Skip to content

Case Study

Authority Brands Builds Smarter Lead Scoring, Attribution, and CRM Optimization

Frame-3
Photo representing Authority Brands franchise network across home service brands

18
K

Duplicate contacts resolved for CRM hygiene

3
K

Franchise locations enabled across 15 brands

5.9
K+

Deals audited for attribution accuracy

MEASURE & OPTIMIZE:

Optimizing Lead Scoring and Attribution at Scale

Authority Brands logo featured in HubSpot CRM optimization case study

The Client

Authority Brands is one of the largest franchisors of home service brands in North America, supporting more than 3,000 franchise locations across a portfolio of 15+ brands. With a corporate team of 200+, the organization needed a CRM strategy that could scale, unify reporting, and drive smarter marketing ROI.

While HubSpot was widely used, data governance was inconsistent, attribution was unclear, and lead scoring lagged behind modern buying behaviors. Authority Brands engaged Aptitude 8 to rebuild its CRM foundation, aligning marketing and franchise development teams with cleaner data, actionable reporting, and smarter lead prioritization.

The Challenge

  • Inaccurate Lead Scoring: An outdated model failed to reflect high-intent behaviors, allowing cold leads to surface while warm leads went unnoticed.
  • Limited Attribution Reporting: Most leads defaulted to “offline sources,” obscuring ROI and leaving marketing unable to optimize campaigns effectively.
  • Poor CRM Hygiene & Duplicates: Roughly 9–10% of contacts (~18–20K) were duplicates, creating clutter and unreliable reporting.
  • Underutilized Native Properties: Instead of leveraging HubSpot’s robust native fields, tracking relied on inconsistent custom inputs.
  • Complex Franchise Structures: Solutions had to scale across 15+ distinct brands while allowing for brand-specific flexibility.
  • Limited_Control

    Limited Control

  • Limited_Control

    Limited Control

  • Limited_Control

    Limited Control

Photo symbolizing Authority Brands CRM challenges with duplicates and attribution gaps

The Solution

Phase 1: Lead Scoring Implementation
  • Rebuilt framework with updated criteria for email clicks, form submissions, ad interactions, and deal stages
  • Applied score decay logic to avoid inflated scores from outdated activity
  • Defined tiers (Hot, Warm, MQL) and excluded closed-won contacts
Phase 2: Attribution Model Deployment
  • Evaluated native vs. custom tracking fields for Source & Source Detail
  • Implemented custom first-touch attribution using calculated properties
  • Audited 5,900+ TCA deals and fixed tracking inconsistencies
  • Rolled out custom UTM tracking strategy for accurate campaign performance
Phase 3: CRM Data Clean-Up
  • Audited ~197K contacts, tagged 18K+ duplicates
  • Used HubSpot’s dedupe tool + Insycle for automation
  • Turned off risky re-enrollment settings impacting 76 workflows
  • Prevented accidental deal duplication during merges
Phase 4: Compliance & Infrastructure
  • Enabled GDPR + double opt-in workflows
  • Standardized deal lost reasons
  • Automated franchise rep follow-up tasks
  • Deployed dashboards for team performance, momentum scores, and FDM scheduling metrics
Phase 5: Collaboration
Partnered across Marketing Ops, Franchise Dev Managers, and Franchise Dev Reps; integrated with FranConnect, Power BI, and LumenAI for a unified ecosystem.
Photo representing Authority Brands HubSpot lead scoring and reporting improvements

The Outcome

Authority Brands’ HubSpot instance was transformed into a unified, high-performing CRM system that improved lead prioritization, data governance, and reporting.

  • 18K+ duplicate contacts flagged and resolved
  • Custom lead scoring model aligned reps with higher-intent leads
  • Attribution visibility clarified lead origins and campaign ROI
  • Franchise reporting dashboards delivered real-time insights by brand
  • Shared CRM framework aligned marketing and sales teams

Strategic Impact

This engagement repositioned HubSpot as Authority Brands’ system of record for franchise marketing and development.

  • Smarter lead prioritization accelerated sales follow-ups
  • Reliable attribution data enabled better ROI optimization
  • Reduced manual effort through automation and deduplication
  • Scalable framework now supports 15+ brands under one CRM strategy
18K

Duplicates Resolved

Audit and cleanup improved CRM hygiene and reporting accuracy.

 

3K+

Franchise Locations

Unified scoring and attribution scaled across 15+ brands.

5.9K

Deals Audited

Attribution clarified across thousands of TCA deals.

197

197K Records Reviewed

Comprehensive CRM audit established a clean foundation.

The Tools

New Tech Stack

Group 19 Group 21 Group 20

HOW WE SET YOU UP FOR SUCCESS

Next Steps

Building on this engagement, Authority Brands is positioned to expand its CRM strategy with multi-brand governance, advanced lead nurturing campaigns, and tighter integrations with its franchise systems. With HubSpot now operating as a central, scalable CRM platform, the organization can continue driving growth across its 15+ home service brands with clarity, compliance, and confidence.





About Aptitude 8

Implement. Integrate. Optimize.

Aptitude 8 is a technical consulting firm that helps companies make their business process, and the tools they use to deliver it, a competitive advantage. In today's business environment, the experience your customers have when buying from you is just as important as what you're selling. We build it better.

Want to Learn More?