Short answer: a HubSpot implementation for a B2B team should cover lifecycle stages, lead routing, deal pipelines, reporting and a clean migration of your existing records. With a basic migration, expect around 4 weeks of build after the scope is agreed. Make the definitions first and the build is quick. Skip them and you will rebuild within a year.
What HubSpot onboarding covers, and what it doesn't
HubSpot's onboarding shows your team how the tool works. It doesn't tell you what an MQL means for your business, who owns a lead from a partner, or what has to be true before a deal reaches Proposal. Those are business decisions, and they are what your marketing and sales numbers rest on.
The decisions to make before you build
- Lifecycle stages and lead status. What each stage means and what moves a contact between them. See lifecycle stage vs lead status.
- Lead routing. Who gets which lead, how fast, and what happens when nobody picks it up. See HubSpot lead routing and round robin.
- Deal pipeline stages. Entry and exit criteria for each stage, so the forecast means something.
- What you migrate. Which records, properties and history come across, and what stays behind.
- Which system owns what. If you are keeping Salesforce, decide field by field which side wins.
A sensible order for go-live
- Week 1: sign off definitions, properties and the migration plan.
- Week 2: build pipelines, lifecycle automation and routing.
- Week 3: migrate records and test with real examples.
- Week 4: train the team, go live and watch the first week of leads closely.
What it costs
There are two costs: the HubSpot licence and the set-up work. For the set-up, HubSpot Go-Live is from £14,000 including a basic migration. The price rises with records and workflows. It runs 4 weeks after a Revenue Leak Diagnostic, paid 50/50, with a 14-day defect window. Baseline scope: Marketing Hub and Sales Hub Pro. If it runs over, I keep working for free until it's complete.
Proof
I led the Pardot-to-HubSpot migration for a 400-person B2B SaaS company: around 300k contacts, 30k companies and 10k deals, with Salesforce kept live. “Wow, in all my 25 years in marketing I've never seen such a smoothly run migration and not only that it was delivered early too!” (CMO, B2B SaaS)
Next step
If you're choosing HubSpot or have just bought it, start with the Free Lead Leakage Check. It takes 20 minutes on one process and you get a one-page summary within 1 working day.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a HubSpot implementation take?
For a B2B team with a basic migration, plan on around 4 weeks of build once the scope is agreed. More records, more workflows or a CRM you are keeping alongside HubSpot all add time.
How much does HubSpot implementation cost?
It depends on records, workflows and integrations. PineRiverData's HubSpot Go-Live is from £14,000 including a basic migration, and the price rises with records and workflows. That is on top of your HubSpot licence.
Is HubSpot's own onboarding enough?
HubSpot's onboarding teaches you the tool. It won't decide your lifecycle stages, routing rules or pipeline stages for you. Those decisions are what make the reporting trustworthy, so make them before you build.
- HubSpot
- Implementation
- Onboarding
- Migration
Free Lead Leakage Check
Want me to look at this in your HubSpot?
20 minutes on one process. A one-page summary within 1 working day. If there's more to fix, the next step is the Revenue Leak Diagnostic.
Rather check it yourself first? Run the free 90-second audit