HubSpot CRM Review: Features, Pricing & More!

If you\’re on the lookout for a CRM solution that can turbocharge your sales and supercharge your marketing efforts, you\’ve come to the right place!

In this in-depth HubSpot CRM review, we\’ll dive headfirst into the world of this popular platform to see if it lives up to the hype. We\’ll explore its user-friendly interface, robust features, and how it stacks up against the competition.

This review will be your roadmap to making informed decisions that could transform your business. Let\’s take the first step and get started!

 

Get Started With HubSpot CRM

Before we dive into the specific details and features of HubSpot, let\’s first look at how you can get started with this world-famous tool.

We began our HubSpot evaluation by taking two initial steps: adding team members and importing contacts and opportunities. To add team members, head to Account Settings and access the Users & Teams view. There, you can add users individually by providing their email addresses or use a CSV import for bulk additions.

 

Once added, team members receive an email invitation containing a log in link. After clicking the link, they enter their full name and job role information. A second email with a multi-factor authentication (MFA) code is sent for security. Once confirmed, they can set up their passwords.

On the next screen, new users may find themselves a bit puzzled when the wizard asks about the number of files and objects to import. Don\’t worry; it\’s just a database classification question. Proceed by selecting a single file and then importing your contacts accordingly.

 

The last setup steps focus on attaching an email address, a business voice-over IP (VoIP) system, or social media account(s) to your HubSpot user account. While the last two are optional, connecting an email is essential to get the most out of any CRM. HubSpot has made this process a breeze for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 email addresses, requiring just two clicks to set up on the fly when you send your first email.

 

Let\’s Address The Elephant In The Room: HubSpot CRM Is Expensive, But Worth It

HubSpot CRM for sales simplifies sales and marketing tasks, including contact management, deal tracking, real-time sales pipeline viewing, lead identification, and automated email marketing. It offers three plans for businesses: Free, Professional ($450/month), and Enterprise ($1200/month).

 

Let\’s first discuss the free plan.

The Free plan provides one deal pipeline, unlimited users for one team or department, and support for up to one million contacts, companies, deals, or task details. It includes various features per user per month:

• Calling (up to 15 minutes): Make short calls directly from the browser and record them for automatic call tracking and CRM recordkeeping.
• Five templates: Pre-designed templates to enhance communication and engagement for your campaigns.
• Notifications (up to 200): Real-time notifications to stay on top of assigned leads, form submissions, and deal mentions, customizable for web, desktop, and mobile apps.
• Five snippets: Reusable text blurbs for efficient real-time chatting and quick email responses.
• Five documents: The ability to upload, share, and track up to five documents, saving valuable time for your team.
• One booking page: Integrated with Google or Outlook calendar, this page simplifies scheduling meetings.
• Integration with 500+ business apps, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Gmail, Salesforce, and more.

Once you\’re comfortable with the free platform, you can choose paid add-on features as needed. Just keep an eye on the add-on costs to smoothly transition to other paid tiers when necessary.

The Professional plan enhances the previous plan with extended calling time, more deal pipelines, teams, automated workflows, a customized report builder, Salesforce integration, and smart send times.

The Enterprise plan includes all the Professional features and introduces custom objects, quote approvals, sales forecasting, sales analytics, predictive lead scoring, call transcription, sales playbooks, single sign-on, and e-signature.

 

Pros & Cons of HubSpot Sales CRM

 

We all have a fairly good idea of what HubSpot is all about. It\’s about automating most of your business processes, especially sales. So what we need to explore is what specific features are beneficial. And, which things from the tool can be improved.

Benefits of Using HubSpot CRM Software

1. One-stop solution to all business development problems

With its all-in-one CRM solution, you can effortlessly manage contacts, track deals, and view the sales pipeline in real time.

 

Say goodbye to hunting down leads, as HubSpot\’s lead identification tools do the job for you. Plus, its automation capabilities streamline your email marketing efforts. No need to juggle multiple platforms—HubSpot integrates with over 500 business apps.

 

2. There is a free version

The Free version of HubSpot CRM offers a wealth of benefits for businesses looking to supercharge their sales efforts without breaking the bank. With no cost to worry about, you get to manage one deal pipeline, enjoy unlimited users for a team or department, and handle up to one million contacts, companies, deals, or task details.

The cherry on top?

You can make short calls directly from your browser, record them for seamless call tracking and CRM recordkeeping, and even access five templates to boost your team\’s communication and campaign engagement.

 

3. Too many integrations!

HubSpot CRM is the king of web-app integrations!

 

Need something integrated with HubSpot? Name it, and you got it. This is how smoothly multiple apps can be integrated with HubSpot CRM.

HubSpot CRM integrates with over 500 business apps, providing seamless data flow across various systems. These include popular tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Gmail, Outlook, Salesforce, and Zapier.

This versatility allows businesses to consolidate their operations, improve efficiency, and streamline workflows effortlessly. Whether you need to sync contacts, automate tasks, or enhance marketing efforts, HubSpot\’s integration prowess makes it the go-to CRM.

 

What Limits HubSpot CRM?

1. It\’s a pricey software

For most businesses, HubSpot CRM may take more money and return. The reason why businesses leverage tools like these is because they want to invest in automating some business processes to get more returns. If this isn\’t fulfilled, it\’s not worth investing in CRM software. HubSpot may be a similar case.

The advanced features and higher tiers can rack up costs quickly, which might not fit every budget. Sure, the Free plan is a great starting point, but as your business grows, you might find yourself needing those extra goodies that come with the paid plans.

It\’s essential to carefully weigh the pricing against your specific needs to ensure you\’re getting the best value without breaking the bank.

 

2. Advanced features are tricky to use

HubSpot CRM\’s advanced features, while powerful, can be a double-edged sword for business owners.

The complexity of these features might overwhelm those with limited technical expertise or time constraints. While they offer incredible capabilities, they can be difficult to harness effectively without proper training or technical support.

For some businesses, the learning curve might hinder smooth adoption. As a result, these advanced features, though impressive, could become a con rather than a pro, especially for small businesses.

(source: Software Advice)

 

3. Free plan lacks essentials, making it good for nothing for businesses

The lack of features in the free plan sometimes makes it frustrating to use HubSpot CRM. I\’ll tell you what I mean.

Unlike the paid plans, HubSpot CRM lacks advanced marketing automation capabilities, which can be a game-changer for streamlining email campaigns and nurturing leads effectively. Additionally, the Free plan offers limited reporting options, making it challenging for businesses to gain deep insights into their sales performance and make data-driven decisions.

Another missing piece is the absence of phone support, leaving users with only online support channels for assistance, which might not be sufficient for urgent issues. These shortcomings could hinder businesses seeking more robust and comprehensive CRM functionalities.

 

Evaluating HubSpot CRM Sales Features

 

Before diving into deals, it\’s essential to customize your pipelines to fit your business needs. You can easily do this either through Settings or the default Deals screen in HubSpot CRM. By tweaking the generic default pipeline or creating entirely new versions, you\’ll efficiently organize your deals around these tailored pipelines.

Next, if you\’re on a higher pricing tier, take advantage of the product library. Enter all the products or services you\’re selling, along with associated data like SKU, unit or subscription price, and margin. This step is crucial before setting up deals because you can use this data during importing and sorting products.

When dealing with deals, HubSpot offers two views: a list view similar to Contacts and a card-based Kanban view.

The Kanban view is not only attractive but also interactive, allowing you to move deals along the pipeline just by dragging them. While this feature is handy, it\’s quite common among other CRM options as well. Both views allow easy data modification, on-the-fly editing, and saving preferred lists or views, making it perfect for managing long deals, deal packages, or multiple pipelines.

Additionally, you can apply filters to navigate long lists or add new filters as needed, similar to contacts or companies.

Check Your Reports & Dashboards

 

To check sales reports and dashboard in HubSpot CRM, follow these simple steps for a clear picture of your sales performance:

1. Navigate to the Reports Home: Log in to your HubSpot account and go to the Reports section from the top navigation bar.
2. Choose \”Sales\” Category: In the Reports Home, you\’ll find different categories. Select \”Sales\” to access sales-related reports.
3. Select Specific Reports: Browse through the available sales reports, such as Deals, Sales Performance, or Sales Activities, to find the ones you want to review.
4. Customize Your Dashboard: HubSpot allows you to create personalized dashboards with the specific reports you need. Click \”Create Dashboard\” and choose your desired metrics and visualizations.
5. Analyze Your Sales Data: Once you\’ve set up your dashboard, you can easily track various sales metrics like deals closed, revenue generated, sales activities, and team performance.
6. Drill Down into Details: Click on individual reports or charts in your dashboard to explore deeper insights and trends. Filter data by date range, team, or other criteria to get a comprehensive view.
7. Export or Share Reports: If you need to share the data with others or use it outside HubSpot, you can export reports in various formats like CSV or PDF.
8. Set up Automated Reports: HubSpot allows you to schedule automated reports delivery via email, ensuring you\’re always up-to-date with your sales performance.

 

Conclusion: Why HubSpot CRM For Sales?

HubSpot CRM is just one piece of the puzzle in HubSpot\’s impressive lineup of digital marketing automation tools.

In the free version, you get access to various tools from Marketing Hub™, Sales Hub™, and Service Hub™. Now, here\’s the thing: when you add a contact, lead, company, or website to HubSpot CRM, it simply treats them all as \”contacts,\” not distinguishing between leads and contacts.

So, if a contact has multiple email addresses, you\’ll have to add them manually. Sadly, the import feature won\’t be of much help here.