We know. Picking a CRM can feel nothing short of overwhelming. But the good news is this: if you’ve been asking yourself “is Hubspot for me?” and then scratched your head because you weren’t sure, you’re in the right place. Here below, you’ll find all you need to know to decide if Hubspot is the best choice for your company.
Hubspot IS a great choice for many companies. But how do you know if your company is one of them? In this guide, we’ll walk you through what companies Hubspot CRM is perfect for – and how to tell if you should choose it.
What companies is HubSpot perfect for?
Small businesses and start-ups
If you’re running a start-up, or a small business whose pockets are not limitless, Hubspot CRM has nice tiers that make is a cost-efficient option. You could even theoretically manage contacts, track deals and organize a pipeline without spending much, or anything at all. And once you want to scale, Hubspot can accomodate that – so that you won’t have to change CRMs altogether. Which tends to be a pain.
Companies focusing on marketing
As Hubspot was marketing-first in its foundation, and actually started out as a tool for inbound marketing, it’s not strange that it works nicely for those who first and foremost need a marketing tool. So, if your company relies on content marketing, email campaigns, social media and inbound leads, Hubspot may very well be the way to go.
Teams that value ease-of-use
When we think about CRMs, the word complex comes to mind. But Hubspot is not exactly like that, and most can navigate their new CRM within a couple of hours. So, if you need your team to actually use their CRM, and not just swear about it, the simplicity of Hubspot may mean its a good fit.
Companies that want ONE solution
As CS, marketing, analytics and sales can all live in Hubspot, it eliminates the need for multiple tools. At least for direct sales. And if you find yourself selling through partners, integrations with Partner Portals like SP_CE will make it easy to use Hubspot for channel sales as well.
What companies are Hubspot not for
Large enterprise companies with equally large and complex needs
Big companies with intricate sales processes, complex customization requirements or workflows that are super-specialized, may not be the best fit for Hubspot. Yes, Hubspot Enterprise is a thing, but platforms like Dynamics or Salesforce are still the better bet if you need robust customization options, and have to be mindful of complex organizational structures.
Companies who are on a budget but need advanced features
Sure, Hubspot tiers can be cost-efficient, but if you need marketing automation, advanced reporting, custom workflows or sales sequences, you’ll need to upgrade from your free account. And this cost can quickly escalate. These costs can escalate quickly. Meaning that, if you don’t need advanced features, or the specific Marketing functionality, Pipedrive may be a better fit.
Industries that have super-specialized CRM requirements
Certain industries (think insurance, real estate or finance) usually benefit from industry-specific CRMs with built-in compliance features and specialized workflows from the get-go. And while HubSpot is versatile, it is also a general-purpose platform. So, if your industry has unique regulatory requirements or specialized processes, a niche CRM might serve you better.
Those who are already in other ecosystems
If your company is already in the Microsoft sphere with Dynamics 365, or some similar ecosystem, you might find it better to use CRMs designed specifically for those spheres. Not saying that Hubspot won’t work, but native solutions can oftentimes offer an experience that is a bit more streamlined.
What to ask yourself before you choose
What’s my goal? If lead generation and inbound marketing are THE priorities, Hubspot is a nice choice. But if you’re instead prioritizing sales automations or customer service, you may want to compare with other tools before you make your choice.
How technical is my team? As Hubspot doesn’t require the technical expertize that, for example Dynamics 365 can, it can be a solid choice for companies who lack the necessary IT support.
What’s my growth plan? If you’re small or mid-sized now, but aim to expand rapidly, Hubspot’s ability to scale with you may make it a good fit.
How important is it to customize my CRM? Yes, Hubspot offers solid customizations within its framework, but if what you really need is to to build custom modules, if you have to modify core functionality, you might hit a wall.
Want to know more about Hubspot? Then, you can read more here.
