You invested in HubSpot to track sales, improve forecasting, and boost revenue—but your sales team don’t update it. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many Sales Directors and Senior Managers struggle with HubSpot adoption, and the consequences are costly: lost opportunities, inaccurate data, and inefficiencies that slow down growth.
But here’s the thing—this isn’t just a systems or process problem. It’s a people problem. Sales teams don’t update HubSpot because they don’t see the value to them. The key to fixing this isn’t more rules—it’s making CRM usage frictionless and beneficial to their success.
Let’s explore why salespeople resist updating HubSpot CRM and, more importantly, how you can drive adoption without disrupting sales performance.
Sales teams don’t avoid system updates because they don’t care—it’s because they’re focused on closing deals. Here’s what’s really happening:
1. It Feels Like Extra Work
HubSpot updates feel like admin, not selling. Every minute spent logging data is a minute not spent closing a deal.
2. Poorly Tailored User Interface
An unintuitive layout makes adoption painful. If it’s hard to use, they’ll avoid it.
3. Lack of Training
If sales teams aren’t shown how HubSpot benefits them, they’ll see it as a tool for managers, not a tool for their success.
4. No Perceived Value
Reps often don’t see how customer data fuels better sales strategies, smarter marketing support, or improved customer success. They don’t see their role in the data value chain—where they are both recipients and providers of critical customer insights.
5. Focus on Immediate Goals
Salespeople are rewarded for hitting targets, not for perfect data entry. If managers don’t reinforce HubSpot use, it gets deprioritised.
6. Management Doesn’t Enforce It
If leadership doesn’t emphasise HubSpot use consistently, sales teams won’t take it seriously.
HubSpot adoption requires more than just mandates. It requires alignment with how salespeople work. Here are some things to consider in making your HubSpot use easy, valuable, and second nature:
1. Streamline the System
Reduce unnecessary data fields and automate entry where possible. Use custom views so your salespeople get what they need at a glance.
Less friction = more updates.
2. Show Sales Their Role in the Data Value Chain
Salespeople aren’t just entering data for management; their updates fuel smarter sales strategies, targeted marketing support, and improved customer retention. Show them how their success is tied to HubSpot usage.
3. Targeted Training
Teach not just how to use HubSpot, but why it matters—for better pipeline visibility, stronger forecasting, and improved deal support.
4. Integrate With Existing Tools
Sync HubSpot with tools they already use—email, calendars, etc.—so data updates happen naturally.
5. Reinforce HubSpot Usage at the Manager Level
Hold sales managers accountable for HubSpot adoption. When leadership prioritises it, the team follows.
6. Demonstrate Value With Real Data
Use insights from HubSpot data to show how it helps them sell more—e.g., identifying top-performing deals, improving lead qualification, and enhancing follow-up strategies.
When sales teams use HubSpot properly, the impact is immediate:
A well-utilised HubSpot isn’t just a tracking tool—it’s a revenue growth enabler.
The problem isn’t just that sales teams don’t update HubSpot—it’s that they don’t see why it matters. Adoption won't be successful by forcing change, but by making HubSpot an indispensable tool that helps sales teams close more deals.
If your HubSpot CRM adoption is lagging, it’s not just a systems issue—it’s a change management challenge. Let’s fix it together.
Need help optimising your HubSpot CRM for better sales adoption? Get in touch today.