If you’re looking to implement HubSpot’s powerful CRM and associated marketing, sales, and service software, you may be considering working with a HubSpot partner agency.
In this article, we’ll explore what a HubSpot partner agency is, why you should consider working with one, and the importance of partnering with a HubSpot agency for CRM and HubSpot onboarding success.
What is a HubSpot partner agency?
A HubSpot partner is a company that has met HubSpot’s rigorous criteria for demonstrating expertise in using HubSpot’s marketing, sales, and service tools to help clients grow their businesses.
What are the HubSpot partner tiers?
The program offers four tiers: Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Elite, each with different requirements and benefits.
The Gold tier is the entry-level tier for HubSpot partners. To become a Gold partner, an agency must have at least one HubSpot-certified employee, must demonstrate an MRR of £3,000, and meet other program requirements.
Gold partners receive a range of benefits, including access to HubSpot’s partner resource centre, co-marketing opportunities, and priority support.
The Platinum tier is the next level up from Gold. To become a Platinum partner you need an MRR of around £12,000 and meet other program requirements.
Platinum partners receive all the benefits of Gold partners, as well as additional benefits such as access to advanced training, exclusive beta programs, and a dedicated partner consultant.
The Diamond tier is the second-highest tier in the HubSpot Partner Program. To become a Diamond partner, an agency must manage a minimum cumulative MRR of £44,000 and meet other program requirements.
Diamond partners receive all the benefits of Platinum partners, as well as additional benefits such as a dedicated account manager, exclusive events, and additional co-marketing opportunities.
The Elite tier is the highest level in the HubSpot Partner Program. To become an Elite partner, an agency must have a minimum of 100 certifications across its team, generate an impressive £135,000 in monthly revenue, and meet other program requirements.
Elite partners receive all the benefits of Diamond partners, as well as exclusive benefits such as a dedicated partner executive, customised training and support, and access to a dedicated partner success team.
Why choose a local HubSpot partner?
Choosing a HubSpot agency that is located in the same region as your company can be beneficial in several ways. First, it can help ensure that the agency has a better understanding of your local market and can tailor their strategies accordingly.
Additionally, working with a local partner can provide more personalised support and easier communication, as they will be in the same time zone and potentially able to meet in person.
For companies based in the United Kingdom, for example, partnering with a UK HubSpot partner agency can be particularly advantageous, as they will have a deep understanding of the local market and business landscape.
Benefits of working with a HubSpot partner agency
While it is possible to use HubSpot on your own, working with a partner agency can provide numerous benefits that can help you get the most out of the platform.
One of the key benefits of working with a HubSpot partner is that they can provide a wide range of services to support your marketing, sales, and service needs.
HubSpot partner agencies are typically full-service agencies that offer a range of solutions to help businesses improve their online presence and grow their customer base. Some of the services offered by HubSpot partner agencies include:
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Marketing automation: HubSpot partner agencies can help you automate your marketing processes, from lead capture and nurturing to email marketing and social media management.
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Content creation: HubSpot partner agencies can help you create high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience, including blog posts, infographics, videos, and more.
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Custom integrations: partner agencies can help you integrate HubSpot with other tools in your tech stack, such as your CRM, email marketing software, or customer support software.
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Inbound marketing strategy: HubSpot partners can help you create and implement an effective inbound marketing strategy that attracts, engages, and converts leads into customers.
Partnering with a HubSpot agency can also help you get the most out of HubSpot’s powerful features and tools.
A HubSpot partner can help you optimise your use of HubSpot to achieve your business goals, from improving your lead generation and nurturing processes to creating a repeatable sales model.
Furthermore, they have access to a range of resources and support that can help you achieve inbound success.
For example, HubSpot partners can access the HubSpot Academy, which provides a range of online courses and certifications to help agencies improve their skills and knowledge of the platform.
This means that a HubSpot agency is more likely to have a high level of expertise in using HubSpot, which can help you achieve a higher level of success with the platform.
What to expect from a HubSpot partner agency
If you’re considering working with a HubSpot partner agency, it’s important to know what to expect from them. Here are some key areas to keep in mind:
Strategy upfront
One of the most important things to look for is a strong strategy upfront.
This means that the agency should provide a ton of strategy before even logging into HubSpot. This will ensure that your HubSpot implementation is successful and aligns with your business goals.
The agency should start with the discovery & governance phase.
This includes understanding your business goals, identifying your ideal customer, and evaluating your current sales and marketing processes. By doing so, the agency can gain a deep understanding of your business needs and challenges.
The next step is the architecture & strategy phase, which involves designing your HubSpot implementation based on your unique business needs.
This includes creating a custom tech stack, identifying the right integrations, and mapping out your sales and marketing processes.
The agency should work closely with you during these initial phases to ensure that your implementation is set up for success.
They should provide guidance and recommendations based on their expertise and experience, and work collaboratively with your team to ensure that your implementation aligns with your business goals.
By prioritising strategy upfront, the partner agency can help you create a HubSpot implementation that is tailored to your business needs and set up for long-term success.
Heavy lifting
When you partner with a HubSpot agency, one of the most significant benefits is that they handle the heavy lifting of set-up, data migration, integrations build, UAT, and moving from sandbox to live environment.
This process can be complex and time-consuming, and having an experienced agency handle it can save your team a lot of headaches.
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Set up: The agency will set up your HubSpot account, including creating your portal, setting up user roles and permissions, and integrating with other tools you use.
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Data migration: If you’re switching to HubSpot from another CRM or marketing automation platform, the agency can help you migrate your data to HubSpot, ensuring that it is clean and accurate. This includes contacts, deals, and any other relevant data.
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Integrations build: If you use other tools like Salesforce or Google Analytics, the agency can help you set up integrations between those tools and HubSpot, ensuring that your data is seamlessly synced across platforms.
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UAT: Before moving to a live environment, the agency will conduct user acceptance testing (UAT) to ensure that everything is working as expected.
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Moving from sandbox to live environment: Once UAT is complete, the agency will help you move from a sandbox environment to a live environment. This ensures that you can start using HubSpot for your day-to-day operations without any interruptions.
Training and change management
Training and change management are critical components of any successful software implementation. When it comes to onboarding and using HubSpot, a partner agency should provide thorough training and support to ensure a smooth transition.
One approach is to identify and train “champions” within your organisation.
These champions can be responsible for learning the system in depth and training others in their department or team. This can help ensure that every team member understands the system and how to use it to support their role in the organisation.
Another approach is to train a small group of users initially and then expand training to additional teams or departments over time. This can help manage the learning curve and minimise the disruption to your day-to-day operations.
Ongoing support is also critical to success. A HubSpot partner agency should provide ongoing support and resources to help troubleshoot issues, provide guidance on best practices, and answer any questions that arise as your team becomes more proficient with the platform.
This may include regular check-ins, access to a dedicated support team, and a library of resources such as knowledge bases, video tutorials, and webinars.
Managed services support
Once your company has successfully implemented HubSpot with the help of a partner agency, the journey is far from over.
To maximise the benefits of the platform, you will need ongoing support and assistance from experts who understand the intricacies of HubSpot and can help you leverage it to its full potential. This is where managed services support comes into play.
HubSpot managed services involve the ongoing maintenance, optimisation, and management of your HubSpot account to ensure it continues to meet your business needs.
This can include tasks such as campaign creation, data analysis and reporting, troubleshooting, and ongoing education and training.
By partnering with a HubSpot agency for managed services support, you can benefit from the expertise of experienced HubSpot professionals who can help you refine your inbound marketing and sales strategies, identify areas for improvement, and optimise your HubSpot account to drive results.
In addition to technical support, managed services can also assist with content creation and marketing efforts.
Your partner agency can help you create and execute content marketing campaigns, develop email marketing campaigns, and produce videos that showcase your brand.
If you need to know how quickly you’ll receive a response to your requests and how long it will take for the agency to find a solution to your problems, ensure the agency can provide a HubSpot support SLA that outlines their standard response and resolution times for support tickets.
Finally, if you have a global presence, it’s critical that you ensure that the HubSpot agency can provide you with 24/7 support across all regions.
How to get the most out of a HubSpot partner agency
When working with a HubSpot partner, it’s important to know how to get the most out of the partnership. Here are some tips for maximising the benefits of working with a partner agency:
Push back
When partnering with a HubSpot agency, it’s important to find a partner that isn’t just a yes-man. The most effective agencies will challenge your assumptions and offer solutions that may be different from what you were expecting.
Why is this important? Because a partner agency that simply agrees with everything you say isn’t doing its job properly. They’re not pushing you to think more strategically or creatively, and they’re not bringing their expertise to the table.
In some cases, it may even be necessary for a partner agency to say “no” to certain ideas or initiatives. This can be difficult to hear, but it’s important to remember that the agency’s job is to help you achieve your goals in the most effective way possible. Sometimes, that means saying no to ideas that may not align with your business objectives or that may be too costly or complex to implement.
A partner agency that challenges assumptions and isn’t afraid to say no can ultimately help you achieve better results. By offering alternative solutions and pushing you to think outside the box, they can help you find new and innovative ways to reach your goals.
Discovery
Discovery is a critical phase in any partnership between a company and a HubSpot partner. During the discovery phase, the partner agency should ask a lot of questions to understand the company’s current state, goals, and challenges.
The more information that is shared during this phase, the better the partner agency will be able to understand the company’s needs and develop an effective strategy.
Effective communication is key during the discovery phase. The company should be transparent and share as much information as possible with the partner agency.
This includes information about the company’s target audience, competitors, current marketing and sales strategies, pain points, and more. This information will help the partner agency develop a tailored strategy that meets the company’s specific needs.
The partner agency should also be transparent about its process and what they need from the company to make the partnership successful.
This includes clear expectations for communication, deadlines, and deliverables. By setting clear expectations upfront, both parties can work together more effectively and efficiently.
In addition to sharing information during the discovery phase, ongoing communication is also critical to the success of the partnership. Regular check-ins and updates ensure that both parties are on the same page and that any issues or challenges can be addressed quickly.
The partner agency should also provide regular reports and updates on the progress of the strategy and any metrics that are being tracked.
Trust
Trust is a crucial factor when it comes to partnering with a HubSpot agency. As a business owner or executive, you want to work with a reputable agency that has the necessary experience and expertise to deliver results.
When selecting an agency, look for a team with a proven track record of success. Consider the agency’s experience, client roster, case studies, and testimonials. This information can help you gauge the agency’s ability to deliver the results you need.
It’s also important to evaluate the agency’s expertise in your particular industry or niche. A partner agency with experience in your industry can offer valuable insights and strategies specific to your business, helping you achieve your goals more effectively.
Communication is also critical in building trust. Your HubSpot partner agency should provide regular updates on progress, offer clear explanations of strategies and tactics, and be responsive to your needs and concerns.
Push for improvement
Partnering with a HubSpot agency is a significant investment of time and resources, and it is important to ensure that the partnership remains effective and efficient in the long term.
While a HubSpot agency can provide a wide range of services to support your marketing, sales, and service needs, it is essential to push for ongoing improvement and evolution of the partnership to get the most out of it.
One of the critical aspects of pushing for improvement is to have regular check-ins and performance reviews with your HubSpot agency.
This allows you to assess the progress made towards your goals, identify any areas of improvement, and determine the effectiveness of the strategies implemented.
Through regular reviews, you can make informed decisions about the future direction of your partnership, and work together to address any issues that arise.
Another way to push for improvement is to ensure that you are continually challenging your HubSpot agency to improve its services and strategies.
This includes providing constructive feedback, asking for new ideas, and pushing for innovation. It is essential to communicate your expectations clearly and work collaboratively with your HubSpot agency to achieve your goals.
Furthermore, it is crucial to keep up with industry trends and advancements and to explore new opportunities with your HubSpot agency. This includes exploring new technologies, tactics, and strategies that can help your business achieve its goals.
By pushing for continuous improvement and evolution, you can stay ahead of the competition and take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.
Examples of Successful HubSpot Partnerships
There are numerous examples of successful partnerships between businesses and HubSpot partners. Here are a few notable case studies:
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Huble kickstarted Interprefy’s marketing success by moving them to HubSpot CRM and building a search-engine-optimised, lead-generating website from scratch.
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Huble helped Knight Frank use HubSpot to give marketing and key business units a unified view of its customer data.
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Huble developed a plan to unify and standardise sales and marketing initiatives for a global certification body.
Why work with a HubSpot agency partner?
Partnering with a HubSpot agency can provide a wide range of services to support your marketing, sales, and service needs. When selecting a HubSpot partner agency, it is important to find one that aligns with your business goals and needs.
Look for an agency with experience and expertise in your industry, as well as a proven track record of success. Communication and trust are also key factors in a successful partnership.
Pushing for improvement and ongoing evolution of the partnership is another important aspect to consider. A good partner agency should challenge assumptions and provide valuable insights and feedback.
As a triple elite HubSpot partner, here at Huble, we’ve helped hundreds of companies leverage HubSpot to its full potential. To find out how we can do the same for you, speak with our team.
