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If you’ve launched HubSpot within your organisation, the first 90 days are likely filled with excitement, intensive training, and the hope of transformative results. But if you think that this initial phase is the end of the adoption journey, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Far too often, businesses focus heavily on onboarding and implementation within the first few months, only to find that enthusiasm fades, and usage drops after the 90-day mark. This results in what we at Real Inbound call the HubSpot Adoption Gap—the difference between setting up HubSpot and actually making it a fully integrated, high-functioning part of your business.
In this article, we’ll explore why CRM adoption shouldn’t end after the first 90 days and how to close that adoption gap for long-term success.
The HubSpot Adoption Gap: More than Just a Setup Problem
The HubSpot Adoption Gap isn’t just about whether or not your team knows how to use HubSpot. It’s about fully embedding HubSpot into the DNA of your organisation. While the first 90 days are critical for learning the ropes, they don’t guarantee full adoption.
Many companies experience an initial honeymoon phase—people use the system, test features, and are excited about what HubSpot can do. However, without long-term strategies in place, the usage starts to dwindle. That’s where the HubSpot Adoption Gap emerges.
Why Long-Term CRM Adoption is Key to Closing the Gap
Closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap requires thinking beyond the first three months and understanding that CRM adoption is a long-term game. You need to go beyond initial setup and continually invest in getting the most out of HubSpot.
Here’s why long-term CRM adoption is vital to closing the gap:
1 Habits Need Time to Stick
Most people take time to adjust to new processes, and using HubSpot effectively is no different. It can take weeks or even months for your team to develop habits that ensure HubSpot becomes second nature. If you focus only on the first 90 days, you risk losing out on long-term adoption. Building and reinforcing those habits over time is crucial to ensuring your team doesn't revert to old ways, such as using spreadsheets or outdated tools.
2 HubSpot Evolves—and So Should You
HubSpot is continuously rolling out new features, updates, and improvements. What worked for your business in the first 90 days might be outdated by month six. Maintaining CRM adoption beyond the initial phase allows your team to leverage new tools and ensure you’re always working with the most effective processes.
3 Leadership Engagement is Ongoing
Successful HubSpot adoption doesn’t just rely on users engaging with the system. It requires buy-in from leadership, who need to be actively involved in understanding reports, pipelines, and dashboards. If leadership steps back after the initial setup, adoption can stall, and the HubSpot Adoption Gap widens.
4 Training Doesn’t End with Onboarding
Many businesses focus their training efforts on the onboarding phase. But without ongoing role-specific training, your team may lose touch with HubSpot’s more advanced features. To close the adoption gap, you need to keep training as an integral part of your team’s routine, ensuring they remain up to date and continuously improving.
5 Your Business is Growing—And So is Your Data
As your business grows, your data expands—and so do your needs. Over time, even the best-managed CRM systems can become cluttered with outdated or inaccurate information. Continuous data hygiene and system optimisation are necessary to keep your HubSpot implementation efficient and productive.
MORE READING: Skipping Ongoing Staff Support is Killing Your HubSpot Success
How to Close the HubSpot Adoption Gap After the First 90 Days
So, how can you ensure your business doesn’t fall into the trap of early adoption burnout? Here are practical strategies to keep the momentum going, ensure long-term HubSpot success, and finally close the HubSpot Adoption Gap.
1 Create a Continuous Improvement Plan
Once the first 90 days are behind you, it’s crucial to shift from implementation to optimisation. Set up regular check-ins—quarterly or biannual reviews—to assess how HubSpot is working for your team. Look for areas to improve, automate, or fine-tune.
How to Do It:
- Establish a HubSpot committee with representatives from different departments to assess the system’s performance.
- Create a feedback loop where users can report any pain points or suggestions for improvements.
- Implement regular updates and system tweaks based on this feedback.
2 Ongoing Role-Specific Training
Your initial onboarding focused on getting everyone familiar with HubSpot, but after the first 90 days, it’s time to level up. Role-based, ongoing training helps teams dive deeper into the tools they use every day. This is essential to closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap, as it keeps users engaged and confident in their ability to get the most out of the system.
How to Do It:
- Schedule monthly or quarterly training sessions tailored to each department (sales, marketing, customer service).
- Take advantage of HubSpot’s Academy and certifications to keep your team’s skills sharp.
- Encourage advanced users to share best practices with the rest of the team.
3 Track Metrics That Matter
To ensure long-term adoption, you need to know how well your team is using HubSpot. Regularly monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) can help you identify gaps in usage and adoption. The more you track, the easier it will be to make data-driven improvements.
Key Metrics to Track:
- User Activity: How frequently are team members logging into HubSpot and using its core features?
- Data Quality: Are leads, deals, and customer information being regularly updated?
- Pipeline Movement: Is HubSpot helping to improve your sales funnel by moving deals from one stage to another efficiently?
4 Encourage Leadership to Stay Involved
Leadership buy-in is essential for long-term HubSpot adoption. When executives regularly review HubSpot reports and interact with the data, it sends a clear message to the rest of the team about the importance of the CRM. Without consistent leadership involvement, the HubSpot Adoption Gap will continue to grow.
How to Do It:
- Have leadership use HubSpot dashboards to monitor company performance.
- Encourage regular leadership reviews of KPIs, with a focus on how HubSpot is driving business growth.
- Keep leadership updated on new HubSpot features and how they can improve strategic decision-making.
5 Celebrate Milestones and Wins
One of the best ways to keep teams engaged is by recognising successes. Whether it’s a team closing a certain number of deals or a department hitting a CRM usage goal, celebrating these wins can help maintain excitement and commitment to HubSpot. Recognition keeps teams motivated and can help prevent the adoption gap from widening.
How to Do It:
- Highlight “HubSpot Heroes” during meetings—team members who’ve gone above and beyond in their CRM usage.
- Share case studies or success stories that showcase how HubSpot is impacting business performance.
- Offer small incentives for teams that achieve CRM-related milestones.
Conclusion: Closing the HubSpot Adoption Gap for Long-Term Success
The truth is, CRM adoption is a marathon, not a sprint. While the first 90 days are crucial for setting up a solid foundation, the real challenge—and opportunity—lies in keeping the momentum going.
By focusing on continuous improvement, role-specific training, leadership engagement, and celebrating milestones, you can close the HubSpot Adoption Gap and ensure long-term success.
Don’t let your HubSpot investment fall short after the first few months. Stay committed, stay engaged, and watch your business reap the benefits of full HubSpot adoption.
