top of page

How To Vet A HubSpot Agency Or Consultant

Updated: Sep 22, 2024

The demand for skilled HubSpot agencies and consultants has surged. Whether you're looking to optimize your HubSpot usage or you're just starting, choosing the right partner is crucial. 


Here’s a detailed guide on how to vet a HubSpot agency or consultant to ensure they meet your needs.


1. Identify Your Goals and Needs


  • Understand Your Objectives: Before reaching out to potential partners, clearly define what you want to achieve with HubSpot. Are you focusing on lead generation, sales enablement, content strategy, or CRM management? Identifying your goals helps narrow down the agencies or consultants with the right expertise.

  • Assess Your Current Situation: Evaluate your current HubSpot setup. Are you starting from scratch, or do you need to optimize existing processes? Knowing where you stand will help in discussions with potential partners.


2. Research Potential Agencies or Consultants


  • Look for HubSpot Certifications: Ensure the agency or consultant is HubSpot certified. HubSpot offers various certifications, including those for inbound marketing, sales software, and CMS. A certified partner has proven expertise.

  • Check Their Experience: Review their portfolio and case studies to see if they have experience working with businesses similar to yours. Look for specific examples of how they’ve helped companies achieve their goals using HubSpot. Be wary of fluff. Look for loom videos, and real results vs industry lingo and made up numbers. If their website has “we did this” with no proof of work. Run the other way. Really.

  • Read Client Testimonials and Reviews: Although this used to be a tried and true way to vet a service company it’s really hard to sift through reviews and vet a company. Some are paid, some are real, some are completely unfair. The reality is that for every one good review there were likely 10 very unhappy clients. This goes for Google, HubSpot, Clutch, etc. There are better ways to check credibility, like proven case studies.


3. Evaluate Their Expertise and Approach


  • Inquire About Their Process: This is a big one. Ask how they approach new projects. A good agency or consultant will have a structured process for onboarding, strategy development, execution, and reporting. Their process should align with your business needs and be transparent. If you start onboarding and the communication isn’t there or the process seems broken. It is. This is your sign to move on.

  • Assess Their Knowledge of HubSpot Tools: HubSpot is a comprehensive platform with tools for marketing, sales, customer service, and operations. Ensure your potential partner is proficient in the specific tools you need help with, whether it’s the Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, or Service Hub.

  • Consider Their Strategic Insight: Beyond technical skills, a great HubSpot partner should offer strategic advice tailored to your industry. They should be able to align HubSpot’s capabilities with your business objectives.


4. Discuss Communication and Reporting


  • Set Expectations for Communication: Consistent communication is key to a successful partnership. Discuss how often you’ll meet, what channels you’ll use, and who your main point of contact will be. Make sure they are responsive and proactive in their communication.

  • Review Reporting Practices: Another extremely important step. A good agency or consultant will provide regular reports on your HubSpot performance. These reports should be detailed, transparent, and aligned with your KPIs. Ask for examples of their reporting to ensure it meets your standards. Also inquire about timelines. Good communication should include weekly updates. If they seem lost when you ask. Move on.


5. Understand Their Pricing Structure


  • Get a Clear Quote: Ask for a detailed proposal that outlines the scope of work and associated costs. Make sure there are no hidden fees and that you understand what is included in the price.

  • Consider ROI: While cost is important, it’s also crucial to consider the potential return on investment (ROI). If I’m being honest, a cheaper option is rarely the best choice but fair pricing exists. We’ve seen really high monthly fees with extremely low quality work. Find a happy medium with price. Don’t overpay but also, if it’s too cheap, there’s probably a good reason why.


7. Review the Contract Carefully


  • Understand the Terms: Before signing, carefully review the contract. Ensure it clearly outlines the scope of work, deliverables, timelines, payment terms, and any provisions for termination or modifications.

  • Consider Flexibility: Your business needs may change over time. Look for a partner who is flexible and willing to adapt to new challenges and opportunities as they arise. The way we handle contracts is, we don’t have them. We allow freedom to pause, end or move things as needed to fit your needs, not ours. 


8. Trust Your Instincts


  • Assess Compatibility: Finally, trust your gut feeling. Your HubSpot partner should feel like an extension of your team. If you have any doubts about their ability to deliver or if something feels off during the vetting process, it might be best to keep looking.


9. A Few Other Things To Watch Out For


  • Pushy Sales People: If you find yourself in a situation with a sales rep. Let’s be honest. Most of them will sell their first born to make a sale. They will hide costs, charge for every little thing. Some of the sales people I’ve worked with will adjust pricing just to gouge a business with higher revenue. They work on commission after all. Be aware. Upfront pricing should be across the board, regardless of the revenue.

  • Team That Lacks Communication Skills: You’ll be able to see this in the beginning, before a contract is even on the table. Watch how the team communicates. Is the meeting dominated by the sales people or leadership? Are they the real experts you should be talking with about your project? Do they try to talk over each other? Does the meeting seem unorganized? 

  • Making Timeline Promises: Any agency that claims results in x amount of time or “immediate roi” has no idea what they’re talking about. 

  • One Size Fits All Approach: Agencies that push pre-packaged solutions without customizing strategies to fit your unique needs. A successful HubSpot strategy should be tailored to your business's specific objectives and market conditions. Don’t let anyone bulldoze you with a pre packed solution. You’ll end up having to rehire another agency to get it right.

  • High Client Turnover: This is a big one, however, most agencies will spin this in their favor. High turnover indicates a bad client experience. An agency may say, “we’ve had x clients for x years” but make sure to ask how many clients have left in the last year. If they’re honest, a bad agency will have shocking turnover rates.


Partner with true industry veterans at The Move. We specialize in Google Ads, SEO, HubSpot Services, CRO and Analytics. Driving growth through tailored custom strategies for Paid Media, SEO and HubSpot. Maximize your ROI, boost organic search rankings, streamline marketing processes, and make data-driven decisions with our innovative strategies and access to the industries best tools.



bottom of page