Preparing for your first HubSpot consulting call: 10 steps to cover

Welcome to HubSpot, partner!  Let's get ready to ROCK!

I'm Nick Salvatoriello, an Inbound Marketing Consultant or "IMC" working in HubSpot's Channel Partner Program (often called the VAR program).  We're responsible for helping HubSpot's new Value Added Resellers (VARS) achieve success with setting up HubSpot and applying HubSpot's software and inbound marekting methodology to meet your business goals.  

As I like to say, "You drive the train.  We help make sure it stays on track," make sense?   

So, if you're a VAR partner who just signed up with HubSpot, you might be wondering, "Where do I get started, how do I begin?  Do I have to wait for our first call to get started?"  The answer is NO, you SHOULD NOT wait for your first consulting call to begin. You should get started right away, and the key resources you need are right here:  Complete Resource Page For Getting Started as a HubSpot Value-Added Reseller.  After you go through the key steps on that page, it's time to start preparing to make the most of your first consulting call with your dedicated HubSpot IMC.

Summary: On our first consulting call together we will...

• Make introductions so that we can get to know each other
• Review your mission goals and how the HubSpot tools can help you reach those goals
• Discuss your target personas and ideal lead so that I can get a better understanding of who you are trying to reach.
• Implementation - an overview of the next steps to get you get you setup and the resources for your IT team
• Our on-boarding road-map - what we will cover on each of our consulting calls as it pertains to reaching your goals

Wrap up with questions and additional HubSpot Resources

Want more details?  Check out a typical 1st consulting call agenda:

Goal Planning & Strategy Call Agenda:  Call Duration:  60-90 minutes

1.)  Introductions:  

What is your title/role at your company and what will be your role in using HubSpot for inbound marketing?  

Examples include - "I'll be doing the blogging" or "I'll be in charge of SEO" or "I'll be in charge of making changes/updates to our website" or possibly, "I'm the one overseeing the overall implementation progress and reviewing monthly marketing reports"

2.)  HubSpot Technical Implementation Status:

Review and confirm 5 critical setup tasks.  Have you begun?  Are they done?

1. Install the HubSpot Tracking Code On Your Site
2. Set up a subdomain to point to your HubSpot hosted marketing content (a blog, landing pages ect)
3. Set up all current forms on website to be linked/tracked in Hubspot
4. Import your list(s) of sales & marketing related contact lists into your HubSpot contact database
5. If you use one and it's compatible, integrate your CRM with HubSpot's contact database

If the above things that are not complete before the 1st call, you will have to establish clear timelines on when those will be done and by whom.  

You'll be reminded that you should now call the direct support line for technical questions after setup is complete

KEY RESOURCE: View the current version of the-complete-guide-to-setting-up-hubspot.pdf

3.)  Define Your Inbound Marketing Goals:

Business and Marketing Goals

1. Define short term goals (finish in 1-3 months)
2. Define long term goals (finish in 6-12 months)
3. Define specific timeline for achieving these goals

KEY RESOURCES FOR THIS SECTION:  

4.)  Begin discussion of creating target personas

1. Use persona worksheets to identify keyword phrases and content topics/offerings
2. Relay to customer that they should continue to think about their target personas and develop them throughout the consulting process

KEY RESOURCES FOR THIS SECTION:  

• HubSpot Marketing Goals and Target Persona Brainstorming Worksheet
• HubSpot Marketing Persona Profile Template

5.)  Review Current Marketing Activities.  

1. What are they doing for sales & marketing today?
2. How is that working for them?  
3. Are these marketing initiatives helping them reach their goals?
4. Other systems they’re using (CRM, ESP, blog, etc.)

KEY RESOURCE FOR THIS SECTION:

Evaluate Your Current Sales & Marketing with HubSpot's Marketing Agency Grader [Use first page]

6.)  Review of HubSpot VAR Consulting Process and roadmap

Explaining the two parts of inbound marketing consulting

1. 1. 1. Accomplishing a "quick win" related to their goals, challenges, timeline (GCT)

      2. Building that out into a full campaign strategy to incorporate all aspects of inbound marketing

An overview of a tyical HubSpot VAR's on-boarding training roadmap in their first 12 months

7.)  Introducing product and partner-specific training classes

These training classes will teach you how to use the software, that way you and your IMC can focus on the strategy and implementation of your inbound marketing campaigns.

Navigating to training overview pages and bookmark them:  

• VAR Partner-specific Business Training Classes Homepage
• HubSpot Software-specific Product Training Classes Page
• HubSpot Partner Success Workshop Series

These are one hour product training webinars that aren’t required but I strongly recommend you attend.  They will teach you the basics of point and click in the tool, and will allow us to get the most out of our strategic consulting time together.  Attending these partner + product training classes will help us use our consulting time for deeper strategy sessions.  

For example, the specially trained consultant will teach you how to build a best practice Landing Page in HubSpot, and then when you come to our consulting session you should know how to use that section of the product so we can strategize further together.  Any questions about that?

8.)  Prescribe a training plan to help you achieve a quick win relevant to your GCT (Goals, Challenges and Timeline)

1. We agree on a Goal Driven Marketing Playbook to acccomplish your first big marketing win with HubSpot
2. You'll follow the consulting call road maps provided for a guideline
3. We gain agreement and buy-in that the prescribed plan is on point
4. We point you to the product training classes you should attend prior to next 1:1 check point with me:
   • I'll ideally have you register for the first training class while you’re on the call
   • I send on any required reading for the training class
   • You agree to complete assigned tasks at the end of the class prior to your next call with me.

A view of the most common call schedule to go through for your first month of training

9.)  Review any other resources for customer success

1. Tech Support 
2. Online Help Documentation
3. HubSpot Academy Training Homepage
4. HubSpot Partners Forum

10.)  Review homework and training class registration and schedule your next call accordingly

That's it!  The call is complete.  Make sure to give yourself enough time to attend product or partner-specific training classes and complete your action items prior to having your next check-point call with your IMC.  As I said before, please set aside time to attend our product training webinars.  Also, make sure to dedicate time to work on the action items you will receive after each training webinar, please have these action items completed before your next consulting call.  

Remember, you can always email your IMC between calls with updates, ideas and marketing strategy questions.  All urgent, software specific questions and troubleshooting issues should be directed to your HubSpot Support resources or the customer forums.

Thanks for reading!  Now, it's YOUR TURN TO COMMENT:  

If you haven't had your first consulting call with me or your assigned IMC, what further questions do you have about what to cover and prepare on that call?  

If you HAVE had your first consulting call, what do you think?  Do you have any feedback to share on how I/the IMC you spoke with could improve this process?  Please share below.  :)

What Now?  I want more!