HubSpot is a powerful platform that can supercharge your business operations, facilitating efficiency and growth. It empowers your teams to work smarter and faster, but mastering it can be a complex journey. The nuances of HubSpot aren’t always obvious, and missteps can lead to wasted time and resources, especially as your business expands or evolves. In this article, we’ll explore the most prevalent issues that HubSpot users encounter and provide actionable solutions to overcome them.

Common HubSpot Problems

Before diving into the solutions, let’s take a closer look at the common challenges businesses face with HubSpot:

1. Excessive Duplicate Contacts and Companies
2. Too Many Data Entry and Updates
3. Difficulty in Accessing Crucial Information
4. Slow HubSpot Adoption by Sales Teams
5. Uncertain Measurement of Marketing Success
6. Inaccurate or Missing Reports
7. Cluttered Deal Pipelines with Dormant Deals
8. Consistently Inaccurate Forecasts
9. Low Open Rates for Marketing Emails
10. Challenging Segmentation for Targeted Campaigns
11. Managing an Overwhelming Number of Workflows
12. Rapid Accumulation of Marketing Contacts
13. Redundant or Duplicate Properties

Now, let’s address each of these challenges and provide practical solutions.

Excessive Duplicate Contacts and Companies

Duplicate records can create chaos in your CRM, causing inefficiencies and errors. For example, if you have two records for the same contact, you may end up sending them the same email twice or forgetting to follow up with them because you think you’ve already done so. Duplicate records can also make it difficult to track your data and make informed decisions about your business.

Possible Fixes:

• Add complete information, including email addresses for contacts and domain names for companies.
• Implement a process for regular review and merging of duplicate records using HubSpot’s duplicate management tool.
• Utilize the Operations Hub (Professional & Enterprise) for bulk merging and automated duplicate management.

???? Pro tip – there is also an option to define additional company properties as unique properties. 

Time-Consuming Record Management

Excessive time spent on entering and updating records can hinder productivity in a number of ways. First, it takes time away from other tasks that could be more productive. Second, it can lead to errors, which can further reduce productivity. Third, it can be frustrating and demoralizing for employees, which can also lead to reduced productivity.

Possible Fixes:

• Automate record updates where possible, based on existing data.
• Customize record creation forms to gather only essential data.
• Explore HubSpot settings to reduce data entry requirements and integrate with other systems to sync data automatically.
• Train your team for efficient HubSpot usage.

Difficulty in Accessing Crucial Information

With a wealth of data, finding relevant information can become challenging. This is because there is so much information available that it can be difficult to know where to start looking. Additionally, the information may be scattered across different sources, making it difficult to find all of the relevant information in one place.

Possible Fixes:

• Customize object record pages to display key information.
• Use saved views, lists, and task queues for targeted views.
• Adjust permissions to ensure users see only relevant records.
• Leverage HubSpot’s integration options.

Slow HubSpot Adoption by Sales Teams

Poor adoption of HubSpot can lead to data quality issues and inefficiencies in a number of ways. For example, if users are not properly trained on how to use the platform, they may enter data incorrectly or inconsistently. This can make it difficult to track and analyze data, and can lead to inaccurate reports. Additionally, if users are not using HubSpot to its full potential, they may be missing out on valuable insights that could help them improve their business.

Possible Fixes:

• Communicate the benefits of HubSpot tools to the sales team.
• Provide comprehensive documentation and standard operating procedures.
• Establish requirements and incentives for HubSpot usage.
• Simplify processes and automate data entry.
• Ensure thorough training for the team.

Uncertain Measurement of Marketing Success

Accurately measuring the success of marketing strategies can be challenging.

Possible Fixes:

• Utilize HubSpot’s campaigns tool to track lead generation and revenue.
• Centralize processes in HubSpot for better insights.
• Use HubSpot’s deals tool for revenue tracking.
• Create custom reports and dashboards for specific stakeholder questions.

Inaccurate or Missing Reports

HubSpot’s reporting depends on accurate data, which can sometimes be lacking.

Possible Fixes:

• Review and ensure that HubSpot captures all required data.
• Centralize processes in HubSpot and integrate third-party systems.
• Verify report filters for accuracy.
• Maintain consistency in data entry and follow best practices.

Cluttered Deal Pipelines with Dormant Deals

Old, inactive deals can clutter your pipelines and impact forecasting.

Possible Fixes:

• Follow best practices for naming deal stages.
• Implement time limits for open deals.
• Schedule regular deal reviews for cleanup.

???? Pro tip – Use color deal tags to mark these old/ stale deals

Consistently Inaccurate Forecasts

Inaccurate forecasting can hinder decision-making.

Possible Fixes:

• Properly name deal stages.
• Ensure accurate weighting of forecast categories.
• Emphasize accurate deal amount entries.
• Establish standards for forecasting updates and conduct regular reviews.

Low Open Rates for Marketing Emails

Low email open rates can affect outreach effectiveness in a number of ways. First, it can lead to fewer people seeing your message. If people aren’t opening your emails, they’re not going to be aware of your content or your offers. Second, it can damage your sender reputation. If people are constantly marking your emails as spam, your email provider may start to deliver them to spam folders instead of inboxes. This can make it even harder for people to see your messages. Finally, it can lead to lower click-through rates and conversions.

Possible Fixes:

• Remove unengaged contacts from email lists.
• Obtain opt-ins before sending marketing emails.
• Test subject lines for improved open rates.
• Focus on value-driven content.
• An additional solution is to ensure your content is properly segmented so that the right content reaches the right audience.

Challenging Segmentation for Targeted Campaigns

Complex segmentation processes can impede marketing efforts.

Possible Fixes:

• Ensure complete data capture.
• Maintain clean and organized contact lists.
• Avoid over-segmentation and test segment effectiveness.

Managing an Overwhelming Number of Workflows

Unmanaged workflows can lead to confusion and inefficiency.

Possible Fixes:

• Audit workflows, document their functions, and archive or delete unnecessary ones.
• Organize workflows with clear naming conventions.
• Limit user permissions for workflow creation.

???? Pro tip – The workflows section includes a tab called “Needs review”. It includes all the workflows that have issues that might need to be fixed.

Rapid Accumulation of Marketing Contacts

Fast-growing marketing contacts can lead to unexpected costs.

Possible Fixes:

• Automate contact status cleanup.
• Audit forms and workflows to prevent unnecessary contact marking.
• Define clear processes for contact imports.

Redundant or Duplicate Properties

Organizations typically customize HubSpot by adding their own unique properties. However, challenges arise when new team members join and, unaware of existing properties, introduce duplicates. This redundancy can be avoided with better awareness and management strategies.

Possible Fixes:

• Conduct Regular Property Audits and Maintain Documentation: Implement a routine audit system for existing properties and keep detailed documentation. This approach ensures that new team members are well-informed about the existing properties, reducing the likelihood of creating duplicates.
• Strengthen Training and Onboarding Protocols: New team members should undergo comprehensive training that includes a thorough introduction to existing HubSpot properties. Additionally, establish clear guidelines on how to propose new properties, emphasizing the need to check against existing ones.
• Centralized Approval for New Properties: Create a centralized system for approving new property requests. This process should involve a review to identify potential duplicates and assess the alignment of new properties with the organization’s data management strategy.

???? Pro tip – Use HubSpot data models. The data model overview reveals relationships between objects, properties, and activities for streamlined setup, reporting, and automation. Explore their usage details.

In summary

Common HubSpot challenges include duplicate records, time-consuming data management, difficulty finding information, low adoption, measurement issues, inaccurate reporting, stale deals, inaccurate forecasting, low email open rates, complex segmentation, unclear workflow management, and rapid contact growth.

Solutions include improving data quality, automating processes, customizing record forms, centralizing data, training your team, communicating benefits, simplifying processes, and conducting regular audits.

Ready to tackle these challenges and make the most of your HubSpot experience? Contact Glare Marketing today for expert guidance and tailored solutions. Our team is here to help you unlock the full potential of HubSpot for your business success.