Okay, grab your coffee (or wine, no judgment here) – we need to talk about customer management. You know that pile of business cards on your desk? The endless sticky notes? The “important” emails you starred three months ago and haven’t looked at since? Yeah, I see you nodding.
My Messy Journey
So picture this: It’s 2022, and I’m sitting at my desk at 9 PM, surrounded by cold coffee cups, trying to remember if I ever called back that hot lead from last week. Spoiler alert: I didn’t. My boss was getting annoyed, I was stressed out of my mind, and my work-life balance? Let’s not even go there.
My friend Jake (you know, the annoyingly organized one) kept bugging me about trying HubSpot CRM. I ignored him for months because, honestly, who needs another complicated tool? But after losing a big client because I forgot to follow up (ugh, still hurts), I finally caved.
The “Oh Crap, This Actually Works” Moment
First day using HubSpot, I spilled coffee on my keyboard (typical me). But while I was cleaning up that mess, HubSpot was quietly logging an email from a client I’d been chasing for weeks. It basically nudged me saying, “Hey, this person needs attention!”
Mind. Blown.
The Good, The Bad, and The “Why Didn’t I Do This Sooner?”
What I Love:
– It’s basically impossible to forget about a lead (trust me, I’ve tried)
– My inbox doesn’t give me anxiety anymore
– I can check stuff on my phone while pretending to watch my kid’s soccer practice (don’t judge)
The Learning Curve:
Not gonna lie – day one, I felt like my grandma trying to use Twitter. But by day three? I was showing off to my coworkers like I’d invented the thing.
Real Talk From Real People
My friend Emma (the coffee shop owner):
“Girl, I was using a notebook to track regulars’ favorite drinks. Now HubSpot sends them birthday discounts automatically. They think I’m a genius!”
My cousin Steve (the world’s most disorganized realtor):
“Dude, I stopped losing leads! My wife thinks I finally grew up!”
Money Stuff (Because We All Care About That)
Free Version = Actually useful! You get:
– Email tracking (creepy but awesome)
– Basic contact stuff
– Meeting links that make you look professional
Paid stuff? Yeah, it costs money. But so does therapy, and this is cheaper.
How to Start (Without Having a Meltdown)
Here’s what worked for me:
1. Sign up (duh)
2. Add like 5 contacts
3. Play with it while watching Netflix
4. Mess something up
5. Fix it easily
6. Feel weirdly proud of yourself
Look, Here’s The Deal
Some days I love HubSpot. Some days I forget to use it. But most days, it’s just there, quietly keeping my work life from falling apart.
Is it perfect? Nah. But neither is my coffee addiction, and both get the job done.
What You Should Do Right Now
If you’re still reading this (high five!), you probably need HubSpot in your life. Try the free version. What’s the worst that could happen? You waste 30 minutes of your life? Please, we both know you’ve spent longer than that watching cat videos.
Just Between Us
You know that feeling when you find a great Netflix show and want to tell everyone? That’s me with HubSpot right now. I’m not getting paid to say this (though HubSpot, if you’re reading this, call me 
).
Just try it. Then come back and tell me if your life isn’t at least 43% less chaotic.
P.S. – If your sticky note collection has sticky notes about organizing your sticky notes, you definitely need this in your life. Just saying.
P.P.S. – Hit me up in the comments if you want more tips. I’ve made all the mistakes so you don’t have to!
