Guide · By the Shreem Labs team · 27 Oct 2026

HubSpot CRM Setup Checklist: A Portal Your Team Will Actually Use

A HubSpot CRM setup checklist: account settings, users, fields, sales stages, data import, automation, reports and training.

Why use a checklist?

Most HubSpot problems come from skipped decisions: inconsistent fields, unclear deal stages and messy imports. A checklist makes sure HubSpot matches how your team really sells. Your reps then use it, and your reports are right from week one.

1. Account basics

Set your company name, currency and financial year. Verify your email sending domain (SPF, DKIM and DMARC records). Add the tracking code to your website. Connect team inboxes and calendars. If you sell to the EU or UK, set up consent options.

2. Users, teams and permissions

Create teams that match your company. Give each person only the access they need. Let only admins export or delete. Name one person in your company who approves new fields and automations.

3. Fields and data

Check HubSpot's default fields before you create your own. Use dropdowns instead of free text where you can. Define your lifecycle stages and lead statuses and write down what each means. Decide how contacts, companies and deals link together.

4. Sales pipeline and deal stages

Turn your real sales process into stages based on what the buyer does, not on your internal tasks. Set a win probability for each stage. Make key fields required at key stages, such as deal amount before the proposal. Make a separate pipeline only if the process is truly different.

5. Importing your data

Export your data from spreadsheets or your old CRM. Remove duplicates using email and company domain. Make country, phone and industry values consistent. Import 50 test records first and check the links between them. Then import the rest, and keep the original files as a backup.

6. Automation

Start with a few useful automations: assign new leads to an owner, create follow-up tasks, alert reps when a lead shows strong interest and share leads fairly. Add email sequences and lead scoring once the basics work. Give every automation a clear name and write down what it does.

7. Forms, chat and website

Connect your website forms to HubSpot and record where each lead came from. Send chat messages to the right team. Give every rep a meeting link. Make sure every form submission gets a lifecycle stage and an owner.

8. Reports

Build a sales dashboard with the pipeline by stage, deals created and won, conversion between stages and activity per rep. Build a marketing dashboard with contacts by source and how they move through lifecycle stages. Check the reports against reality in the first week.

9. Connecting other tools

Connect accounting software, WhatsApp, Slack, your product database or ERP, using HubSpot's apps or a custom connection. Decide which system is the master for each field, so data does not overwrite itself in loops.

10. Training and follow-up

Train reps, managers and marketers separately, and record the sessions. Agree simple rules, such as every deal has a next step and a close date. After 30 days, check usage and remove fields nobody uses.

Need a hand?

We set up, migrate and connect HubSpot for B2B teams. A standard set-up usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. Book a free call and we will review your current set-up.

Related service: HubSpot Services. You may also want to read how we work or the FAQ.