Our company is a mid-sized B2B manufacturer and distributor serving around 1,500 customers. We currently run our online store on Shopify and have a team of 20 sales reps, 12 marketing people, and 8 customer support staff.
We rely heavily on phone calls, text messages, and video conferences for communication. Our existing CRM system has built-in VoIP features that record conversations, create transcripts, and generate call summaries. The mobile app works great for our team members who frequently make calls while traveling.
We’re considering switching to either HubSpot Sales Hub or Salesforce. HubSpot appeals to us because of its marketing tools that can help us track website visitors and run better ad campaigns. Salesforce interests us due to its reputation for sales forecasting and customer analytics that could boost our revenue.
Has anyone here used either HubSpot or Salesforce? What was your experience like? Are there other CRM platforms that work well for manufacturing and distribution businesses like ours?
I’ve used Salesforce for manufacturing and it’s a mixed bag. The analytics and forecasting tools are fantastic, but setup was a nightmare - we had to hire consultants just to get it working for our needs. Watch out for costs though - they spiral fast when you add users or features, way more than they quote upfront. The mobile app’s gotten better but still feels clunky compared to other options. Integration with inventory management works well, though you’ll probably need third-party add-ons for specific stuff. The reporting is solid though - really helped us figure out how customers actually buy from us.
We switched from an older CRM to HubSpot about 18 months ago for our industrial equipment business. The Shopify integration worked perfectly right away - saved us weeks of headaches. What really surprised me was how the marketing automation brought back leads that would’ve gone cold. We’re seeing about 25% more conversions from our existing pipeline. Call recording quality is decent but nothing special, and transcription accuracy depends on background noise. HubSpot’s mobile app handles basic stuff well but misses some advanced features you’d need for complex B2B sales. Pricing stayed predictable as we scaled, unlike other platforms where costs explode without warning.
Been using HubSpot for 3 years at our packaging company. The marketing tools are fantastic - you can track exactly which campaigns generate leads, and the email automation is a huge time-saver. Much easier setup than Salesforce from what I hear. Only complaint is the phone system isn’t as good as dedicated VoIP solutions, but it handles most calls fine.