HubSpot is one of the most powerful CRMs on the market — intuitive, flexible, and fast to deploy. But that flexibility comes with a cost: it's incredibly easy to break.
As a RevOps partner to dozens of scaleups, we’ve audited hundreds of HubSpot portals. And no matter the industry or team size, we keep seeing the same problems again and again.
This blog walks through the 10 most common HubSpot mistakes we fix (weekly), why they happen, and what to do instead. If your portal feels bloated, confusing, or underused — chances are, you're making a few of these.
1. Over-Reliance on “Lead” Lifecycle Stage
The problem:
Most contacts sit in the default “Lead” stage — indefinitely. There’s no automation to progress them, and no logic behind who qualifies as MQL, SQL, or Opportunity.
The fix:
Define clear lifecycle stages (with entry/exit criteria) and automate transitions using workflows.
→ Read our blog on lifecycle best practices
2. Too Many Workflows — No Documentation
The problem:
We routinely find 80–150 active workflows in a single portal, many of which overlap, contradict, or are simply abandoned.
The fix:
Consolidate, document, and name workflows with structure:
[Team] – [Function] – [Trigger].
Use folders. Audit quarterly. Archive what you don’t use.
3. Lead Scoring That No One Understands
The problem:
Lead scoring is often a legacy mess of page views, form fills, and outdated point values. Sales doesn’t trust it, and marketing can’t explain it.
The fix:
Create a dual-score model that separates fit (ICP traits) from intent (behaviour). Review with sales monthly. Tune regularly.
4. No Defined Exit Criteria for Deal Stages
The problem:
Deals move stages based on rep “feel.” Forecasts become fiction. CRM becomes useless for sales coaching.
The fix:
Define deal stage exit criteria and enforce them using conditional fields or tools like Sidekick.
→ Read our full blog on exit criteria
5. Unused or Misused Properties
The problem:
Too many custom properties. Many are outdated, unclear, or unused. Reps ignore them. Reporting suffers.
The fix:
Audit all properties by:
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Field usage
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Field type
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Recency of update
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Who uses it (and why)
Then merge, archive, or redefine.
6. No Formal Handoff Process Between Teams
The problem:
Leads are “qualified,” but sales doesn’t follow up. Or deals close and CS has no onboarding context.
The fix:
Build a handoff checklist into automation, tied to lifecycle stage or deal stage. Include notes, key fields, and task triggers.
WaypointOS includes this in every RevOps delivery we run at Project36.
→ Explore WaypointOS
7. Contacts Without Associated Companies
The problem:
Hundreds (or thousands) of orphan contacts — no company, no domain, no enrichment. Reporting is fragmented, and account-based motions are impossible.
The fix:
Use HubSpot's automatic association logic, but customise it. Require domains on forms. Set up alerts for contacts without companies.
8. Manual Data Entry Everywhere
The problem:
Reps spend hours updating records manually. Fields are missed. Workflows break. No one trusts the CRM.
The fix:
Automate field population wherever possible (e.g. assign owner via routing logic). Use default values. Use Sidekick to nudge reps contextually — without chasing them in Slack.
9. Reporting That Doesn’t Reflect the Funnel
The problem:
You’ve got dashboards — but they show MQLs without SQL conversion, or revenue without lead source lineage.
The fix:
Rebuild reports that mirror your lifecycle and pipeline structure. Focus on:
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Conversion rates
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Velocity by lifecycle stage
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Deal progression by source and owner
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Attribution that ties back to closed-won revenue
10. No Governance or Documentation
The problem:
No one knows who created what, why a workflow exists, or what a property means. Internal training is ad hoc. Ops debt builds fast.
The fix:
Create a simple HubSpot SOP:
We do this for every Project36 client so they don't revert back to CRM chaos 6 months later.
Bonus: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
The biggest HubSpot mistake?
Assuming it’s fine because it “works.”
Just because emails are sending and deals are being logged doesn’t mean your RevOps system is healthy.
Try our free HubSpot Auditor — it checks for all of these issues (and more) in under 90 seconds.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need 100 workflows to get value from HubSpot.
You don’t need dozens of custom properties, or rep-driven pipeline updates.
You need structure, visibility, and adoption.
If your CRM feels more like a filing cabinet than a revenue engine, you’re not alone — and it’s fixable.
At Project36, we clean, align, and optimise HubSpot environments using our WaypointOS framework — helping scaleups move from chaos to clarity, fast.
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Ready to fix your setup?
→ Run your free audit
→ See how WaypointOS works
→ Book a discovery call
