflows: Simplify workflows and cut out unnecessary steps. For instance, review lead-nurturing workflows to ensure they’re delivering value at each stage.
• Adjust Lead Scoring: As you better understand your ideal customer, refine lead scoring to prioritise high-quality leads for sales.
• Reassess Automations: Automation saves time, but it can also create bottlenecks if set up improperly. Regularly review automation rules for efficiency.
• Explore New Integrations: HubSpot regularly releases new integrations. Assess these options to see if any would enhance productivity.

Practical Tip:
Monthly reviews of workflows and automation sequences can help spot inefficiencies. HubSpot’s reporting tools also let you set up alerts for any interruptions or issues.

3. Prioritise Data Hygiene and Management

Data is the fuel that powers your CRM, and clean data is essential for accurate reporting, targeted marketing, and personalised customer interactions. Neglecting data management can lead to a buildup of inaccurate or incomplete data, widening the HubSpot Adoption Gap and hindering your team’s decision-making.

Data Management Best Practices:

• Quarterly Data Clean-Ups: Remove duplicates, update outdated information, and clear out inactive contacts.
• Consistent Data Entry Standards: Standardise data entry to prevent inconsistencies that could affect reporting.
• Segment Contacts and Use Custom Properties: Organising contacts with segments and custom properties enables more targeted outreach.
• Automate Data Quality Checks: Use HubSpot’s data quality features to automate some of the data hygiene process.

Practical Tip:
Create a data governance plan that includes required fields for new contacts, periodic data audits, and set reminders for annual data clean-ups to keep your database accurate.

4. Ongoing Team Training and Skill Development

To fully close the HubSpot Adoption Gap, your team needs to stay up to date with HubSpot’s tools and features. Continuous training reinforces team engagement and keeps them comfortable and confident with the platform.

Training Strategies:

• Quarterly Training Sessions: Focus these sessions on recent updates, new features, and best practices.
• Role-Specific Training: Tailor training to each department’s unique needs. For example, marketing may need a refresher on automation, while sales might focus on pipeline management.
• Utilise HubSpot Academy Courses: HubSpot offers free online courses that can supplement in-house training, covering everything from basics to advanced features.

Practical Tip:
Build an internal knowledge base with FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and step-by-step tutorials tailored to your HubSpot setup. This resource can be especially valuable for new hires or as a reference for your team.

5. Set Up Regular Strategy Reviews

Continuous improvement isn’t only about the platform itself—it’s also about ensuring HubSpot remains aligned with your broader business strategy. As business goals evolve, your approach to HubSpot may need to be adapted.

Strategy Review Steps:

• Review KPIs: Ensure that your KPIs reflect your current business priorities. Adjust them if needed.
• Align Campaigns with Current Goals: Revisit HubSpot campaigns to make sure they’re relevant to your current objectives.
• Adjust Lead Scoring Criteria: As your understanding of your ideal customer profile deepens, adjust lead scoring to keep qualified leads moving efficiently through the pipeline.
• Refine Sales Processes: If your sales strategy changes, make sure your HubSpot sales pipeline reflects these adjustments, with updated deal stages, task reminders, and follow-up protocols.

Practical Tip:
Schedule annual strategy reviews to ensure HubSpot usage aligns with your latest business goals, keeping the platform relevant and valuable over the long term.

The Long-Term Benefits of a Continuous Improvement Plan for HubSpot

A continuous improvement plan isn’t just about avoiding the HubSpot Adoption Gap; it’s about actively driving growth and ensuring your CRM remains an asset, not a liability. Here are some key benefits of a well-maintained HubSpot setup:

1. Improved ROI

Continuous improvement helps you fully leverage HubSpot’s features, which directly impacts your bottom line. You’ll generate higher-quality leads, close deals faster, and maximise your marketing and sales efforts.

2. Better Team Adoption

Ongoing optimisation and training keep your team engaged and confident in using HubSpot, which leads to higher adoption rates. When your team fully adopts the platform, they’re more likely to embrace it as a critical tool in their daily operations.

3. Scalability

As your business grows, HubSpot needs to adapt. A continuous improvement plan makes it easy to scale your use of the platform and avoid the adoption gap, ensuring HubSpot remains valuable as your business expands.

4. Increased Efficiency

Regularly optimising workflows, automations, and data hygiene practices allows your team to focus on strategic work rather than manual tasks. This streamlined approach boosts productivity and allows you to get more done with fewer resources.

5. Enhanced Customer Experience

An optimised HubSpot setup enables you to deliver more personalised, seamless experiences to your customers. When HubSpot is running smoothly, you can reach customers with relevant messaging at the right time, improving satisfaction and loyalty.

Conclusion: Avoid the HubSpot Adoption Gap with Continuous Improvement

Implementing HubSpot is a significant milestone, but to see its true value, you need a continuous improvement plan. By consistently assessing, optimising, and aligning HubSpot with your evolving business needs, you’ll avoid the HubSpot Adoption Gap and ensure HubSpot remains a powerful, growth-driving tool for your business.

At Real Inbound, we’ve seen firsthand the difference a continuous improvement approach can make. It’s the key to unlocking long-term ROI, keeping your team engaged, and making sure HubSpot grows alongside your business.

Ready to Close the HubSpot Adoption Gap?

If you’re ready to take your HubSpot implementation to the next level, our HubSpot Adoption Gap Framework can guide you through the process. This email series provides practical strategies for continuous improvement, ensuring your HubSpot investment delivers long-term value.

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