Are HubSpot Implementation Specialists Worth the Investment?

HubSpot has huge potential, but much of that potential depends on how the foundations are set up. Integrations, lifecycle stages, attribution, lead scoring, data cleanliness, folder structures, and permissions aren’t things that sort themselves out. No matter how user-friendly the platform is, it still needs planning, consistency, and a bit of troubleshooting.

Side note: Onboarding with HubSpot is mandatory. New customers either need to pay HubSpot, or it's compulsory to have a partner. HubSpot onboarding takes a self-service approach, where your team implements with HubSpot's guidance.

Before we go any further, it’s worth addressing the obvious: MarCloud is a HubSpot implementation specialist, so yes, we’re biased. But that bias comes from working with dozens of teams who tried to set up HubSpot themselves, only to later feel stuck, frustrated, or unable to report on marketing’s real contribution.

This isn’t a criticism of those teams! We’ll be the first to say that HubSpot looks simple. But getting it working properly for ROI, cross-team alignment, and long-term efficiency is not straightforward.

That being said, let’s explore whether HubSpot implementation specialists are worth the investment (spoiler: they are), what they actually do, and how their involvement makes a difference to your bottom line.

Yes, professional HubSpot implementation specialists do exist, and their job isn’t just to “set things up.” It’s to design your portal so it supports the way your business works, both now and as it grows.

This is especially important for marketing managers and directors who want reliable reporting, strong handoffs to Sales, and a platform they can use confidently without worrying about technical issues behind the scenes.

HubSpot should be the backbone of your marketing operations, but only if the initial setup is done with intention. When it isn’t, the gaps become very obvious later, usually at the exact moment someone asks for ROI or tries to build a campaign that depends on clean data.

HubSpot’s user interface is one of its biggest strengths. It makes complex functionality feel accessible. But this can also give teams a false sense of security. You add forms, create lists, build a workflow to follow up with leads, and it all seems fine.

Until you realise the lifecycle stage logic is out of sync with your CRM… Or the data you need for attribution hasn’t been captured… Or a workflow overwrote a contact field you rely on... Or your dashboards aren’t showing anything meaningful.

These issues rarely show up in week one. They emerge months later.

The most common issues we see at MarCloud

After years of working with clients across different industries and setups, we consistently see the same issues appear in self-serve implementations:

• Lifecycle stages not syncing correctly between HubSpot and a CRM like Salesforce, leading to inaccurate reporting and confused handoffs.

• Duplicate, partial, or overwritten data caused by poorly mapped integrations.

• Overlapping or conflicting workflows that enrol contacts in multiple journeys at once.

• Missing or inconsistent naming conventions make the portal hard to navigate and even harder to trust.

• Attribution that doesn’t work, because tracking wasn’t configured correctly from day one.

• Dashboards that can’t surface ROI, or worse, display misleading data.

• Hours of troubleshooting that eat into the time you need to run campaigns and plan strategy.

These are all proof that HubSpot is more complex at its core than it looks on the surface.

The costs of a poor HubSpot implementation are both the time your team spends setting it up and the hours they spend putting out fires later. Problems usually fall into a few categories:

• Lost time fixing data, rebuilding workflows, or trying to understand why something isn’t syncing.

• Inaccurate dashboards make it hard to prove ROI to the C-suite.

• Slower lead follow-up, caused by broken or unclear automation.

• Reduced confidence from Sales when data doesn’t match what they see in the CRM.

• “Re-implementation” development work, which is often more expensive than doing it properly the first time.

Many of our clients didn’t realise anything was wrong until they tried to build a multi-touch attribution report or present a quarterly update.

A good implementation specialist configures HubSpot thoughtfully, with the wider marketing and sales ecosystem in mind.

Strategic alignment from day one

Before building anything, an implementation specialist asks questions like:

• How do leads move through your internal process?

• What does a qualified lead actually look like?

• What does Sales need from Marketing?

• What reporting will leadership expect?

• Which touchpoints matter most for attribution?

These questions shape everything else: the data model, the workflow structure, the scoring logic, and so on.

Clean, reliable integration design

Integrating HubSpot with a CRM (especially Salesforce) is not as simple as switching on a sync. Fields need mapping, logic needs agreement, and edge cases need provisions.

Specialists:

• Map fields correctly

• Avoid unintentional overwrites

• Build rules to prevent duplicates

• Keep lifecycle stages and lead statuses aligned

When integrations go wrong, the entire system becomes a mess. Clean data is the foundation of every report, every workflow, and every automation - it’s not worth the risk!

Automation and workflow design that supports campaigns

HubSpot workflows are powerful, but they’re also one of the easiest places to cause issues. All it takes is an enrolment trigger that’s too broad, or a criteria mismatch, and suddenly you’re scratching your head, wondering why contacts aren’t being added, or worse - the wrong contacts are being added.

Implementation specialists:

• Build workflows with intentional logic

• Avoid overlap or contradictory actions

• Create scalable, modular automation structures

• Document how everything works

This gives your team confidence to build campaigns without worrying about breaking something.

Attribution and reporting set up properly

Accurate HubSpot reporting requires:

• Proper tracking

• Correct data properties

• Clean lifecycle logic

• Consistent campaign naming

• Multi-touch attribution that is configured correctly

HubSpot specialists make sure the system can answer questions about influence, revenue, and performance.

Governance, naming, and documentation

A tidy HubSpot portal is an efficient portal. Specialists put structure in place:

• Clear naming conventions

• Logical folder system

• User permissions

• Documentation for continuity

This makes working within the platform more efficient and also futureproofs your setup.

There are several routes you can take depending on your needs:

HubSpot’s own onboarding teams

HubSpot provides helpful onboarding support for teams new to the platform. They’re great for training and platform guidance, but they don’t handle:

• CRM integrations

• Workflow automation design

• Complex data requirements

• Attribution setup

So you get a solid start, but not the full picture.

Freelancers and independent consultants

These can be ideal for smaller setups or targeted support. They can be flexible and cost-effective, but may not have the depth you need for larger, multi-departmental implementations.

Certified HubSpot agencies (like MarCloud)

Agencies specialise in the strategic and technical side of HubSpot. They bring:

• Experience with multiple CRM integrations

• Proven implementation frameworks

• Knowledge from fixing previous DIY setups

• The ability to design for scale and attribution

• A clear documentation and governance process

And again, we’ll acknowledge the bias here: we believe in the value of implementation specialists because we see what happens when things aren’t implemented well.

The short answer is yes - if ROI and efficiency matter

Self-serve setup costs less upfront but often reduces long-term effectiveness. A well-planned implementation:

• Gives you clean, trustworthy data

• Removes manual work

• Makes the life of a salesperson much easier

• Gives marketers confidence when reporting

• Helps leadership see the value of marketing activity

When your dashboards show revenue influence clearly, you’re in a much stronger position during budget conversations.

We’ve supported many businesses that attempted a DIY setup with the best intentions. When teams come to us, common challenges include:

• They can’t create the dashboards they need.

• They’re unsure how contacts should move through lifecycle stages.

• Their Salesforce integration “mostly” works, but exceptions are causing issues.

• Workflows are breaking other workflows.

• Data feels unreliable, and no one is quite sure why.

After re-implementation, the difference is immediate:

• Marketing and Sales see the same data.

• Attribution becomes usable, sometimes for the first time.

• Lead journeys make sense end-to-end.

• Campaign performance is clearer.

• Teams can plan with confidence.

Investment vs. cost of rework

A proper implementation is a defined cost.

Rework is unpredictable.

If you’ve ever tried to audit a legacy marketing automation system, you’ll know it’s often more time-consuming than building something from scratch.

Still torn between going it alone versus working with a HubSpot implementation specialist? Here are the frequently asked questions we field at MarCloud.

How long does HubSpot implementation take?

A standard implementation can be delivered within two months, but ultimately this depends on your HubSpot plan, the complexity of your CRM, and reporting needs.

What is included in HubSpot implementation services?

Email and domain configuration, CRM integration, data migration and cleansing, user setup and permissions, tracking and analytics, training and handover. MarCloud also offers custom implementations that support workflow setup and more complex cases, including migrations from other automation software, such as Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

How much do HubSpot implementation specialists cost?

Costs vary based on scope and complexity. The more complex your CRM and reporting needs, the more involved the implementation. MarCloud offers three options: Sales Hub Professional onboarding from £1300, Sales Hub Enterprise onboarding from £3,000, and custom implementation or migration quoted as needed.

Can I implement HubSpot myself?

HubSpot onboarding is mandatory, meaning you must pay for either HubSpot guidance or a specialist implementation partner. If you choose HubSpot onboarding, you’ll follow a self-serve process with instructions from the HubSpot team. With a HubSpot Partner, you get a hands-on implementation done for you.

Partner with MarCloud for HubSpot implementation

HubSpot is a powerful marketing platform, and it can transform the way teams work together. But its true value depends on how the foundations are set. A strong implementation gives you reliable data, real clarity over ROI, and a smoother experience day to day.

When you partner with MarCloud, you can be sure that HubSpot is set up for success. Contact our team of implementation specialists to get started.