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(info) About HubSpot Prospecting Tool

💻 Watch HubSpot’s Prospecting Video

(blue star) Best Practices

(blue star) Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Use HubSpot’s Prospecting Tool

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The Prospecting feature in HubSpot acts as a centralized workspace for managing daily recruitment and outreach tasks. This tool is designed to keep outreach teams focused and on-task, helping them make the most of each day and reach prospective students more effectively. The best part is that staff members can handle everything within one space. You don’t need to juggle multiple apps or windows, and you can view tasks, contact leads, and manage emails within HubSpot.

Here’s how it can help:

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Focused Task View

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Team members have a streamlined view of their daily priorities, allowing them to stay on track without distractions. This includes clear reminders about tasks, follow-ups, and any leads needing attention.

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Lead Follow-Up

Team members can see which prospective students or leads they must follow up with. They get a list of people to contact, making

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prioritizing communication easy

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and

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increasing engagement with prospective students.

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Suggested Activities

HubSpot suggests activities to help manage outreach efforts efficiently. For instance, it might suggest following up on an email from a prospective student or researching new leads before engaging them further. It can also recommend enrolling students in automatic email flows for consistent engagement.

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Integrated Calendar

The built-in calendar provides a quick look at upcoming events, meetings, or reminders directly within HubSpot, making it easier to plan the day without switching between multiple tools

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titleSuggested Activities

HubSpot suggests activities to help manage outreach efforts efficiently. For instance, it might suggest following up on an email from a prospective student or researching new leads before engaging them further. It can also recommend enrolling students in automatic email flows for consistent engagement.

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💻 Watch HubSpot’s Video on Using the Prospecting Workspace

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(blue star) Best Practices

Define Your Sales Process Before Implementation

  • Map out your existing sales stages, workflows, and prospecting goals.

  • Identify how tasks, meetings, and outreach align with your sales pipeline.

  • Ensure alignment between your team’s goals and HubSpot’s tools.

Customize the Workspace for Your Team

  • Configure lead stages and pipelines to match your sales cycle.

  • Set up task queues for calls, emails, and follow-ups to streamline your workflow.

  • Tailor properties (e.g., lead source, priority level) to meet your team's tracking and reporting needs.

  • Provide hands-on training to help team members understand how to:

    • Log calls, tasks, and meetings.

    • Use sequences and email templates effectively.

    • Prioritize leads using HubSpot’s insights.

Leverage Automation for Efficiency

  • Implement sequences to automate follow-up emails and reminders.

  • Use workflows to assign leads to the right team members automatically.

  • Automate task creation based on prospect engagement (e.g., form submissions or email ope

Prioritize Leads Strategically

  • Set clear criteria for lead follow-up and ensure tasks are consistently completed.

Monitor, Analyze, and Adjust

  • Regularly review performance metrics in HubSpot (e.g., completed tasks, response rates, lead progress).

  • Use dashboards to visualize team productivity and pipeline health.

  • Adjust your workflows, sequences, or outreach strategy based on performance data.

  • Gather feedback from users on what’s working well and what needs improvement. Based on this feedback, optimize the setup and processes.

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(blue star) Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Use HubSpot’s Prospecting Tool

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titleAccessing the Prospecting Tool in HubSpot for College Outreach

Accessing the Tool

  • Go to HubSpot's main navigation bar, click Workspaces, then select Prospecting. This will bring you to the Summary tab, where you can see an overview of tasks, calendar events, and prospective student leads.

  • The modules on this dashboard are movable, so feel free to rearrange them for a setup that best suits your workflow.

Managing Leads

  • Click on the Leads tab next to Summary. In HubSpot, “leads” are individuals interested in your colleges programs.

    • Here, you’ll find tools to engage each lead individually. Click on a lead’s name to send them emails, track their progress in their enrollment journey, and review recent communications. This space keeps everything organized and centralized for efficient follow-ups.

Using Your Calendar

  • Go to Workspaces > Prospecting in the navigation bar, then click the Schedule tab. Here, you’ll see a read-only view of your connected calendar, which includes all scheduled events and tasks.

    • This view helps you plan your daily workload and immediately see any schedule conflicts, making it easier to stay organized.

Tracking Engagement in Real-Time

  • The Feed tab, located next to Schedule, offers a detailed history of activity notifications. This includes when leads interact with your emails or other outreach efforts, allowing you to gauge their interest and prioritize follow-ups.

    • If you see a prospect engaging heavily, such as opening emails multiple times quickly, it could signal a good opportunity for immediate follow-up to maintain their interest.

Focused Outreach for Success

  • HubSpot’s prospecting tool helps college staff maintain relevant, timely conversations with prospective students. By keeping all communications, tasks, and schedules in one place, staff can minimize distractions and stay focused on effectively engaging top prospects.

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titleManging Setting Up, Organizing, and Managing Leads in HubSpot

Setting Up Leads in HubSpot

Creating Leads in HubSpot

Managing Leads in HubSpot

  • Contacts vs. Leads:

    • Contacts

include

    • : This includes everyone in your system (students, prospective students, alumni, etc.).

    • Leads

are a

    • : A subset of contacts likely to engage or

convert—those you plan to reach out to soon. Leads represent opportunities, not people directly. They’re intended to help staff stay organized by prioritizing outreach

    • convert, representing prioritization opportunities. Leads help the outreach team focus on those with the highest potential for engagement.

  • Defining and Tracking Leads Using Lifecycle Stages:

    • Lifecycle Stages categorize contacts

by position

    • based on their journey within your college’s

marketing and

    • enrollment

processes

    • process. This segmentation helps tailor communications

, track each contact’s progress, and ensure smooth handoffs

    • and ensures a smooth handoff between recruitment and student affairs

teams

    • .

Below are the seven lifecycles

    • MCCCD Lifecycle Stages:

      • Prospect: Potential students who expressed interest

in a program or college

      • but haven’t applied.

      • Application Started: Students who have initiated

their

      • an application

process

      • .

      • Applicant: Students who have

submitted a

      • completed their application.

      • Matriculate: Accepted students preparing

to start classes/enroll

      • for enrollment.

      • Enrolled: Students currently

registered and

      • attending classes.

      • Graduate: Students who have completed their

degree or certification

      • program.

      • Employee: Faculty and staff working

within

      • at the college.

Align

  • Aligning on Lead Criteria:

    • Ensure your team

agrees on

    • understands what makes a good lead (e.g., filling out an interest form

,

    • or attending an event

, etc.

    • ).

Creating Leads in HubSpot

  • Manual Creation:

    • In

the

    • CRM > Contacts, select individuals and mark them as leads

. Based on their position in your outreach, assign them

    • , assigning each a Lead Pipeline Stage based on their outreach status.

  • Automatic Creation:

    • Use the Lifecycle Stage Property to auto-populate leads.

In the Leads tab, use

    • Select Actions > Pull in leads in the Leads tab to filter by stage and timeframe.

  • Workflow Automation:

    • In Automation > Workflows, create workflows to

automatically

    • add leads based on specific

actions or

    • criteria (e.g., email engagement, website visits).

Workflow Setup:

You can choose the type of workflow

    • Choose the workflow type (Contact, Company, or Lead-based), set criteria, and select actions to

create leads automatically.

Using the Prospecting Workspace

  • Access the Prospecting Tool in Workspaces > Prospecting. You’ll see all your leads under the Leads tab.

  • The Schedule tab lets you view your calendar to plan follow-ups effectively.

  • The Feed tab shows a real-time list of engagement activities, so you can follow up at the best times.

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titleOrganizing Your Leads in HubSpot

    • generate leads automatically.

Accessing and Filtering Leads

Navigation:

Go to Workspaces > Prospecting and click on the Leads tab

to see all leads

.

  • Filtering Leads:

    • Lead Stage: Sort leads by their current stage

(e.g., whether they’re new or

    • to see who’s new, in active conversation

)

    • , or further along.

    • Labels (Hot, Warm, Cold):

To help prioritize outreach, assign

    • Assign labels based on

the lead’s

    • interest level

. Click the Label column to set these manually.

  • Companies: Filter by organization to view leads associated with specific institutions, partners, or prospective student sources.

      • to prioritize outreach.

    • Using Compound Filters:

      • Combine filters to narrow down your list

    furtherHot

      • . For instance, view

    all

      • hot leads who haven’t responded by selecting both filters

    . This way, you can focus on leads needing more immediate follow-

      • to identify leads who immediately follow up.

    Customizing Your Lead View

    Click

    • To keep the workspace focused, you can customize the view by clicking Edit columns to

    ensure you

    • display only

    view

    • relevant details, such as lead status, last communication,

    or upcoming activities. This reduces clutter and keeps the workspace focused.

    • etc.

    Viewing and Engaging with Leads

    • Opening a Lead Record:

      • Clicking on a lead opens a sidebar with

    important details, such as:

      • key information, including Lead Stage

      • , LAST ACTIVITY

    and

      • , NEXT ACTIVITY

      • , and Recent communications for

    quick

      • context.

      • From this sidebar, you can

    easily

      • quickly email, call, or enroll leads in automated emails, making

    engagement

      • outreach seamless.

    • Automatic Lead Status Updates:

      • HubSpot updates lead statuses automatically when

    you take action, such as

      • actions (like sending an email or making a call) are taken. This

    means your records stay up-to-date without extra manual logging.

  • Default Lead Statuses:

    • Attempted: Automatically updates when you’ve tried to contact them.

    • Connected: Updates once the lead responds.

    • Qualified: Mark leads as Qualified if they’re a good fit; this opens the deal creation panel.

    • Disqualified: Mark leads as Disqualified if they’re not suitable, including reasons for feedback.

    • Customizing Lead Stages

    You can adjust

      • keeps records current without requiring manual updates.

    • Customizing Lead Stages:

      • Adjust the lead pipeline to

    suit your outreach needs if the default statuses don't fit

      • fit your process. HubSpot allows you to rename, add, or remove stages to

    align better with your team’s process

      • match your outreach approach. It’s recommended that disqualification reasons be kept for tracking insights

    on lead quality

      • .

    Scheduling Next Activities

    • To maintain consistent follow-ups, always schedule a Next Activity for each lead. Use the Schedule Next Activity dropdown or

    schedule

    • set reminders directly from the lead list to ensure no follow-up is missed.

    Expand
    titleCreating and Managing Tasks

    Creating Tasks in HubSpot

    Tasks can be created from individual records or through the tasks index page.

    From Individual Records in the Prospecting Workspace

    • Accessing Leads: Go to Workspaces > Prospecting > Leads tab.

    • Opening a Lead: Select a lead’s name, which opens a split view with your task list on the left and the contact record on the right.

    • Creating a Task:

      • Click Create a Task and enter the Title, due date, and set a Reminder (optional).

      • Choose the Type of task (To-do, Call, or Email) and set Priority (Low, Medium, High).

      • Assign the task to yourself or another team member.

      • Add to Queue: Queues organize tasks by type, similar to a playlist, for easy management.

      • Add Notes to specify outreach goals, making follow-ups more targeted.

    • Click Create to save the task within the individual lead record.

    From the Tasks Index Page

    • Navigation: Go to CRM > Tasks for an overview of all tasks assigned to you.

    • Creating New Task: Click Create Task in the upper right. Fill out task details as before, and select Create or Create and add another if you wish to create multiple tasks in succession.

    Completing Tasks in HubSpot

    • Accessing Tasks: Go to Workspaces > Prospecting. Here, tasks are organized by Tasks due today, Overdue tasks, and Due tomorrow to help you prioritize.

    • Starting a Task Queue:

      • Tasks are categorized into To-dos, Emails, and Calls. You can start a specific queue or choose Start all tasks due today to work through them sequentially.

      • The task queue opens with the contact record on the right for easy access to

      set reminders

      • relevant details.

    • Marking Tasks Complete: Click the checkmark next to each task to mark it as complete. You’ll be prompted to create a follow-up task (set a date and time) or select Not now if a follow-up isn’t needed.

    Using the CRM Tasks View for Expanded Management

    • Expanded Task View: Go to CRM > Tasks to see a broader view of tasks. You can organize tasks by Due date, Task type, Queue, and other filters here.

    • Starting Tasks from the CRM View: Click Start Tasks at the top of the list to work through tasks in your preferred order.

    Customizing Contact Records for Effective Outreach

    • Adjusting Visible Properties: In the contact record, click Actions > Edit Properties to customize the information displayed, such as recent engagement, academic interests, or key milestones.

    • Contact Timeline: Each contact record has a timeline of all interactions (emails, calls, meetings). Use Filter activity to focus on specific activity types, streamlining access to relevant details.

    Expand
    titleHow to Make Calls in HubSpot

    Using HubSpot’s Native Calling Feature

    Accessing Calls in the Prospecting Workspace

    • Go to Workspaces > Prospecting. Select Start X tasks due today to begin working through them (the number will adjust based on your tasks).

    Call Options

    • Call from Browser: You can make calls directly from your computer, which will record and log the call in the contact’s activity timeline.

    • Call from Phone: Dial the contact directly from your phone.

    • Call from HubSpot App: The HubSpot mobile app allows you to search for contacts, companies, or deals on your phone and call or text them from anywhere. This is particularly useful for outreach staff needing flexibility in contacting prospective students.

    Taking Notes During the Call

    • Note-taking: During the call, take real-time notes within HubSpot to summarize the discussion, such as academic interests, questions, or follow-up actions.

    • Saving the Call: Click Hang up in the calling pane once the call ends. Complete your notes, then click Save call and complete task to log the call in the contact’s timeline and mark the task as complete.

    • Automatic Transcriptions: HubSpot automatically records and transcribes calls, saving them to the contact’s record for easy review. This is particularly useful for recalling key details or sharing call summaries with team members.

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    For additional instructions on using the Prospecting Workspace, view all HubSpot Sequences articles.