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How to Choose a HubSpot Partner in South Africa

Written by
Luke Marthinusen

Choosing a HubSpot partner is one of the most significant things you will do in your HubSpot journey, other than selecting HubSpot itself. Doing this early in your journey can save you considerable time and money.

Who represents HubSpot in South Africa?

HubSpot is a leading CRM, marketing, sales, and customer service software provider. The African region is managed out of HubSpot's European office in Dublin. There are no HubSpot employees or offices in South Africa.

HubSpot uses a network of highly trained and certified service providers to sell, install, and manage HubSpot software in South Africa. These service providers are called HubSpot Solutions Providers.

Review our list of top HubSpot Partners in South Africa.

 

What does a HubSpot Solution Partner do?

A HubSpot Partner must undergo a rigorous training and certification process to ensure they have the expertise to provide quality services to clients.

They must also meet certain performance criteria and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction to maintain their HubSpot Solution Partner status.

By partnering with one of these experienced service providers, your business can benefit from the extensive expertise and experience of a team of professionals who specialise in helping businesses grow and succeed using the HubSpot platform.

HubSpot Solutions Partners have access to various tools and resources to help them provide their clients with a wide range of services, including:

  1. HubSpot Implementation: Setting up and configuring HubSpot software (HubSpot onboarding) for clients to help them get the most out of the platform. 

  2. HubSpot Training: Providing training and support to clients to help them use HubSpot effectively.

  3. HubSpot Strategy: Developing inbound marketing, sales, and customer service strategies that leverage the HubSpot tools.

  4. HubSpot Consulting: Offering expert advice and guidance on improving a client's inbound strategy, marketing, sales, and customer service.

 

What does it take to become a HubSpot Solution Provider in South Africa?

To do this, they join the HubSpot Partner Program and must meet training and implementation criteria.

HubSpot partners have experience with many different implementations of HubSpot software. This experience may be across varied industry verticals and sizes of business. 

This type of experience means they are well-equipped to fast-track your success with HubSpot software.

 

Fun Fact: Tiered HubSpot partners are required to purchase a Professional Hub to become a tiered partner. So Gold tiered partners and up are using HubSpot to grow their own businesses. 

HubSpot Partner Tiering

Although joining HubSpot's Partner Program is easy, moving beyond a provider status into the tiers requires a commitment to HubSpot. Becoming a Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Elite partner requires a very focused effort.

Based on the value of HubSpot accounts sold and managed over a 12-month period, a partner will be tiered. 

  • Gold: 3 to 5 HubSpot clients sold and managed
  • Platinum: 5 to 10 HubSpot clients sold and managed
  • Diamond: 10 to 40+ HubSpot clients sold and managed
  • Elite: 50+ HubSpot clients sold and managed

The HubSpot partner directory

Pop over to the HubSpot partner directory for South Africa and read some of the reviews for your shortlisted partners.

Just take note that the directory allows international HubSpot partner agencies to list in South Africa and state that they provide services in South Africa. This is entirely fine, considering the new normal of video meetings and remote work. It's just something to be aware of.

hubspot_solutions_directory

 

Are there different types of HubSpot partners?

There sure are. All HubSpot partners specialise in something. Very broadly, you get four types of partners:

Inbound Marketing Partners

HubSpot's Partner Program is for agencies that want to grow their businesses by providing inbound marketing and content generation to their clients. These campaigns are geared to be ROI-centric and lead generation-centric.

The core service is generally Inbound Marketing Strategy, and although they use HubSpot CRM from a marketing perspective, they are not always geared to configure and integrate a CRM for an entire business.

Sales & CRM Partners

Sales enablement and CRM partners transform how their clients sell with modern sales methodologies and technology that salespeople want to use. Working with a sales partner accelerates the evolution of clients' sales processes in the short term and can shorten sales cycles in the medium to long term.

These partners are experienced in CRM migrations from Salesforce CRM, Pipedrive, Freshdesk, and more to HubSpot.

Integration Partners

Integration partners are experts with the HubSpot API, data, and  integrating systems to enable HubSpot to become the single source of truth. E.g., HubSpot integrated with another CRM, ERP or accounting software.

HubSpot CMS Website Partners

Partners who excel at migrating websites from other CMSs like WordPress to HubSpot CMS Hub and building custom modules to enhance CMS hub functionality. 

The Multifunctional HubSpot Partner

A small percentage of partner agencies have decided that the intersection of CRM, sales, service, and marketing is critical to their clients' revenue growth.

These HubSpot partners believe marketing only works correctly with an integrated sales and service process. And equally, sales will only work efficiently with a marketing process that is tightly integrated with sales.

They're also adept at integrating systems. E.g., HubSpot integrated with Xero or Sage accounting software.

These partners have done not only the marketing training but also the sales technical CRM-focused training. 

HubSpot South Africa: Selecting the best HubSpot specialists

HubSpot Solutions Partners undergo a rigorous training and certification process to ensure they have the expertise to provide quality services to clients.

HubSpot requires them to meet certain performance criteria and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction to maintain their partner status.

By partnering with a HubSpot Solutions Partner, businesses can benefit from the expertise and experience of a team of professionals who specialise in helping businesses grow and succeed using the HubSpot platform.

Get up and running faster

When working with a highly tiered HubSpot Partner, you are guaranteed to be up and running much faster. These HubSpot partners have proven inbound marketing, sales and CRM strategies and can tailor them to your unique business. 

The higher-tiered partners manage multiple instances of HubSpot across many different industries. This allows them to know HubSpot CRM and other tools intimately. Intimate knowledge of the HubSpot platform allows them to fast-track results.

Achieve HubSpot CRM ROI faster

HubSpot software is a significant investment, the faster you are up and running - the quicker the ROI. 

Almost always, we find that when a business works alongside a HubSpot Partner in South Africa, they get better results.

When we hold you accountable for the strategy we set out together, the final result is stronger. Everyone works better in a team.

Save on software costs

Unlike HubSpot's sales representatives, who are incentivised on the initial sale, Hubspot partners are incentivised to install HubSpot well and retain their clients on HubSpot.

A good partner will advise well on the lowest software costs upfront and outline a plan to increase the software costs only after an ROI benefit is clear. 

What are the Pros and Cons of Using a HubSpot Partner?

Pros of using a HubSpot partner

  • Access to a multidisciplinary team of HubSpot experts, including marketing and campaign strategists, business process specialists, web developers, and integration specialists.
  • Outsourcing HubSpot skills can be less expensive than keeping an in-house resource.
  • If your HubSpot champion leaves, your company will always have access to HubSpot skills.
  • Partners staff are current on the software and certifications and get additional partner-only training.
  • HubSpot Partners can train your staff.

Cons of using a HubSpot partner

  • Finding a good partner with the skills you require can be difficult.
  • It can take time to build a relationship with a HubSpot Partner. Depending on your type of business, understanding how you sell and how to market your services can take time. 
  • HubSpot skills can be very specialised, and the top partners can cost a premium.
  • Skills can overlap with your current digital marketing agency.
  • Work may have a lead time depending on how busy your HubSpot Partner is.

Some of our HubSpot resources you might find useful

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right HubSpot Solution Partner is crucial for saving time and costs in your HubSpot journey. These certified experts provide training and strategic guidance, ensuring you maximize HubSpot's potential.

Their specialisation in areas like inbound marketing, CRM, and integration can expedite results, boost ROI, and optimise software expenses. 

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