Case Study – Implementing HubSpot in a B2B Equipment Supplier

Business Overview

A B2B equipment supplier provides specialised tools and machinery to various industries, including construction, manufacturing, and engineering firms. The company offers both direct sales and long-term service agreements, ensuring customers receive ongoing support and maintenance. They currently serve 1,250 clients, divided into three key segments:

  • 40% transactional customers- These clients make straightforward purchases with minimal engagement.
  • 20% project-based customers- These clients require a more consultative approach, often involving quotes and project management.
  • 40% account-managed customers- These clients rely on ongoing support and tailored services, requiring regular interaction and relationship-building.

The business faces challenges in managing these diverse customer types effectively, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. The company recognises the need for better sales funnel management, an integrated CRM system, and a shared calendar to coordinate efforts between sales, account management, and project teams.

The Challenge-

  1. Customer Segmentation and Tailored Engagement- The transactional, project-based, and account-managed customers have different needs, requiring custom workflows and communication strategies.
  2. Sales Funnel Management- The project-based customers require a structured sales funnel, from initial contact and quoting to project completion. However, the sales team currently lacks a systematic way to track and manage these opportunities.
  3. Disjointed Processes- The sales team uses separate systems for project tracking, account management, and sales, leading to duplication of efforts, missed follow-ups, and poor visibility into the customer journey.
  4. Collaboration Between Teams- The sales, project, and account management teams need a system that enables effective collaboration, ensuring that customer interactions are tracked and opportunities aren’t lost.
  5. Lack of Integration- The business doesn’t have an integrated system for managing customer data, calendars, and communications, resulting in missed opportunities for follow-up and poor customer experience.

Solution- Implementing Hubspot CRM with Integrated Calendar and Sales Funnel

To address these challenges, we implemented Hubspot CRM, integrating the platform’s sales funnel, project management tools, and account management features. Here’s how we customised Hubspot to fit the steel stockist’s needs-

1. CRM Customisation-

We customised HubSpot’s CRM to fit the business’s customer segments better. The three customer categories (transactional, project-based, and account-managed) were set up with unique contact properties and custom pipelines.

  • Transactional Customers For these customers, we simplified the process, focusing on essential quotes and orders. A streamlined pipeline ensured minimal friction, with quick quote-to-sale processes. These customers are more transactional, so we focused on automating follow-up emails and reminders for reorders or product promotions.
  • Project-Based Customers For this segment, we created a custom sales funnel within HubSpot to manage the more complex nature of project-based sales. This funnel tracked the initial contact, project scoping, quoting, project management, and delivery stages. This allowed the team to track each project in its pipeline, ensuring nothing slipped through the cracks. Automated reminders for quotes, follow-ups, and meetings were set to provide timely communication.
  • Account-Managed Customers For these high-value customers, we implemented a relationship-building approach. A tailored pipeline was set up to track ongoing interactions, from regular check-ins to the sales of additional products or services. Each account manager had personalised workflows to maintain regular touchpoints and provide outstanding service. Task assignments and reminders were set to ensure these clients received consistent attention.

2. Sales Funnel Management for Projects-

The project-based customers were the most complex segment, requiring detailed project tracking and close communication between the sales and project teams. We set up a customised sales funnel designed to manage these project-based sales. The funnel included stages such as

  • Initial Inquiry/Lead Qualification
  • Scoping and Needs Analysis
  • Quoting and Proposal
  • Project Kickoff
  • Ongoing Project Management
  • Delivery and Post-Sale Follow-Up

Each funnel stage included custom properties, such as project deadlines, required materials, and key contacts, enabling the sales team to track project progress and assign tasks across teams. Automated reminders ensured that the sales team followed up at the correct times with relevant updates.

3. Integration of HubSpot Calendar-

To address the coordination issues between the different teams, we integrated HubSpot’s calendar functionality. This provided a centralised view for the sales, account management, and project teams to see scheduled meetings, calls, and tasks in one place. The integrated calendar helped-

  • Sales teams track essential meetings and deadlines for project-based customers.
  • Account managers schedule regular check-ins with their key clients.
  • Project managers see upcoming milestones and deadlines for active projects.

This integration improved team collaboration, ensuring everyone was on the same page regarding customer interactions and reducing missed follow-ups.

4. Workflows and Automation-

Automation was a key focus, particularly for transactional customers who require minimal manual intervention. We set up automated email workflows for these customers to remind them of reordering opportunities, follow up on quotes, and engage them with personalised promotions.

We set up automated reminders for project-based customers for project milestones, deadlines, and follow-up actions. These reminders helped prevent delays and ensured all team members knew of their tasks.

Account managers benefitted from automated follow-ups on key account activity, ensuring they maintained regular contact with high-value clients.

5. Reports and Dashboards-

We implemented custom dashboards to give the sales and account management teams visibility into their performance. The dashboards tracked-

  • Sales pipeline progress for each customer segment.
  • Project timelines and milestones for project-based clients.
  • Account management activity, showing progress on renewals, upsells, or additional services.

These dashboards enabled the team to monitor sales activities, project completion, and account health easily. The reporting also gave the management team real-time data on the performance of the sales funnel, highlighting areas for improvement or additional attention.

Results-

After implementing HubSpot, the steel stockist business saw significant improvements in efficiency and customer engagement-

  • Increased Sales Efficiency- By streamlining processes for transactional customers and automating follow-ups, the sales team reduced the time spent on repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-value opportunities. As a result, the sales cycle for transactional customers was shortened by 15%.
  • Improved Project Tracking- The custom sales funnel and task automation helped keep the project-based customers’ sales journey on track. The team was able to follow up at critical stages, ensuring that projects stayed on schedule and resulted in successful outcomes.
  • Better Collaboration Across Teams- The integrated calendar ensured that the sales, project, and account management teams were aligned on customer touchpoints. Team members no longer missed important meetings or deadlines, and everyone had visibility into each customer and project status.
  • Stronger Account Management- The account managers had the tools they needed to nurture relationships with their clients. By scheduling regular check-ins and tracking account activity, they were able to proactively address any issues and identify opportunities for upselling or cross-selling, resulting in a 10% increase in repeat business.

Implementing HubSpot CRM with sales funnel managementintegrated calendars, and automation workflows has proven highly effective for suppliers and manufacturers. By tailoring HubSpot to their specific customer segments—transactional, project-based, and account-managed customers—the business was able to optimise sales processes, improve team collaboration, and enhance customer relationships.

For businesses with similar customer segmentation and complexity, HubSpot offers a flexible and scalable solution that can be customised to meet your needs, ensuring you stay organised, efficient, and focused on driving sales.

If your business wants to optimise customer management, automate your sales funnel, and increase efficiency, contact us at emarkable to discuss how we can help you implement HubSpot CRM and tailor it to your needs.

Richard Coen

With over 21 years of experience in Digital Marketing, 31 years in sales and 25 years in business development, Richard assists companies to develop key growth strategies on a local or international basis. He can assist marketers to achieve balance in their approach to key areas affected by the growth in digital marketing.