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HubSpot CRM Setup: Everything You Need to Get Started
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Setting up and migrating CRM platforms can seem overwhelming, but it's not as complicated as it sounds. It may take time, especially without a clear plan. Without defined steps, team roles, and deadlines, the process can easily drag on.
HubSpot offers many advanced features, though most are part of paid plans. However, its free plan still provides a range of valuable tools, including content management, sales pipeline management, email marketing, reporting dashboards, email tracking, lead generation, and more.
The CRM also integrates well with other HubSpot tools like the Marketing Hub and Sales Hub, creating a seamless experience for managing customer relationships. With all these features, setting up HubSpot’s free CRM is definitely worth the effort.
In this article, we'll walk you through the HubSpot CRM setup process, so you can start using its tools to benefit your business right away.
Linking your email to HubSpot CRM is a simple way to keep track of conversations without extra effort. Once connected, every email you send and receive will be stored in the CRM automatically.
This integration has two parts: connecting your inbox and adding the email extension.
First, connecting your inbox lets you send emails directly from contact records and automatically logs email replies. The second part, the email extension, adds CRM tools directly inside your inbox. This allows you to access contact records, log emails, and use features like templates and meeting links without leaving your email.
The integration saves time by eliminating the need to manually log emails. Everything syncs automatically. If you upgrade to HubSpot’s Starter Customer Platform, this integration also lets you send personalized, automated email sequences directly from the CRM.
To set it up, Google and Office 365 users can connect their inboxes with account details. For other email providers, you can link your inbox through IMAP. Once set up, HubSpot CRM and your inbox will stay in sync, recording all interactions with your contacts.
For the email extension, a few different methods are depending on your email tool:
Once the extension is set up, emails will be automatically logged, and you can track if contacts are opening them. As a result, you’ll get insights into your contacts' engagement, helping you stay on top of important interactions.
Once your email is connected to HubSpot CRM, a contact record will automatically be created for each person you email. As you gather more contacts, organizing them becomes essential. You can create lists of similar contacts based on any information stored in the CRM.
The real power of a CRM is in its ability to organize your data in ways that drive action. HubSpot’s instant filtering helps you pinpoint the contacts you should focus on.
Each contact record in HubSpot contains several properties, like their name, email, and company. If you’re only using the email integration, many of these properties may be empty. However, you can still filter your contacts based on email interactions.
Some valuable filters are:
As you add more data to HubSpot CRM, your filters become even more powerful. If you enjoy using filters, you’ll likely want to create a contact, which takes us to the next step!
Once you’re successfully integrated your email and created filters, it’s time to bring your past records into HubSpot. Importing your data lets you move all your existing contact, company, and sales (deals) information into the CRM.
You can easily import contacts from a spreadsheet or your Gmail account. If you choose a spreadsheet, make sure to create a column for each property you want to import. This way, you can upload all your information at once, instead of adding contacts one by one.
As potential customers move through your pipeline, deal stages help you visually track progress and identify issues. HubSpot CRM includes default deal stages, but customizing them to match your sales process makes them more useful.
When creating a deal in HubSpot, you must give each stage a name and probability. The probability represents how likely a deal in that stage is to close. This helps calculate your sales forecast, which you can see on your dashboard.
You can also create a task in Hubspot to remind yourself or your team of important follow-ups or actions related to that deal.
If you’re unsure about the probability, think of it as a measure of how far along the deal is in the sales process. For example, if the first stage is "Appointment Scheduled," it’s early in the process, so you might assign it a 10% probability. As you move closer to closing, a stage like "Contract Sent" could have a 90% probability. This gives you a rough idea of where each deal stands, though you can adjust the probabilities later.
Here are some of the default deal stages HubSpot offers:
Your CRM is set up, and your existing contacts are in place. Now it’s time to start generating new leads!
Your website often gives potential customers the first impression of your business. If they want to engage more deeply, you need an easy way for them to connect. HubSpot CRM keeps your website leads in one place, making managing it easier.
To do this, you’ll need to add HubSpot tracking code to your website. You can create lead flows once you’ve installed this JavaScript tracking code. These pop-ups appear on specific pages, allowing you to collect contact details and offer valuable content.
Once the tracking code is in place, the lead flows you set up in HubSpot will automatically appear on the chosen pages. When visitors submit their information, it will be stored directly in your CRM, alongside all your other contacts.
A CRM’s biggest benefit is offering shared visibility across your team. Marketing, sales, and customer service should all work from the same data. HubSpot CRM makes this possible.
You can add unlimited users to HubSpot CRM and set their access levels. Once added, they’ll receive an email with login instructions. You can control their permissions, deciding whether they can view or edit specific sections.
Now that you’ve got the HubSpot basics CRM setup in place, it’s time to amp up your system with some key features, including:
HubSpot CRM provides a detailed, customizable dashboard with a complete view of your sales pipeline. You can track each deal, see its stage, and monitor important metrics like deal value, expected close date, and deal owner. This clear overview makes it easy to measure your sales performance and progress over time.
The dashboard highlights key data, such as conversion rates, sales velocity, and pipeline health, allowing you to identify where you're excelling and where improvements are needed.
With HubSpot, you can save time by creating email templates. HubSpot provides ready-to-use, customizable email copy, including templates for welcome emails, abandoned carts, event announcements, survey requests, content distribution, and more.
These are especially useful for repetitive emails, like follow-ups or outreach. You can personalize them before sending, making your communication both efficient and tailored to each recipient.
You can access these templates directly in the CRM or your inbox, so they're always at your fingertips when you need.
Forms are a powerful tool for lead generation. HubSpot research shows that 74% of marketers use web forms, and 49.7% say forms are their highest-converting lead tool.
With HubSpot, you can create forms on your website to gather contact information and nurture leads. HubSpot offers several form options, including:
Adding these forms to your site helps you convert visitors into potential customers.
Over the past year, Facebook has achieved the highest return on investment (ROI) among all social media platforms. HubSpot allows you to create lead ads on Facebook, perfect for small and mid-size businesses. These ads include a strong call-to-action (CTA) and use Facebook's data to auto-fill forms for your leads. Once someone submits their information, the leads are instantly added to your HubSpot CRM.
Gartner, Inc. forecasts that by 2027, chatbots will serve as the main customer service channel for approximately 25% of organizations. HubSpot allows you to add chatbot to your website. You can automate conversations with prospects, helping you answer questions and capture leads instantly.
Plus, integrating your social media accounts will allow you to manage interactions directly from your CRM, giving you a full view of customer engagement across multiple channels.
Setting up HubSpot CRM takes time and can be challenging without the right expertise. From transferring sales data and contact details into your new CRM to setting up your sales pipeline, there’s a lot to organize.
A Reddit user shared their experience of a poorly set up CRM below.
That’s where Tripledart comes in. As a trusted HubSpot partner agency, we offer comprehensive HubSpot onboarding services to make the process smooth and efficient.
Our team helps you choose the right plan, integrates your tech stack and automation features, and creates a customized onboarding strategy to match your business goals. With our expert guidance, you can trust that your CRM will be perfectly tailored, optimized, and ready to help your business grow.
Reach out today for a seamless HubSpot CRM setup guide that sets you up for success!
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