From overpaying to underutilizing: How to avoid the most common Hubspot pitfalls for B2B

HubSpot is one of the most powerful marketing automation platforms available, but even existing users often miss opportunities to optimize their investment. Common setup mistakes and overlooked features can significantly limit the value you get from the platform.

What makes this particularly challenging is that because HubSpot evolves quickly, even small missteps can snowball. We’ve seen this firsthand across dozens of B2B implementations over the last two decades. The good news? They’re easy to prevent once you know what to look for.

Here are nine questions every B2B company should ask to ensure they’re maximizing the value of their HubSpot investment.

1. Am I paying too much for my HubSpot plan?

Quite possibly, especially if you haven't reviewed your plan in the last six months. HubSpot evolves quickly, which means plan recommendations from even six months ago may already be outdated. Many companies haven't adjusted to HubSpot's recent pricing changes:

• Seat-based pricing now charges per user instead of per feature
• Data Hub replaced Operations Hub entirely, requiring companies to reassess their data management needs
• The lead scoring overhaul in August forced companies to rebuild their scoring systems or lose functionality

We regularly audit accounts where companies are paying for Marketing Hub Professional when Starter would work fine or carrying expensive add-ons for unused features. One recent client was paying an extra $2,400 annually for advanced reporting features their team had never accessed.

To check, start by going to Settings > Account & Billing and reviewing your subscription details. HubSpot's reporting shows exactly which features your team uses regularly versus which sit idle. We can help if you're not sure how to interpret the data.

2. How much should I be paying for HubSpot contacts?

HubSpot pricing is directly tied to the number of marketing contacts in your database, so having inactive, duplicate, or irrelevant contacts can cause you to pay more than necessary. Over time, contact databases naturally accumulate such contacts, increasing your subscription costs.

To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, implement semi-annual contact audits to remove inactive subscribers, merge duplicates, and clean out contacts that no longer fit your target criteria. HubSpot's contact management tools make this process straightforward, but it requires regular attention—we've helped clients significantly reduce contact counts, moving them to lower pricing tiers and saving thousands on subscriptions.

3. Am I taking advantage of HubSpot’s latest AI features? 

Many teams aren’t fully using HubSpot’s newest AI capabilities and end up missing opportunities to save time and improve results. A recent addition, Breeze AI agents, can already support tasks like customer research, prospect qualification, and content creation, yet many users don’t even know it exists.

This reflects a broader challenge: 74% of companies still struggle to achieve and scale value from their AI investments. The difference with HubSpot is that you’re already paying for the platform, and its AI tools are continuously updated into the system you use every day.

To avoid missing out, you or your HubSpot partner should regularly review new feature announcements and assess which updates could improve your workflows. Scheduling quarterly check-ins makes it easier to spot automation opportunities and capture the full value of the platform.

4. Why aren't my HubSpot emails reaching inboxes?

The most common cause is missing email authentication setup required by Google and Yahoo (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication for bulk senders).

The result: emails show as "delivered" in HubSpot but land in spam folders. Companies often don't realize this is happening until they notice low open rates or hear from recipients who say they never got the emails.

The solution is properly aligning your sending domains and DNS records. You need to set up authentication for the domain you're actually sending from.

5. Why can't I track conversions properly in HubSpot?

Poor tracking setup during implementation creates data gaps that persist for months. Common gaps include missing conversion events, incorrect attribution models, and disconnected analytics between HubSpot and other tools.

Without accurate data, you can't identify which campaigns drive results, leading to continued investment in underperforming tactics while high-performing channels get overlooked.

To avoid this scenario, audit your tracking by reviewing conversion paths and attribution reports. Check that your most important business outcomes—not just form fills—are being tracked properly. If you're seeing unexplained gaps in your customer journey data, your tracking setup likely needs attention.

6. Why isn't my team using HubSpot?

Insufficient workflow-based training is the main reason teams avoid using HubSpot and often default to familiar external tools. This isn't uncommon—half of CRM implementations fail within a few years, often due to poor adoption and inadequate training. This "adoption gap" creates double costs: paying for unused HubSpot features while maintaining subscriptions to redundant tools.

Users need to see how HubSpot makes their specific jobs easier, not just what buttons to click. Implement role-based training that shows each team member how HubSpot improves their daily workflows rather than generic platform overviews.

7. Am I taking full advantage of all of  Hubspot's website features? 

Many companies miss HubSpot's advanced website features like HubDB and smart content that can significantly boost conversion rates. This is especially costly for B2B organizations with multiple audiences, geographies, or product lines, where personalized experiences can dramatically impact conversion rates.

Make sure to audit your website and email campaigns for personalization opportunities. If you're sending the same content to all visitors or contacts, you're likely missing conversion opportunities that HubSpot's advanced features could capture.

8. Why isn't HubSpot syncing with my other tools?

Broken integrations are usually caused by outdated API connections or configuration errors that develop over time. Integration gaps create data silos, duplicate effort, and incomplete customer records. When HubSpot isn't properly connected to your other systems, teams waste time manually syncing data while important customer insights get lost between platforms.

Regular integration audits are essential because APIs change, updates break connections, and data mapping requirements evolve as your business grows.

To ensure you stay on top of outdated integrations, schedule quarterly integration health checks and test critical integrations monthly to ensure proper data flow.

9. Can HubSpot replace my other marketing tools?

HubSpot can typically replace multiple marketing tools, reducing both costs and workflow complexity. However, many companies add HubSpot to their existing tool stack without consolidating, creating expensive overlap. Common waste areas include social media schedulers, landing page builders, and standalone email tools that HubSpot handles natively.

To avoid this mistake, review your martech stack and look for tools HubSpot can replace, then create a systematic consolidation plan that phases out redundant tools while ensuring proper training on HubSpot's replacement functionality.

The biggest mistake: DIY HubSpot implementation without expert guidance

HubSpot optimization isn't a one-time fix, but when done properly, it compounds over time through avoided mistakes, better performance, and maximized ROI.

Contact us for a complimentary HubSpot audit to maximize your use of HubSpot.