HubSpot implementation checklist

Use this checklist in order. Each stage depends on the one before it, and most rework in HubSpot projects comes from building a later stage before an earlier one is settled.

1. Before you start

• Name one internal owner who can make decisions and has time for the project.

• Write down your sales process: the stages a deal goes through and what has to happen to move between them.

• Agree on definitions: what counts as a lead, a marketing qualified lead, a sales qualified lead and a customer.

• List every system HubSpot needs to connect to, such as your website, ERP or accounting software, quoting tool and calendar.

• Export your data from the current CRM, spreadsheets and email tools.

• List the reports leadership needs from day one.

2. Account foundations

• Set the company name, currency, time zone and fiscal year.

• Create users, teams and permission sets, so each role sees and edits only what it should.

• Connect each user's inbox and calendar.

• Connect your email sending domain and add the DNS records HubSpot gives you, so marketing email is authenticated.

• Install the HubSpot tracking code on your website, with a cookie consent banner where required.

• Turn on two-factor authentication for every user.

3. Data model

• Decide which objects you use: contacts, companies, deals, tickets and, only if needed, custom objects.

• Decide how they relate, including association labels such as "Decision maker" or "Billing contact".

• Create the custom properties you need, in clearly named groups, with descriptions.

• Use dropdowns for any value you'll filter or report on.

• Decide which properties are required, and where: on forms, on record creation or at a deal stage.

4. Pipelines and deal stages

• Create one pipeline per genuinely different sales process, not one per rep or region.

• Define each stage by something the buyer has done, such as "demo held" or "proposal accepted".

• Set win probabilities per stage if you forecast from the pipeline.

• Require the properties that matter at each stage, such as amount and close date at proposal.

• Add closed lost reasons as a dropdown.

5. Lifecycle stages and lead management

• Write the entry rule for each lifecycle stage you use.

• Set up lead status values for the sales team's working process.

• Decide how new leads are assigned: round robin, territory or account owner. Our guide to lead routing in HubSpot walks through the options.

• Agree on a follow-up expectation for new leads, and build a task or alert to support it.

6. Data import

• Clean the data before importing: remove duplicates, standardise values and fill in missing owners.

• Import in order: companies, then contacts, then deals, then notes and activity history.

• Map every column to a property, and match dropdown values exactly.

• Run a small test import first and check the records by hand.

• Keep the import files, so you can trace any record back to its source.

7. Automation

• Start with the essentials: lead assignment, lifecycle stage updates, task creation and notifications.

• Use a naming convention, such as "Team – purpose – trigger".

• Document what each workflow does and who owns it.

• Test every workflow with real records before turning it on.

• Add nice-to-have automation after launch, once people are using the basics.

8. Integrations

• Connect your website forms, keeping source tracking intact. See how to connect your website forms to HubSpot.

• Connect your ERP or accounting system, quoting tool and other systems from your list. For the order and invoice side, see how to connect HubSpot and NetSuite and the B2B quote-to-cash integration guide.

• For each integration, decide which system is the source of truth for each field and in which direction data flows.

• Test the sync with real records, including updates and deletions, not only new records.

9. Reporting

• Build one dashboard per role: leadership, sales managers, reps and marketing.

• Include pipeline by stage, deals won and lost, lead sources and activity.

• Check a few numbers against a source you trust before anyone relies on the dashboards.

10. Training and launch

• Train each role separately, on the tasks they do every day.

• Write short documentation: where things are, what's required and who to ask.

• Set a launch date, and make the old system read-only from that day.

• Plan a couple of weeks of quick fixes after launch.

• Review usage after the first month and adjust.

Wondering how long all of this takes? See how long a HubSpot implementation takes. If you'd rather have it done for you, our CRM & RevOps service follows this checklist.