So, you've taken the plunge and signed up for HubSpot. Maybe you were promised a smoother sales process, better marketing results, or simply wanted to escape your cluttered spreadsheets. But now you’ve logged in... and your brain’s doing somersaults.
Don't worry – you're not alone. Every week, we hear from business owners and teams saying the same thing:
“I’ve bought HubSpot. Everyone told me it was brilliant. But I have no idea what I’m supposed to do next.”
Let’s fix that, shall we?
First off – breathe.
HubSpot is a powerful platform. But like any good tool, it takes a bit of setting up to get the most out of it. You don’t need to master everything on Day One. In fact, we’d recommend not trying to.
Your job right now is to get your bearings and figure out how HubSpot fits into your business – not someone else’s.
1. Start with what matters most to you
HubSpot is broken into different “Hubs” – CRM (which is free), Marketing, Sales, Service, and more.
Ask yourself:
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Are you trying to get more leads?
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Do you need to track your sales pipeline?
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Is customer support your current nightmare?
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Or are you just trying to stop your team drowning in data?
Your answer to that question helps shape what you do next.
Examples:
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If sales is your top priority, start with the Sales Hub: pipelines, deals, and contact management.
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If lead generation is the issue, dig into the Marketing Hub: forms, emails, and landing pages.
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If you're swamped with customer questions, the Service Hub can help with tickets, live chat, and shared inboxes.
Pick your starting point. You can always expand later.
2. Clean up your data
We know, we know – it’s boring. But if your contact list is a tangled mess of duplicates, missing phone numbers, and dodgy emails, HubSpot can only do so much.
Top tips:
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Deduplicate: HubSpot has built-in tools to spot and merge duplicates.
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Segment: Use properties like “lead source” or “lifecycle stage” to group your contacts.
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Delete what you don’t need: If it's junk, ditch it. Less is more.
A clean database means clearer reporting, smarter automation, and happier teams.
3. Customise it for your business
HubSpot isn’t a one-size-fits-all. You can (and should!) tweak it to suit the way you work.
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Rename deal stages to match your actual sales process.
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Add custom properties to track what matters (e.g., property size, project deadline, favourite biscuit).
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Create filtered views that make sense for your team.
Don't stick with the defaults – they're just placeholders. Make it yours.
4. Set up your pipelines
Think of pipelines like digital to-do lists for sales deals, support tickets, or onboarding tasks.
For sales, a typical pipeline might look like:
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New enquiry
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Discovery call booked
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Proposal sent
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Negotiation
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Closed – won/lost
Simple, right? Start there. You can always add more complexity later – but clarity comes first.
5. Start using tasks and notes
HubSpot is your team’s brain. Use it that way.
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Create tasks for follow-ups and reminders.
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Log notes after every call or meeting.
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Pin important info on each contact record so it’s always visible.
Once your team gets used to working in HubSpot, the value skyrockets.
6. Don’t ignore the automation (but don’t overdo it either)
Automation is brilliant. It can:
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Send follow-up emails automatically
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Move deals through stages
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Create tasks when certain things happen
But it’s easy to go too far, too fast. Don’t try to automate everything on Day One. Start small – maybe a welcome email when someone fills out a form – and build from there.
Pro tip: Get a freelancer to set up your first workflow properly, so you don’t end up with a Frankenstein system in six months’ time.
7. Get your team trained (without putting them to sleep)
HubSpot has tonnes of training resources – videos, tutorials, and even full certification courses. But if your team are busy, they’ll appreciate short, practical guidance instead of hours of theory.
Better still – get a freelancer to run a mini training session just for your team. Half an hour on “how we use HubSpot here” goes a long way.
8. Track what’s working
One of the best things about HubSpot is the reporting – but only if you set it up properly.
Decide on a few key numbers you want to see:
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Number of leads this month
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Pipeline value
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Conversion rate
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Email open rate
Then create dashboards that show those things clearly. Don’t get bogged down in vanity metrics – focus on what helps you make decisions.
9. Ask for help when you need it
HubSpot is big. You will hit roadblocks. Whether it’s:
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Getting a workflow to behave
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Integrating another tool
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Creating a report that makes sense
…it’s OK to ask for help. That’s where HubSpot freelancers come in. They live and breathe this stuff, and can often do in an hour what might take you a day (or a week).
10. Relax – you’re doing better than you think
If you've made it this far, you’re already ahead of the curve. Most people don’t even log in after the first week!
Setting up HubSpot properly takes a bit of effort, but the payoff is huge: smoother sales, less admin, better insight, and a system your whole team actually uses.
So: one step at a time. Prioritise what matters, get a bit of help where you need it, and before long, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Need a hand?
If you’re stuck, overwhelmed, or just want someone to sort it all out for you – our freelancers are ready to help. Whether it’s a quick fix or full setup, they’ve seen it all.
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