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How to Track Competitors in HubSpot Sales

It was one of those afternoons, the kind where you find yourself drinking an excessive amount of coffee just to keep up with the never-ending hustle. Sarah and I were poring over our HubSpot dashboard, desperately wanting to make sense of how our fiercest competitors—let's call them The Nimble Ninjas—had managed to outsell us in the last quarter. We had heard about the elusive art of tracking competitors using HubSpot, and while some had sworn by it, we were left in the dark, clutching at threads of data and hoping they would weave into a coherent fabric. But that day, we decided it was time to solve the great mystery.

Starting with Competitor Profiles​

Sarah, always the more knowledgeable one when it came to tech-savvy solutions, suggested: "Let’s build a competitor profile.” Sounded simple enough. We dove into HubSpot—our digital playground—and here's how we did it.

First, we navigated our way to the Settings. It felt a bit like finding a secret door at the back of a wardrobe. Then, we clicked on Properties, a hidden gem one might say. Under the Contact Properties section, we created a new property for Competitor.

Here's a snippet of what it looked like—easy-peasy:

  • Name: Competitor
  • Field Type: Dropdown
  • Options: Nimble Ninjas, Rival Reindeers, Disruptive Ducks

Once we set up this dedicated field for tracking who our competitors were, we felt like seasoned detectives ready to dive deeper into the case.

Monitoring Competitive Deals​

Next step? Tracking where The Nimble Ninjas were inching ahead in sales deals. Like explorers of old, Sarah and I sought HubSpot's Deals dashboard. Here, we added a custom filter to organize any deal associated with our competitors.

We created a filter with these criteria:

  • Deal Stage: All
  • Competitor: Nimble Ninjas

Once applied, the view revealed insights almost as if Google had spat out search results for our clandestine questions—where were The Nimble Ninjas winning, and how could we, the dauntless strugglers, outmaneuver them?

Custom Dashboards for Alerts​

Adrenaline infused our efforts as we crafted a custom dashboard specifically tailored to keep tabs on our rivals. With Sarah’s penchant for design, she concocted an elegant visualization setting within HubSpot’s Reports section. An epitome of alertness, our dashboard now glimmered with widgets showcasing our competitive data.

The eureka moment came with setting automated alerts. We created tasks to notify us whenever there was a significant movement in deals where The Nimble Ninjas were engaged. This proactive step transformed us from passive onlookers to active participants in the market battle.

Reflecting on the Outcome​

There we were, two not-so-techy, coffee-fueled detectives, grinning at our screens like we just unearthed a hidden treasure chest. Tracking competitors in HubSpot Sales was no longer a daunting quest shrouded in mystery. We had our system, a rhythm, and the spirit of inquiry to keep pushing boundaries. And perhaps, just perhaps, we could now take on The Nimble Ninjas with a fighting chance.

So, dear fellow wanderers, if you've ever felt the same frustration or curiosity—venture forth into your HubSpot realm. It’s like embarking on a grand adventure, with fewer dragons and more dashboards.