All people might be created equal, but all HubSpot partners are not. Between varying levels of experience, areas of expertise, portal management styles, and more, there are plenty of factors that can set one partner apart from another.
Thinking about working with a HubSpot agency partner? Take the time to dig a little deeper before moving forward.
8 Questions to Ask HubSpot Agency Partners Before Signing
Don't sign on the dotted line until you have firm answers to these key questions.
1. Do You Outsource Any of Your Work?
If you like to know where your money's going, then it's important to know whether an agency outsources any of the work you'll be hiring them to do.
For example, some agencies might only staff marketing and sales professionals while outsourcing all their content creation efforts. Others might do everything in-house, and still others may do almost everything in-house while working with a few trusted freelancers to accommodate larger workloads.
Although it's not necessarily bad if a HubSpot agency partner outsources some of its work, it's crucial to ensure the agency can still guarantee the quality of its work.
So if the agency you're considering does outsource, ask them to specify who they outsource to and how long they've worked with them (remember to ask for samples of their work, too).
2. What Are Your Examples of Client Success?
There's no such thing as a HubSpot agency partner with no experience. That's because in order to qualify for partnership at all, agencies must register at least one lead.
As such, any HubSpot agency partner you're considering working with should be able to provide you with detailed case studies highlighting their clients' success. Be sure to ask about specific metrics, too — y'know, like the ones we delivered for Incfile:
And remember, don't get too hung up on how many clients an agency has, especially if they're small- or medium-sized. Instead, focus on how long they've worked with the clients they do have and the kinds of results they've been able to drive.
3. Why Did You Choose HubSpot?
It's easy to find out if the agency you're talking to is actually invested in HubSpot or is just hoping to get a quick commission: Ask them why they chose HubSpot to begin with.
The best answer is that they use HubSpot themselves, whether for lead generation, sales, customer service, content management, or something else altogether, and they love the features it offers.
The worst answer is that they don't really use HubSpot for their own company but have heard good things about it from their clients. This indicates a severe lack of first-hand experience and tells you it's time to start looking for another agency.
4. How Long Have You Been a HubSpot Agency Partner?
An agency might have been in business for 10 years or more, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're experienced with HubSpot specifically.
To learn if they are, be sure to ask them how long they've been a HubSpot agency partner. Also use this as an opportunity to ask how long they've used HubSpot, period.
Ideally, the agency you're working with should have at least a year of experience as a HubSpot agency partner and a similar amount of time (or longer) using HubSpot themselves.
5. Are Your Team Members Individually Certified?
If an agency is truly committed to HubSpot (and to its clients), then it won't just be a certified HubSpot agency partner — it will get its individual team members certified, too.
Here at First Page Strategy, for instance, all our team members are certified in the courses most relevant to their area of expertise, whether that's inbound marketing, HubSpot reporting, sales management or something else entirely.
If you want to make sure that an agency's team is fully equipped to deliver results, ask about individual certifications as well as company-wide ones.
6. What Sets You Apart from Other Agencies?
This is every agency's dream question, so expect a really compelling answer. Perhaps the agency in question excels in a particular industry, for example, or maybe their team is exceptionally qualified.
Whatever the case, the HubSpot agency partner you're considering should be convincing because this is their chance to grab your attention.
And if their answer is generic or lackluster, ask yourself — why bother working with an agency that doesn't even view itself as unique?
7. Which Hubs Are You Familiar With?
While some people might think of HubSpot as just a CRM platform, it's actually much more than that.
That's because it offers multiple software products, each of which is known as a Hub. There are five in total, including the:
- Marketing Hub, for marketing automation
- CMS Hub, for content management
- Sales Hub, for sales CRM
- Operations Hub, for data syncing, cleaning, and curation
- Service Hub, for customer service
Together, all those Hubs form the incredibly in-depth CRM platform that is HubSpot:
So before you start working with a HubSpot agency partner, be sure to clarify which Hubs they're most familiar with (and make sure that experience will benefit you).
8. Who Will I Be Communicating With?
You might have heard it before, and that's because it's true: In order to close deals, some agencies will woo you with a knowledgeable, excited, and experienced sales agent, only to pass you off to a junior marketer once the ink dries.
That shouldn't be the case with any HubSpot partner agency worth your time, so always ask who you'll be communicating and working with after your contract is signed.
Be sure to get a detailed answer, too — something vague like "our client success team" just won't do.
Ask the Right Questions, Get the Right Agency
You care about your brand, you want to see higher revenue, and you're hungry for growth, so why hire an agency that doesn't feel the same?
By asking the right questions, you can weed out the less-than-awesome companies and find a truly stellar HubSpot agency partner capable of taking your brand to the next level.
