Integrating a HubSpot CRM. Why is it important in a B2B sales strategy?

I. CRM: The Digital Ally for B2B Sales

Indicators of a potential economic downturn looming, increasing inflation, and market instability – these are the realities we encounter in today's VUCA world. It is an unpredictable scenario that compels B2B companies to enhance their efficiency in both promoting their products and retaining their existing clientele.

Given this context, the current landscape of B2B sales paints a clear picture: in contrast to the past, customers now anticipate their suppliers to maintain a presence across various channels and adopt a more personalized approach. They desire to encounter this tailored approach throughout the entire purchasing journey. This is what suppliers must do to showcase their value and prevent exclusion from the market.

To adapt to these ever-changing dynamics, B2B companies must transition from a traditional sales approach to a "hybrid" model that enables them to align with customer demands. At the heart of this hybrid strategy lies the imperative for sales professionals to diligently record accurate and comprehensive information in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. By amalgamating qualitative and manual inputs with data derived from digital interactions with customers, a more thorough and timely collection of information is achieved.

“Tools like CRM are still not widely adopted and are only present in 34% of companies. There is a lack of advanced data analysis capabilities: almost a third of companies do not conduct any type of customer data analysis, and a large part (57%) primarily relies on descriptive analysis. 52% of businesses exclusively use basic tools like Excel, which do not allow for effective and timely information sharing within the company and with customers”.
(Source: B2B Customer Experience Observatory, 2023, Politecnico di Milano)

During a recent event organized by Politecnico di Milano, the significance of technological infrastructure in enhancing the customer experience within a company was underscored.

The hybrid model, relying on CRM, indeed facilitates the gathering of qualitative information that would have proven challenging in a conventional model. This information becomes more accessible through the recording and analysis of digital and automated interactions.

In summary:

In the current context, what is the most appropriate tool for understanding our customers' needs? The answer lies in CRM, often referred to as a "cross-functional enabler."

The ultimate objective is to shift towards a genuinely customer-centric approach. However, in this perspective, another critical element comes into play: interdepartmental alignment is crucial.

II. HubSpot: The Reference CRM for Revolutionizing B2B Strategies

In your hybrid sales strategy, it's crucial to carefully consider the diverse functionalities offered by the CRM system you choose to implement.

As previously mentioned, the primary and fundamental aspect to ponder is how the CRM can be configured to serve as a unified solution that caters to different company departments, including Sales, Marketing, and Operations. These departments have distinct requirements and tools but are part of a synchronized operational process within the customer's purchasing journey.

HubSpot is a MarTech platform that aligns well with the need to integrate various operational aspects of the company, primarily functioning as a central repository of information.

This SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, launched in 2014, is specifically crafted to streamline B2B sales processes and eliminate internal barriers between marketing and sales, following an integrated approach related to Operations (RevOps).

HubSpot's software encompasses modular hubs for sales, marketing, operations, customer service, and content management systems, all integrated into a single digital framework.

By adopting HubSpot, you can leave behind a multitude of disparate tools and platforms for each department, allowing all teams to collaborate within a unified system.

What distinguishes HubSpot from other CRM solutions is its ability to enhance collaboration between sales and marketing and operations. Especially as concerning the first two entities, they must work together to ensure stable, long-term company growth. They also need to be empowered enough in order to provide feedback, a feature facilitated by a system like HubSpot.

In practical terms, features such as automation, data aggregation, user-friendliness, the capacity to create customized workflows, and the availability of comprehensive reports and dashboards make HubSpot a suitable solution for a wide range of business scenarios.

III. HubSpot CRM in Action: The Solution for Optimizing Interdepartmental Operations

In a B2B business strategy, information represents a valuable resource. In fact, information is power: when we centralize information and make it available to all departments, we can achieve virtuous alignment and rationalize the decision-making process. Following this line, at what levels does HubSpot provide added value?

• Sales: It enables tracking and organizing business deals, thereby achieving a necessary ratio for implementing improvements within the sales pipeline.
• Marketing: It offers a management system that consolidates all information related to user activities within their omnichannel ecosystem.
• Operations: It ensures automation of repetitive and time-consuming tasks, freeing up operational time for resources.

We have just listed the advantages for each department. What are instead the benefits that involve the entire organization?

As mentioned, HubSpot allows all three departments to be aligned with each other. In other words, they become part of a puzzle where areas of expertise are well-defined, and their mutual points of interconnection are maximized. HubSpot supports the relationship with the customer throughout the entire lifecycle of the customer. Each department corresponds to a management touchpoint for prospect or customer users.

As a marketing manager, if I can collect and hold a wide range of information, I will be able to support much more targeted and precise sales actions, while simultaneously increasing the response rate to information requests (RFI). So, when the sales department comes into play, they will have access to a wealth of information that not only speeds up the acquisition process but also increases the chances of successfully closing deals.

Constant access to information is a linchpin: it ensures an offering more aligned with the customer's needs, contributing to improving the overall management of the quality of the service provided.

When we are in the commercial negotiation phase, having a centralized location to manage the entire pipeline provides a comprehensive and reliable view of both the current situation and future prospects.

Furthermore, tracking ongoing deals, whether they are open, lost, or won, allows the sales team to collaborate with the marketing department to develop actions or activities that maintain these companies' interest in our company. All of this is possible with HubSpot, whose support is based on the premise that to ensure a smooth transition between various departments, including sales operations, clear and automated procedures are essential.

Tracking communications, both internal and external, related to the specific contract, and the use of specific alarm systems – for example, if the contract is delayed due to a lack of materials – not only improve operational efficiency but ultimately, customer relationship management.

This, in the current market, and more broadly in a VUCA context, is the true priority for a B2B company. In this perspective, managing relationships on multiple levels and across multiple departments on a shared database is the greatest advantage one can achieve. The implementation of HubSpot typically takes around 30 days, which is the time required to configure the basic system to make it operational, functional, and start generating benefits.

IV. Conclusions

HubSpot is a CRM system that successfully centers the customer relationship, which, as we have reviewed, is perhaps the most crucial aspect in today's B2B sales process.

Its main advantage consists in modularity, a remarkable feature when it comes to dealing with an environment in which three departments - marketing, sales, and operations - depending on the size of the company in question and its organizational models, can have significantly different impacts on business results.

However, since needs vary among companies in different sectors, consultancy is the key element that identifies specific technical and instrumental requirements, and HubSpot's deployment cannot do without it.

Expert B2B consultancy transforms the CRM software from a simple technical tool into a complete system for optimizing and improving the quality of the sales process.

SOURCES:

• Aker A. in Forbes (2023), https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/09/12/marketing-strategies-to-retain-b2b-customers-in-a-volatile-world/?sh=2b2a990f7cdd
• VV. AA. in McKinsey (2022), https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-future-of-b2b-sales-is-hybrid
• Albini M.L. in Agenda Digitale (2023), https://www.agendadigitale.eu/mercati-digitali/crm-omnicanale-e-marketing-strategico-come-impostare-la-giusta-strategia/
• Digital 4 (2023), https://www.digital4.biz/marketing/hubspot-automatizzare-i-processi-di-marketing-e-vendita-b2b
• Osservatorio Customer Experience B2B in Osservatori Digital Innovation del Politecnico di Milano (2023), https://www.osservatori.net/it/ricerche/comunicati-stampa/customer-experience-b2b

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