Selling with HubSpot

Key Resources

The HubSpot Sales Process:

For partners, it's important to understand the HubSpot sales process, so you can better align your selling motions with HubSpot. Understanding this process will lead to more success in selling and co-selling with HubSpot and moving deals forward, and lead to better outcomes for our shared customers.

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HubSpot’s sales process consists of seven stages: connect, discovery, solutions demo, business considerations, pricing and terms, out for signature, and closed won. Some of these stages will be assisted by our growth specialists (GSs), while others will be led by the partner, and sometimes these stages will be worked collaboratively together. For more information on the sales process, visit this page.

Solutions Partner Program Sales Rules

To be able to successfully sell with HubSpot, it’s important to not only understand the sales process, but the rules associated with various scenarios you’ll encounter. This becomes critical when trying to understand domain ownership, core sales motions and how to receive credit. To learn more about HubSpot’s Solutions Partner Program sales rules, visit this page.

HubSpot's Two Core Sales Motions

Partner Assisted (formerly Do It For Me):

This is where HubSpot sources a deal and brings in a partner to leverage their expertise. These deals are eligible for sold points and are not eligible for commission.

Partner Sourced (formerly Partner Collaboration)

This is where the partner sources the deal and brings it to HubSpot to complete the sales process. These deals are eligible for sold points and are eligible for commission.

Differences Between Partner Assisted & Partner Sourced

Partner Assisted

If HubSpot invites you to participate in a shared deal, it is called a Partner Assisted deal.

A Partner Assisted deal occurs when:

A HubSpotter determines that a prospect would benefit from working with a partner.
If the prospect/customer agrees, the HubSpotter facilitates an introduction between the customer and one or more partners, typically via email.
A HubSpotter then adds the partner to the deal in HubSpot’s CRM, which creates a shared deal that syncs over to the partner’s pipeline in their primary HubSpot portal.
A customer-signed Confirmation Link is required, as proof of involvement (POI), for a partner to receive Sold MRR credit upon close of the deal.

This sales motion is a referral from HubSpot and does not result in Revenue Share for the partner who is brought into the deal unless you are eligible and the deal qualifies for the Upmarket Referral Program (see details here). All Partner Assisted deals count toward your Sold MRR credit, but only Upmarket Referral Program deals are eligible for Revenue Share.

Partner Sourced

To initiate a Partner Sourced deal:

You must create a shared deal via deal registration, which submits a Partner Sourced Request to a growth specialist (GS).
You may pursue the deal in collaboration with the assigned GS, provided the GS approves your involvement.
The acceptance of this Partner Sourced process is at the discretion of the GS and HubSpot.
Once approved, a customer-signed Confirmation Link is required, as partner proof of involvement (POI), to receive Revenue Share and Sold MRR credit upon close of the deal. POIs are automatically generated and attached to the shared deal, triggered from quote creation. If that quote is later updated, the POI will also be updated. If there is any problem with the auto-generated POI, a new one can be manually created and added directly to the shared deal under the POI section.

The S.M.A.C Framework for Co-Selling with HubSpot

S.M.A.C stands for Scope, Match, Align and Close. These are the important stages for every single co-sold deal. These help define the steps and responsibilities for both HubSpot GSs and partners on shared deals.

Scoping in a co-sold sales process refers to a determining the gap between what a prospect needs, what they can do on their own, and what products and services might be needed.

Note: In the Scope Phase for a Partner Assisted deal, at least some scoping by the growth specialist will be completed prior to you joining the deal. The growth specialist will share their notes/findings with you after getting your commitment to collaborate on the deal.

For a Partner Sourced deal, you'll be bringing what you've already scoped to HubSpot. Below are general tips and guidance for best practices in this phase overall.

In this stage of the co-selling process, you should be uncovering the needs of the prospect (or in a Partner Assisted deal, this stage will already be completed by a GS who will share their notes with you). We recommend following your normal Discovery Process during this stage to uncover the pains, requirements and needs of the prospect. Refer back to the Discovery stage in the HubSpot sales process and work with your Partner Development Manager (PDM) if needed.

Matching within a co-sold deal refers to a prospect finding the best fit with a partner and their services that addresses their needs.

When it comes to finding the right match between a prospect and a partner for a co-sold deal, there are a few ways in which HubSpot and the prospect accomplish this.

1. HubSpot Solutions Directory Profile

2. Word-of-Mouth

To learn some best practices, we encourage you to complete the co-selling course here.

Alignment refers to the Growth Specialist and Partner working together to set clear expectations for the sales process ahead of a joint conversation.

Alignment begins with a prep call. The Prep Call is a way to ensure team effort between the Growth Specialist and the partner. Its purpose is to set expectations, create timelines, surface roadblocks, and ultimately lay out a path to purchase and services.

To learn some best practices, we encourage you to complete the co-selling course here.

Closing refers to the Partner's ability to successfully close the deal in collaboration with a Growth Specialist.

As a partner, your objectives are as follows:

Maintaining good relationships with HubSpot Growth Specialists
Understanding the HubSpot sales process
Remaining in constant alignment with the Growth Specialist throughout the process
Understanding how your Partner Development Manager (PDM) can support you

To learn some best practices, we encourage you to complete the co-selling course here.

Deal Registration

A new tool that helps streamline the way partners and reps sell together.

Shared Selling Tools

Deal registration is used to highlight qualified software opportunities to HubSpot. What makes our tools different, is that registering a deal creates a shared deal that syncs between your portal and HubSpot’s. A shared deal is the deal record that's created in both the partner's and HubSpot's CRM when a deal is registered. You can register a shared deal in one of three ways: through a banner on the partner dashboard, on a contact or company record, or by converting an existing deal in your CRM. Learn more here.

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