Who Should be a Contact?

1. The Typical HubSpot Use Case vs. Consulting Reality

1. Traditional Funnel Mindset
   • For many HubSpot guides and tutorials (targeting SaaS or e-commerce), a “Contact” is someone who could become a paying customer.
   • Lifecycle stages revolve around marketing qualification (MQL) or sales qualification (SQL), eventually culminating in a purchase. Anyone outside that progression is often viewed as irrelevant or “unqualified.”
2. Consultant’s Broader Network
   • As an independent consultant, only a small fraction of the people you know will hire you. But many others could play important roles—referring business, partnering on projects, or collaborating on thought leadership.
   • You need to track all these people in your CRM, not just those who might buy. This ensures you maintain warm relationships, which can blossom in unexpected ways over time.
3. Implication for HubSpot
   • Instead of pushing all contacts through a “Lead → MQL → SQL → Customer” journey, you’re curating a network: some might become clients, many might be high-value connections even if they never purchase.

2. Rethinking Lifecycle Stages

HubSpot’s Default Stages

• Subscriber → Lead → Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) → Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) → Opportunity → Customer → Evangelist
• This linear funnel approach is perfect if your entire set of contacts is there to buy something eventually.

Alternative Approach for Consultants

• Remove/Repurpose MQL/SQL Stages: You could rename or ignore these if you don’t do “marketing qualification.”
• Add or Customize Non-Customer Statuses: Some consultants create custom stages or properties like “Referral Partner,” “Collaborator,” “Influencer,” “Event Contact,” or “Past Client.” This way, you track roles, not just a potential buyer’s funnel position.
• Focus on Relationship Value: Even if a contact “is never going to be a customer,” they might be critical to your network. Instead of discarding them, keep them in HubSpot with a relevant label or property.

3. Why Log “Non-Buyer” Contacts in HubSpot?

• Referrals & Introductions: The majority of consulting gigs come from personal networks. A friend-of-a-friend or past colleague might refer your next big project. Keeping them in the CRM ensures you have a systematic way to stay top-of-mind, e.g., with periodic check-ins or relevant updates.
• Partnership & Collaboration: Another consultant in an adjacent field might co-lead a workshop with you or partner on a large project. If they’re not in your CRM, you might forget to reconnect months later.
• Thought Leadership: Some contacts may offer you speaking opportunities, joint blog posts, or panel discussions. The “value” they bring is broader than direct revenue.
• Event & Networking Follow-Ups: After attending a conference, you might meet dozens of new people—some are potential clients, many are not. But all might be relevant relationships.

4. Adapting HubSpot’s Tools to a Relationship-Focused Strategy

1. Segment Contacts
   • Instead of just funnel stages, create custom properties or add them to lists that reflect your relationship categories (e.g., “Referral Partner,” “Fellow Consultant,” “Potential Client,” etc.).
   • This helps you quickly filter or build lists for group outreach (like an invite to a thought leadership webinar).
2. Use “Lead Status” or Other Fields
   • “Lead Status” can store real-time statuses like “Open,” “In Discussion,” or “Partner Potential.”
   • Or create a custom property called “Relationship Type” if you need multiple categories.
3. Periodic Touchpoints
   • You might not “convert” them, but you can schedule tasks or enroll them in simple sequences (if you have Sales Hub Starter/Professional) to maintain casual contact or share relevant insights.
4. Repurpose Lifecycles
   • If you do want a bit of structure, you could rename “Evangelist” to “Trusted Colleague” or “Industry Peer,” acknowledging these folks help your business indirectly.

5. Technical Considerations & Tier Differences

Free Tier

1. Contact Management
   • Unlimited contacts stored, but limited marketing email sends if you want to do mass outreach.
   • Basic lifecycle stages are visible, but you can’t rename them easily. You can create up to 10 total custom properties across all objects, which might limit how deeply you categorize your network.
2. Manual or Basic
   • You’ll do more manual updates, e.g., changing contact’s “Lead Status” to “Referral Source” or something.
   • Potentially rely on a single pipeline or minimal automation.

Starter

1. Slightly More
   • Up to 1,000 custom properties per object. You can define robust categories or labels for your broad network.
   • Basic form follow-up or short sequences if you do outreach.
   • Still limited advanced workflows, so you might do a lot of manual changes.

Professional

1. Advanced Customization
   • Rename lifecycle stages and use workflows to automatically set “Relationship Type” based on certain triggers (like if the contact has never shown interest in a service, or if they joined a partner program form).
   • Multi-step email campaigns or sequences for nurturing different segments.
   • Many pipelines for different relationship pathways if needed.
2. Automated Reminders
   • Use workflows to create tasks reminding you to “touch base” every 6 months with certain categories (like “Potential Partner” or “High-Value Network Contact”).

6. Embracing a Broader Definition of “Contacts”

• Quality Over Strict Funnel: Realize that many relationships exist outside a client funnel yet are essential. Embrace them as first-class records in your CRM.
• Frequent Check-Ins: HubSpot tasks or sequences can help maintain consistent communication, so valuable relationships don’t grow cold.
• Add Rich Data: Store any relevant notes, personal interests, or how you met. This helps you reconnect meaningfully later.