Ask Achan: Is HubSpot a good partner portal?

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the first edition of ‘Ask Achan.’ Remember those classic Agony Aunt columns? This is our take on that - your monthly dose of HubSpot wisdom, straight from our in-house expert.

Each month, we’ll tackle your HubSpot questions, offering practical insights and advice to help you get the most out of the CRM platform. It’s our passion to help B2B companies like yours find new ways to grow using HubSpot. I'm here to help you navigate the challenges of creating personalised, engaging experiences for prospects and customers using HubSpot.

Got a question? Send it my way.

Let’s start with a great question I came across:

Can HubSpot serve as a partner portal?

Yes, HubSpot offers different features that support partner management. While it’s not a traditional Partner Relationship Management (PRM) tool, it provides many of the same capabilities. Using HubSpot we’ve set up ‘member-only’ portals for the Financial Services Council, a New Zealand government organisation and NTT Hong Kong. ‘Members’ in a HubSpot context can be any stakeholders (partners and resellers, customers, staff, association members etc) that need secure access to online resources.

By customising contact properties and using smart content, we created tailored experiences for their different committees, fostering more personalised interactions and strengthening their partnerships.

Figure 1 - FSC's website, after a member has logged in

Here's a breakdown of the features you can use for your membership portal:

Membership access & logins

You can create membership-based access with HubSpot’s Content Hub Pro, where partners can sign in with credentials. By segmenting content, you can ensure each partner sees relevant information based on their role.

Deal submissions & management

HubSpot’s CRM allows partners to submit and track deals through custom pipelines and workflows. This helps keep everything aligned with your sales and marketing teams.

Training & certification

HubSpot’s Marketing Hub and Landing Pages make it easy to host on-demand videos, create quizzes and set up automated follow-ups to keep partners engaged and on track with certifications.

Managing deals & collaboration

With HubSpot’s Sales Hub, partners can track deal progress, share documents and collaborate efficiently. CRM properties help filter data, ensuring the right people have access to the right information.

Automation & reporting

HubSpot’s Workflows automate tasks like partner onboarding, deal updates, and training reminders. The reporting tools provide insights into partner engagement and performance, helping you track success.

Customisation

HubSpot offers flexibility through tools like HubDB, allowing businesses to create personalised partner experiences, from custom dashboards to dynamic content.

So, is HubSpot a good partner portal?

HubSpot is a strong, cost-effective option for partner management, offering many of the capabilities you’d expect from a PRM while integrating seamlessly with your sales and marketing strategies.

Stay tuned for more insights in the next edition of 'Ask Achan.'

Want to learn how HubSpot can streamline your partner management? Reach out for a personalised demo and explore how HubSpot can help you grow your business faster, smarter, and more effectively.

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