Hey there! I’m working with a company that uses HubSpot Sales Hub Pro and they need help setting up their CRM system. They currently have 2 paid users and want me to handle the technical setup like creating sales pipelines, custom fields, and deal workflows.
I’m trying to figure out the best approach for getting into their system. Should I ask them to make me a new user account or is there another way? I’m worried about accidentally causing extra charges on their bill.
A few specific things I’m wondering about:
What’s the normal process for outside contractors to work in a client’s HubSpot?
Do configuration tasks require a full paid license?
Can someone get admin permissions without being counted as a billable user?
Should I just use the client’s login instead of getting my own?
Any advice would be really helpful since I want to handle this professionally. Thanks!
if ur a certified partner, u can get temp access throug their program. otherwise, they’ll have to add u as a user which counts for their seat limit. usually, clients just share logins, but that’s kinda risky for security.
There’s actually a third option that works well for shorter projects - having the client temporarily downgrade one of their existing users to a free seat, then assign you that paid seat for the duration of your work. This keeps their total seat count the same without additional monthly costs. I’ve used this approach several times when working with budget-conscious clients who have team members that don’t need full CRM access during the setup phase. Just make sure to coordinate the timing carefully since the downgraded user will lose access to paid features temporarily. Once your configuration work is complete, you can reverse the process and restore their original user permissions.
another thing to consider is just doing screen sharing sessions with the client while they’re logged in. works great for one-off setup tasks and you can walk them through everything so they understand the system better afterwards. bit slower than having your own access but no extra costs or security headaches.
I’ve been doing HubSpot consulting for about three years now and honestly, the seat cost issue comes up constantly. Most smaller clients end up temporarily upgrading their plan to add you as a proper user, then downgrade once the project is complete. This approach is cleaner than sharing credentials and gives you full admin access without any restrictions.
For the technical work you mentioned like pipeline setup and custom properties, you definitely need proper user permissions. HubSpot tracks active users pretty strictly, so there’s no real workaround for avoiding the seat cost if you need admin-level access. I typically build this temporary seat cost into my project pricing upfront so clients aren’t surprised by the extra monthly charge during the engagement period.