How to keep your HubSpot or any other CRM project on track – and boost sales by up to 29 per cent.
Rolling out a new customer relationship management (CRM) platform should feel like switching on a growth engine, not wrestling with another bit of tech. Yet many British SMEs moving from spreadsheets – or from a clunky legacy system – hit the same potholes. As a HubSpot partner and RevOps-led HubSpot solution architect, I see the same issues time and again.
Below are the five mistakes that derail CRM projects most often and, more importantly, exactly how to avoid them.
The pitfall: Leadership buys the software, flicks a switch, and expects instant adoption. The result? Reps keep working in silos and the shiny new system gathers dust.
The fix:
Run a discovery workshop first – invite sales, marketing, service and ops to map pains and desired gains.
Appoint “CRM champions” in each team to feed requirements into the build and promote usage afterwards.
Tie adoption targets to personal KPIs and reward early wins.
The pitfall: Trying to replicate every historical quirk of the business in workflow form. Before you know it, you’ve built a labyrinth that no one can navigate.
The fix:
Start with the minimum viable configuration – core deal stages, a handful of lists and two or three high-impact automations.
Document every additional field or process change with a simple “Is this essential? Will it drive revenue or reduce friction?” test.
Review the build fortnightly; prune anything unused.
The pitfall: Dirty data goes in; dirty reporting – and shaky decisions – come out. Duplicate contacts, free-text phone numbers, unverified emails… it’s a headache waiting to happen.
The fix:
Clean your source files first: dedupe, standardise formats (UK phone numbers!), and segment contacts from companies.
Use HubSpot’s import tools with validation turned on and lean on properties such as Lifecycle Stage and Owner for instant clarity.
Schedule a quarterly data-health check – future-proofing beats crisis-clean-up every time.
The pitfall: Installing a CRM without redesigning how leads actually flow means reps still chase ghosts and managers still guess at pipeline health.
The fix:
Map the buyer journey from first touch to closed-won (or lost) and align deal stages to each major milestone.
Build playbooks and task queues inside HubSpot so reps know the next best action automatically.
Surface real-time dashboards for velocity, conversion and forecast accuracy – then coach to the numbers.
The pitfall: Users get a two-hour demo on launch day – twelve months later half the features sit idle and shortcuts rule the roost.
The fix:
Create a phased enablement plan: bite-sized sessions over the first 90 days, then monthly clinics.
Record loom videos or use HubSpot Knowledge Base articles for on-demand refreshers.
Measure adoption (log-ins, tasks completed, data quality) and celebrate incremental gains.
A well-implemented CRM doesn’t just tidy your contact list – it drives revenue. Studies show companies that adopt CRM properly see an average 29% uplift in sales. Put simply: every misstep above erodes that upside.
Inbound Orbit specialises in CRM implementation for small businesses across the UK. As an autistic solutions architect, I spot patterns and inefficiencies others miss – then craft HubSpot setups that quietly hum in the background while your team focuses on customers.
If you’re migrating from spreadsheets, untangling a legacy mess or just need HubSpot CRM help, let’s talk.
Book a 30-minute RevOps audit and take the first step towards a CRM your whole team will actually use.