Running a small business is like tending to a garden - you must be careful, pay attention to details, pour resources and energy into it, and be patient. And just like a gardener nurtures each plant, a small business owner must carefully manage each aspect of his business to achieve growth and success. This can be a challenge.
To run a business successfully today, you need to create a seamless customer journey and build recognition and reliability. In the digital landscape, it can be easily done with HubSpot free CRM. However, HubSpot prices can be expensive for those who are just starting.
But don’t worry, the free version of HubSpot can get the job done just as well. Read until the end of the blog to understand HubSpot's free version and how to maximize its utility for your business.
What is HubSpot CRM?
Now, before we get into HubSpot prices, let’s understand what HubSpot CRM does for you. CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It refers to the process of managing, analyzing, and optimizing interactions with prospective, and existing customers.
HubSpot CRM is a powerful tool and presents extensive opportunities for its users. Even if you cannot afford the HubSpot cost per user, there’s a HubSpot free version for you and Hubspot startup discount. Their free CRM offers a surprising amount of functionality. So, let’s find out more about them.
What will you get with HubSpot free CRM?
If you migrate to HubSpot, the HubSpot Free CRM includes the following tools and features:
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Marketing: If you are using the HubSpot free toostartl, you can enjoy basic marketing tools, including forms to embed on your website. You can also access a top-notch dashboard for monitoring marketing performance.
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Email Marketing: HubSpot free version also Includes 1:1 email. You can also enjoy functionalities like team email, email reply tracking, email scheduling, and up to five email templates.
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Pipeline Management: With the free version you can access the visual sales pipeline and track business leads through each stage of the sales process.
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HubSpot live chat: It also comes with a universal inbox that collects all conversations automatically and enriches them with CRM data. As a result, you get a full picture.
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Contact management: You add a prospect’s email, phone, and address and keep your contact details up-to-date by leveraging the free version of HubSpot.
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Tasks assignment: You can manage and optimize your sales pipeline and add tasks to each customer in various parts of the pipeline.
"A great onboarding journey is important as it helps the customers or clients to know more about the product and it improves the efficiency & productivity of the team."
A Step-by-Step Guide for HubSpot Onboarding
How to maximize your HubSpot free CRM
Now, we have just learned about all the wonderful tools you can enjoy for free in HubSpot. However, knowing how to use them to get the best value out of them is the tricky part.
Set it up
A strong foundation is crucial. Here's how to set up HubSpot Free CRM for immediate wins:
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Connect your inbox: Integrate Gmail or Outlook to automatically build your contact database and gain valuable insights through email tracking. See which contacts open your emails, how often they engage with them, and even how long they spend reading. This not only helps you understand engagement but can also inform future email outreach strategies.
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Calendar integration: Simplify scheduling with a "Book a meeting with me" link in your email signature, empowering prospects to take control and find a convenient time to connect. This reduces friction in the sales process and keeps things moving forward.
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Access control: Tailor user access to reports and functionalities based on individual needs. This ensures that everyone has the information they need to do their jobs effectively while protecting sensitive data.
Sales and Support Pipelines
HubSpot equips you with a sales and support pipeline – the heart of your CRM. Here's how to optimize them:
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Map your processes: Clearly define your sales and support stages to create pipelines that mirror your workflow and enable accurate forecasting. This transparency allows your team to see the bigger picture and anticipate upcoming milestones.
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Streamlined yet detailed: Keep your pipelines lean with essential stages that provide valuable information. Avoid unnecessary complexity that can slow down the process. However, ensure each stage captures the necessary details to inform reporting and forecasting.
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Detailed notes: Encourage team members to add comprehensive notes when moving deals or tickets. This enriches reporting and aids in understanding your sales cycle for improvement. Did a particular tactic lead to a closed deal? Capture that information in the notes section to identify repeatable strategies.
Reporting Dashboard
The free CRM offers pre-built dashboards for marketing, sales, and service, each with customizable reports. Here's how to get the most out of them:
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Utilize the defaults: The provided reports offer a solid starting point. As you gain experience, tailor them further using report templates to focus on the metrics most relevant to your business goals.
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Filter finesse: The reports auto-populate monthly, but you can drill down for deeper insights by filtering based on date range, sales teams, prospects, and more. Analyze sales performance by individual team members or track deal progress by product line.
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Automated reports: Schedule reports for automatic delivery to your inbox, saving you valuable time and ensuring you always have the latest data at your fingertips.
Email Templates
HubSpot's email templates allow you to personalize pre-written emails, saving time and ensuring consistency. Here's a simple approach:
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Start small: Choose your most frequently sent email and create a template for it. Gradually build your library as needed. Prioritize emails that generate a high volume of responses, such as follow-up emails after a demo or quote requests.
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Personalization matters: Don't lose the human touch! Templates are a starting point, personalize them for each recipient with relevant details and a friendly tone.
Documents
HubSpot's Documents feature provides a centralized hub for storing and tracking sales documents. Here's how to leverage it:
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Build your library: Upload essential sales documents and brochures for easy access by your entire team. This ensures everyone has access to the latest versions of sales materials and presentations.
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Data-driven insights: Gain valuable insights into prospect behavior with document tracking. See when documents are opened, which pages are viewed, and if they are forwarded. This allows you to tailor your sales pitch based on a prospect's specific interests.
Ad Management
A recent addition to the free CRM, social media ads management allows you to create and manage ad spending with automatic lead syncing. Here's what you can achieve:
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Effortless lead capture: Leads generated from your social media ads are automatically added to your CRM pipeline, ensuring no qualified lead slips through the cracks.
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Engagement tracking: See which contacts interact with your ads, providing valuable insights into campaign effectiveness. You can see which demographics are most receptive to your messaging and tailor future campaigns accordingly.
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Social media reporting: Integrate social media ad performance data into your CRM reports dashboard for a holistic view of your marketing and sales efforts. Analyze how social media campaigns contribute to the overall sales funnel.
Forms
HubSpot forms seamlessly integrate with the CRM, automatically populating your contact database with leads generated through content offers and other marketing initiatives.
By following these steps and leveraging the free CRM's capabilities, you'll be well on your way to fostering stronger customer relationships, streamlining operations, and ultimately, growing your business.
"Discount codes can be either dollar-based or percentage-based, and can be deactivated at any time."
Create and use payment discount codes
Should you consider upgrading?
HubSpot free CRM is a fantastic tool for businesses starting out. It allows you to manage contacts, track emails, and gain valuable insights into your customer interactions. But as your business grows, you might reach a point where the free plan's limitations hinder your progress. Here's how to know when it's time to upgrade to a paid HubSpot plan.
Signs You Need More Sales Pipeline Power
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Limited Pipelines: The free plan only offers a single pipeline. If your sales process involves multiple stages or requires separate pipelines for different products or services, you'll need to upgrade to unlock more.
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Refined Data Needs: The free plan offers basic data tracking. Upgrading allows for more detailed data capture and custom reports, giving you a deeper understanding of your sales funnel.
Signs You Need Marketing Automation
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Manual Workload: Are you spending too much time on repetitive tasks like sending follow-up emails or scheduling meetings? Upgrading unlocks marketing automation features like sales sequences and workflows, freeing up your time to focus on closing deals.
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Large Sales Team: If you have a growing sales team, automating repetitive tasks becomes even more crucial. A paid plan empowers your team to sell more efficiently.
Additional Reasons to Upgrade
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Contact Limits: The free plan restricts you to 1 million contacts. Upgrading removes this limit, ensuring you can manage your growing customer base.
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Branding Removal: Free plan emails include HubSpot branding. Upgrading allows for custom branding, giving your communication a more professional touch.
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Advanced Features: Paid plans unlock a treasure trove of advanced features like lead scoring, A/B testing, and advanced analytics. These tools help you refine your marketing strategy and maximize results.
Choosing the Right Paid Plan
HubSpot Free CRM offers tiered paid plans (Starter, Professional, and Enterprise) with varying features. Here's a quick breakdown to help you decide:
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Starter: Ideal for capturing leads, nurturing contacts, and removing HubSpot branding.
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Professional: Perfect for implementing inbound marketing with automation, SEO tools, and deeper sales analytics.
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Enterprise: Designed for large-scale operations, offering advanced customization, complex reporting, and single sign-on capabilities.
Upgrading your HubSpot Free CRM empowers you to streamline processes, personalize marketing efforts, and gain deeper customer insights. By recognizing the limitations of the free plan and aligning your needs with the features offered in paid plans, you can unlock the full potential of HubSpot and propel your business forward.
Note: If you have made up your mind about the paid plan, check out our blog on HubSpot Discount. This blog will give you a complete breakdown of CRM pricing in HubSpot and the HubSpot discounts you can utilize.
"Marketing automation involves employing software solutions to execute, manage, and track a business's marketing endeavors."
Wrap it up
Whether you go for the free plan or choose to pay HubSpot Cost per user, the goal is to make sure you extract the maximum utility out of it. While this blog provides a detailed guide, you might want to consider HubSpot services for further assistance.
At MarkeStac, we house a team of HubSpot professionals who can assist you with any sort of HubSpot development services, or other CRM needs. So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us, and get started on your HubSpot journey with hubspot white label services.
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