HubSpot’s Inbound Sales Methodology & Free Certification Course Usher in a New Era of Sales

The sales process is broken. The way that people sell simply does not match the way modern humans make decisions and buy things today. It’s time for a change and HubSpot would love to help. Today, we’re pleased to introduce an inbound sales methodology designed to empower salespeople to adopt the same consumer-centric mentality as their inbound marketing counterparts. The new methodology provides the foundation for a free training and Inbound Sales Certification for salespeople.

Over the past decade, the success of inbound marketing has changed buyer expectations of the marketing and sales process. But, while marketers have made significant shifts in behavior, sales strategies simply have not evolved fast enough. HubSpot’s new inbound sales methodology focuses on helping sales reps use insights about their contacts to build meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships. No more jargon or empty promises. The inbound sales methodology hones in on the buyer’s process to help reps recognize opportunities to provide value along the way and become a true partner in the customer’s buyer journey.

“We’re really excited to help usher in a new era of sales and help people learn a set of skills that help them match the way they sell with the way modern humans actually buy today.” said Brian Halligan, HubSpot co-founder & CEO. “HubSpot Sales will help companies rethink and refine their approach to selling in the same way they’ve done with their marketing. It’s time we take a more personalized, human approach to sales.”

A Method(ology) for the Madness

Nearly a decade ago, HubSpot introduced the concept of inbound marketing to address the changing landscape of buying. More recently, we introduced our sales acceleration tools and have similarly spent a lot of time thinking about the tremendous changes taking place in sales. Here’s what we know: our research shows the disconnect between how people are selling and how people are buying has reached a boiling point and something needs to change before it bubbles over. Buyers are frustrated. They’re sick of sales people wasting their time and sick of sales people they can’t trust, who don't understand their business. Consumers want relevant, helpful information and sales people that know how to provide it are at a strategic advantage.

Enter a method to tame the madness. Launching today, the inbound sales methodology focuses on helping sales reps use insights about their contacts to build meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships. No more jargon or empty promises. The Inbound Sales Methodology hones in on the buyer’s process to help reps recognize opportunities to provide value along the way.

“There’s a big opportunity for sales to embrace changes that are already occurring,” said Mark Roberge, HubSpot’s Chief Revenue Officer of its Sales Division. “HubSpot’s inbound sales methodology focuses on helping sales work with the modern buyer as part of a helpful process that provides value to the consumer. We’ve been focused on developing a strong methodology for the future of sales, and we’re excited to bring the underlying theory behind our sales products to the entire inbound sales movement.”

HubSpot’s Inbound Sales Methodology focuses on the buyer’s decision-making process, rather than on the sales rep’s selling process. By adapting their timeline and goals to those of the buyer, sales reps make themselves more helpful and valuable. Similarly, the methodology focuses on making personalized connections and providing educational information to buyers.  The markets have already seen a shift in what buyers expect, and the inbound sales movement has an overwhelming advantage in delivering a positive experience.

Certifiably Groundbreaking

For those looking to take a deeper dive into the depths of the inbound sales methodology, we’re also excited to launch a free training and inbound sales certification program. In this program, the methodology is introduced by Mark Roberge, HubSpot’s CRO for the HubSpot Sales division.

The Inbound Sales Certification will cover the basics of inbound sales and feature four in depth classes on the stages of the buyer’s journey.

• Identifying leads: Show’s sales reps how to source leads that have expressed an interest and have started to research on their own. This section is taught by Jill Fratianne, a Partner Channel Manager, and Dan Tyre, a HubSpot Sales Director.

• Exploring opportunity goals: Helps sales reps learn to leverage their initial contact and establish trust with contacts by providing valuable information. This course is taught by Peter Caputa, a VP of Sales at HubSpot.

• Connecting with leads: Helps sales reps identify ways to recognize the context of the buyer’s process in order to bring relevant content to the forefront. This lesson is taught by Michael Pici, a Senior Sales Manager in HubSpot’s Sales division.

• Advising opportunities on goals: Demonstrates how to use the information gathered from the first three stages to match an offer to the buyer’s needs. This section is taught by Andrew Quinn, VP of Learning and Development at HubSpot.

The certification helps sales reps and leaders make actionable changes to their current sales process. By focusing on interested buyers, inbound sales allows reps to be more efficient and productive.

Tools Of The Trade

As with anything, the right technology can make inbound sales much easier. HubSpot Sales, formerly known as Sidekick, works with HubSpot CRM to provide a comprehensive view of a contact’s interest and surface relevant information for sales reps.

Known simply as HubSpot Sales beginning today, the pricing and packaging of the formerly Sidekick and Sidekick for Business products has also been simplified. The name change reflects our customers’ evolving view of HubSpot as the go-to brand for marketing and sales. Using the HubSpot brand in this instance simplifies things for our customers and leverages our widely known brand name.

Sales teams are encouraged to learn more about HubSpot’s suite of sales products including HubSpot Sales and HubSpot CRM at hubspot.com/sales. Pricing information is available at hubspot.com/pricing. In the coming weeks, existing users of the free version of Sidekick will gain access to even more tools that are part of the free version of HubSpot Sales.