Overview
A leading production print dealership, operating across multiple states and serving hundreds of commercial print businesses, found itself at a crossroads. With more than a decade of steady growth and recognition as one of the top production print dealers in the U.S., the company had built a reputation for putting customers first—offering flexible contracts, start-to-finish solutions, and the latest print technology.
But behind the scenes, their sales operations told a different story. Outdated tools, manual processes, and low CRM adoption were slowing down a team that should have been operating at peak performance. They needed a solution that would unify data, improve visibility, and set the foundation for long-term scalability.
The challenge
This print solutions provider had ambitious goals—but their outdated system was holding them back.
- Fragmented sales process: Relying on spreadsheets and manual tracking made it nearly impossible to gain real-time visibility into the pipeline. Forecasting multi-year equipment leases lacked accuracy, and leadership struggled to get a clear picture of rep activity.
- Data migration hurdles: Transitioning from their legacy system was complex. A direct integration failed to capture crucial information, such as equipment and lease data, forcing the team to rely on manual imports—often plagued by formatting issues and duplicate records.
- Adoption roadblocks: While the company had already invested in HubSpot licenses, the platform had seen little traction. Their project lead needed to get nearly two dozen sales reps on board with a tool they had previously resisted, and do so in a way that felt structured and easy to follow.
The company wasn’t just looking for new software—they were looking for a better way of working.
The solution
The approach was strategic, hands-on, and phased to ensure success:
Customized pipeline design
- A deal pipeline was built to mirror the company’s unique sales process, covering everything from web inquiries to demos and proposals.
- Critical properties—like requiring deal amounts at the “Closed Won” stage—were introduced to improve forecasting accuracy.
Data governance foundation
- To prevent duplicates, a unique “Customer Number” field was introduced.
- Custom formulas and formatting guides were created to simplify manual data imports, making it easier for the sales team to maintain clean records.
Hands-on enablement and automation
- Reps were trained not only on how to use HubSpot but how to tailor it to their workflows.
- Automation was introduced to reduce manual effort, including email notifications for closed deals and sales sequences to streamline outreach.
The focus wasn’t just on setup—it was on empowerment, giving the team confidence to manage and scale their CRM independently.
The results
- Centralized visibility: For the first time, leadership had a clear, real-time view of deals in progress, sales rep activity, and overall pipeline health.
- Data confidence: With governance practices in place and reliable workarounds for import limitations, the sales team could trust their data and reporting.
- Rep empowerment: Training and hands-on guidance led to stronger adoption across the sales team, giving them the tools to succeed in a system they once resisted.
- Scalability unlocked: With clean data, a structured pipeline, and automation running in the background, the company positioned itself to support growth across its nine-state footprint.
Why it matters
This case demonstrates how even established, industry-leading companies can struggle with operational inefficiencies when legacy systems outlive their usefulness. By investing in a flexible onboarding process and focusing on both technology and people, this print solutions provider was able to modernize its sales operation without disrupting the customer-first philosophy that made it successful in the first place.
The result? A scalable, data-driven sales process that not only works for today but sets the foundation for tomorrow’s growth.
