HubSpot's been your data lake for a decade. Time to make it the system of action for inbound, $100K+ custom deals, and the bidirectional Epicor Kinetic integration that retires the desktop-folder workaround for good — plus consultative support for the MARU workstream.
You've been a HubSpot customer for a decade — but never as a CRM. It's been the marketing data lake and the inbound inbox, with reps replying and BCC'ing to log activity. Meanwhile, Epicor Kinetic just launched for quoting, and a clever desktop-folder script is the only thing connecting the two.
You're looking for a strategic partner to answer "what's the best way to use HubSpot," wire up a real bidirectional Epicor integration, give Rob the deal-stage automation he wants for $100K+ custom deals, and support MARU in parallel without stepping on Industrial Strength Marketing's work. That's exactly what this is.
In parallel — get the mutual NDA signed so we can dig into systems, and book a working session with Casey + Deva (Solutions Architect / Developer) to scope the Epicor integration.
Same two-way NDA we use on every engagement — Adobe Sign, about a 2-minute signature so we can talk freely about Epicor, deal data, and the Anthropic / desktop-folder setup.
Targeting the week after next with Rob. Deva (Solutions Architect / Developer) joins to scope the Epicor Kinetic integration in real time so we can come back with a sharper number, not a guess.
Two-pronged project — strategic guidance for LJ Welding's HubSpot future and consultative support for the MARU workstream. Here's who we're aligning with.
Operating partner side. Driving the broader portfolio view and how HubSpot fits the industrial-sector playbook.
Day-to-day stakeholder — wants HubSpot to act like a real CRM, not just an inbound inbox.
Wants deal stages with automated or triggered follow-ups — pipeline hygiene for $100K+ custom deals.
Parallel workstream. We provide consultative and implementation support for the MARU project, not duplicate it.
Adjacent stakeholder in the broader engagement — looped in as the strategic plan firms up.
Already running marketing programs. We coordinate so HubSpot config doesn't fight their campaigns.
From the discovery call: HubSpot has been doing real work on the marketing/data side for a decade — it's just never been treated like a CRM. Layer on a brand-new Epicor Kinetic ERP and a clever-but-fragile desktop folder gluing them together, and the opportunity gets very concrete.
Form fills come into HubSpot. Reps reply and BCC the address to log activity — manual, but it works.
Conversation history exists, but it's not driving stages, scoring, or next-best-action — it's just a paper trail.
Started with Salesforce, switched to HubSpot ~10 years ago. Used primarily for marketing data collection — never operationalized as a CRM.
A single desktop folder auto-creates deals, links contacts, and breaks line items out — clever, but fragile and not enterprise-ready.
ERP for quoting is live. No connection to HubSpot today — quote and CRM data live in two parallel worlds.
These aren't transactional sales. They deserve a real pipeline with triggered follow-ups and forecasting fidelity.
Every workstream in this engagement runs through the same eight-step framework — strategy through go-live and ongoing growth. It's how we keep an industrial-sector HubSpot rebuild on rails.
Align Altima, LJ, MARU, and ISM on what HubSpot should actually do — KPIs, system roles, and the Epicor relationship.
Map the inbound → quote → close → service journey to HubSpot's object model and Epicor's quote/order model.
Build the foundation — properties, pipelines, the Epicor integration scaffold, and the inbound automations to retire the desktop folder.
Tune the configuration to how reps actually sell $100K+ industrial deals — and how Epicor actually quotes them.
Role-based training so admins, sales, and the teams not in HubSpot today can adopt with confidence.
Launch with momentum — first deals through the new pipeline, first inbound captures via the new automation, first Epicor sync.
Help you read what the data is saying — funnel, forecast, integration health, and where MARU's analytics layer adds the most value.
Recommendations for what's next — Service Hub, customer portal, ABM, AI use cases — once the foundation earns the right to scale.
Not a fixed-bid MVP — a sized engagement with the Epicor integration and MARU support as the two big variables. Hours are honest ranges until the working session with Deva firms up the integration path.
The strategic-partner ask. What should you be trying to do with HubSpot — and what shouldn't you?
The biggest unknown and the highest-value win. Bidirectional sync to retire the desktop-folder workaround.
Rob's ask: real deal stages with automated or at-minimum triggered follow-ups.
Move past 'reply + BCC.' Lifecycle, scoring, and routing so inbound becomes a measurable engine.
Consultative + implementation support for the MARU data/analytics project — we plug in where useful, we don't reinvent.
Dashboards that prove the new motion is working — for ops, sales leadership, and the Altima operating-partner view.
Several internal teams haven't touched HubSpot. Make it land without a heavy-handed rollout.
Self-sufficiency long-term — exactly what you said you want from a partner.
Discovery kicks off in Week 1 after the NDA + Deva session. Foundation runs ~14 weeks with the Epicor integration and MARU support carrying the longest tails. Phase 2 picks up once the foundation is humming.
Hours per workstream match the focus-area breakdown above. Week numbers are illustrative — confirmed at kickoff.
Not committed in the foundation number. Re-scoped after go-live based on real usage.
Sized at SmartBug's blended HubSpot rate of $195/hour. The Epicor integration is the swing factor — the working session with Deva tightens this number significantly.
Strategy + integration via supported connector + pipeline build. Assumes Epicor exposes clean APIs.
Buffer for custom Epicor work, full MARU support, and the broader adoption push across non-HubSpot teams.
We're not pitching a one-shot project. The right model is likely a fixed-scope discovery sprint (Focus 1) followed by a retainer or rolling SOWs aligned to the Epicor build, pipeline rollout, and MARU cadence.
Intentionally not in the initial engagement. These are sized so we can pull them forward as soon as the Epicor integration and pipeline are humming.
Scoped after the foundation is live and real usage data informs where to invest next.
Pulled directly from the HubSpot Solutions Marketplace listing — including the latest review posted today, May 12, 2026.
"We just had the latest 5-star review come in on the HubSpot ecosystem marketplace today — pulled live from the SmartBug listing. Tap through to read the most recent client write-up directly on HubSpot."
"Skander stands out for his thoroughness and professionalism. He takes the time to fully understand your needs, which makes his recommendations particularly accurate and relevant. His approach is structured, thoughtful and solution-oriented. He regularly goes beyond what is expected, bringing real added value to the project."
"We had the pleasure of working with SmartBug Media on the implementation and training of our team on the HubSpot CRM, and the experience has been outstanding from start to finish. Skander has been incredible — attentive to our needs, highly responsive, and his deep knowledge has been instrumental in designing a system that truly fits the nuances of our industry."
"Komal has been essential to our onboarding and ongoing enablement in HubSpot, guiding us not only with deep platform knowledge but with thoughtful strategy and practical implementation support. She balances big-picture thinking with tactical execution, ensuring our team is set up for long-term success rather than short-term fixes."
Reviews shown are excerpts from the public HubSpot Solutions Marketplace listing. Tap "View on HubSpot" above for the full list of 813+ reviews.
NDA in hand, Deva on the next call, and we come back with a tightened SOW that locks the Epicor scope. Until then — questions on Kinetic, the desktop-folder cutover, or how MARU and ISM fit are exactly what the working session is for.