You’ve identified a challenge for your business. Through an abundance of research, demos, and sales calls, you have discovered “system nirvana” - a tech tool that will solve all your pain points - and it is called HubSpot. You wrote your use case, submitted it through all the appropriate channels, and low-and-behold, your business leaders have agreed to the investment. Well done - it’s going to be a great year!
You hit the ground running. Out of the gate, you are excited, energized, and devote your time and energy to getting the HubSpot platform integrated into your business. As time progresses, you realize some quick wins and management is equally excited. But as months pass, those quick wins remain, but your “day job” has recaptured the majority of your attention, and the time you had originally devoted to the HubSpot integration and implementation wanes. Like the dusty treadmill that sits in the corner of your basement, underutilization of your new tech tool begins to set in.
According to a study conducted by Oasis, a professional employer organization, research found nearly one in two small business owners report they do not use technology to its full capacity, thereby missing opportunities to improve productivity and operational efficiencies. The study also revealed that 31% of respondents "try to utilize it” (the technology), but know that there are some gaps in knowledge as to how it can be used most effectively.
How do you avoid the plague of underutilization? How do you get off of the merry-go-round of buying technology, not using it to its full extent, getting rid of the technology due to budget-trimming and under-utilization issues, and hopping back on the merry-go-round to begin the whole cycle again?
Denamico is a Diamond Tier HubSpot Solutions Partner that focuses on helping companies leverage technology using HubSpot. One of our goals is to help our customers maximize their usage and integration of their HubSpot investment. As we dive into these three strategies, we will provide strategies for maximizing HubSpot usage and utilization, but ultimately, these solutions could be recrafted for any software or technology investment your company has made.
Mikhail Papovsky from Massaro, wrote in a blog post titled When New Technology Causes Productivity to Plummet, “most new technology implementations focus on completing the project on-time and on-budget. There is no emphasis on adoption.” At Denamico, we often see this with companies seeking our services. They bought the “shiny new object,” but have yet to really see its potential. If you are ready to focus on the adoption of a new technology or a recommitment to an existing technology that you are underutilizing, here are three ways to start.
Get out the pom-poms and appoint someone to be the cheerleader of the technology. This does not have to be you, perhaps your boss or a colleague are the better champions due to their position or years of service in the company. If it isn’t you, this champion will be your new best friend!
The role of the Champion includes:
Block out time on your calendar, every week, to learn a new skill on HubSpot or any other tool. The reason many of these tools are so powerful and likely why you purchased them in the first place, is because they continue to evolve and grow as the market changes. There is so much to keep up with that you truly have to commit to learning on a regular basis in order to maximize the value of your investment.
We suggest starting with 30-minutes a week. Block it out first thing in the morning and jump in even before you open your email. If you are looking for quick learning opportunities, here are a few great HubSpot resources you can use to facilitate your learning.
All of these posts contain applicable content that can help you generate ideas on ways you could use the learning to apply to your own company or business process.
You had the excitement and passion for the technology when you began implementing the tool and hopefully, as you’ve committed to regular learning, that passion has been reignited. But unshared knowledge can be a massive liability to a company, so share your learnings with your teammates and colleagues to get everyone moving in the same direction.
Purchasing a new technology solution is a multi-step process:
Step 1: Implementation of new solution
Step 2: Integration with any existing technology
Step 3: Adoption across departments
It is critical to budget time and energy across all three steps when laying out holistic goals and timelines for your technology investment.
Finally, if you need help righting the ship on your HubSpot investment, Denamico is here to assist. We would be happy to conduct a HubSpot portal assessment to ensure you are maximizing your usage and provide concrete strategies for you to achieve greater adoption, management buy-in, and help you regain your love and admiration for the amazing sales tool you brought to your company!