Znbound has been nominated to the HubSpot Partner Advisory Council (PAC).
We owe it to the thoughtfulness of the APAC team in HubSpot who have supported us in spreading the message of inbound marketing in India.
The PAC will work hand in hand with HubSpot to solve complex problems as we grow and scale the program globally. The PAC will help drive conversation that encourages other HubSpot partners to collaborate and learn from each other. The advisory council is to consist of a maximum of 15 members. Getting in will be tough part.
Invitation to the council will be a function of:
- Availability to invest time.
- Proven track record of engagement with HubSpot and participation in the Partner Program.
- Quality of provided suggestions or ideas.
I expressed my interest to participate in the PAC, by answering the following questions.
Q1. If you are invited to participate in the HubSpot Partner Advisory Council, what are three suggested topics you would like to work on together? *
This, of course, is a very tough question. Here is what I believe in.
1) Continuous Education Program for Customers
The expectations of Inbound marketing customers – new and old – have to be continuously set. It is our duty to educate, such that they set the right expectations with their internal stakeholders. This will foster an ecosystem that understands the opportunity and limitation of inbound marketing.
2) Performance Model for Agency Client Engagement
As a community, HubSpot agencies should strive to move to a 100% performance model. It looks daunting. Nevertheless, it is an idea that will drive optimisation, easy acceptance and upside.
3) Artificial Intelligence in Marketing and Sales
How the community can harness AI to make better marketing and sales decisions? Predictive lead scoring is a specific area where Znbound would like to contribute.
Q2. Please provide a few examples of how you have engaged with HubSpot over the years to provide feedback and help evolve the program?
In addition to giving regular feedback to the Channel Consultant and the Channel Account Manager and at times even the Head of International Business, Znbound had participated in the HubSpot Partner Day 2017 (April) held in Boston. Another initiative was to pilot closing HubSpot leads in the India market. The previous Head of Marketing (APAC HubSpot) and Znbound looked at the possibility of collaborating, to close opportunities for HubSpot in India. The assumption was that the buyers in India had a desire to meet physically before signing up.
Q3. If you could make one improvement in the way HubSpot works with partners what would it be?
HubSpot should put forth guidelines to address all situations of channel conflict. This will bring in much-needed clarity, “What HubSpot Partners should do when the Direct Team is also involved in a deal?”
Q4. On the other side, what is one thing that partners (or the partner community) could do to improve how they work with HubSpot?
HubSpot has created a big body of work for Partners – processes, tools, educational material, collaterals. Partners would do well to absorb all of this and incorporate in all their inbound marketing activities.
I invite your feedback on the above responses. Watch out for the update, when the PAC members are announced.
Update December 2019
In December 2019, HubSpot has once again shortlisted us for participation. This time the PAC has a more south asian focus. I have already consulted with our HubSpot channel consultant on the merits of such a participation. I am told that given the increased focus on India, our participation would yield fruits.
