Background
This organization is a well-established nonprofit that serves both institutions and individuals with a highly specialized service. Their mission is centered on ensuring fairness and recognition in a process that can be complex and deeply personal. With over four decades of history and a reputation for accuracy and trustworthiness, they’ve become a recognized leader in their field. Their reports are trusted by universities, employers, licensing boards, and government agencies across North America and beyond.
Despite their expertise and longstanding credibility, the organization was struggling internally. Their sales and marketing teams were operating in silos, with disconnected systems and manual processes slowing them down. They knew that to better serve their audiences and scale into the future, they needed a unified system and a clear process.
The challenge
Several challenges surfaced during discovery:
- Disjointed systems: Sales and marketing were spread across Sugar CRM, Act-On, Titan CMS, and spreadsheets, making data fragmented and inconsistent.
- Lack of sales process clarity: Multiple pipelines existed for B2B and B2C, but there was no consistent workflow or documented handoff between teams. As one team member described it, they had a “blank slate on the sales process.”
- Technical hurdles: From DNS errors to messy data migrations, the team faced numerous technical headaches. Historical data was scattered, and importing it into a new system without losing context was daunting.
Internally, the weight of these challenges left the team frustrated and overwhelmed. While they were leaders in their field, their own systems weren’t reflecting the professionalism and efficiency of their brand.
The solution
Our engagement began with a focus on strategy before technology.
- Pipeline & process mapping: Together, we mapped the sales process in Miro and then translated that into HubSpot, creating customized deal pipelines for both B2B and B2C audiences. This exercise gave clarity to their team and a unified structure for managing opportunities.
- Hands-on learning: Instead of running through theory-heavy training, we led the team through a mock campaign exercise. By creating an email, form, and landing page, they learned how the pieces of HubSpot connect in practice—a turning point in building confidence.
- Technical troubleshooting: We worked through DNS issues, provided CNAME records for IT setup, and guided the import of legacy data into HubSpot. Our focus was not only on fixing problems but also on teaching best practices for clean data management moving forward.
The results
By the end of the engagement, the organization had transformed the way it worked:
- A centralized sales system: Instead of scattered spreadsheets and siloed CRMs, they now had a functional, integrated sales hub within HubSpot. This eliminated manual tracking and provided visibility across teams.
- Improved data clarity: Their team learned how to manage, import, and track data effectively—setting up lists, using custom properties, and maintaining historical accuracy.
- Empowered team: The team left not just with a system, but with the confidence and skillset to run it independently. They could now create their own campaigns, forms, and pages without hesitation.
Most importantly, the organization was no longer weighed down by technology. Instead, they had a clear roadmap for growth, allowing them to focus on their mission: helping people navigate critical transitions in education, employment, and immigration.
Why it matters
For an organization whose work directly impacts the futures of individuals and institutions, credibility and efficiency aren’t optional—they’re everything. By replacing disjointed systems with a unified HubSpot-powered process, the organization positioned itself to not only serve today’s needs but also scale into tomorrow.
This project is proof that the right blend of strategy, training, and technical support can transform even the most disconnected systems into a streamlined engine for growth.
