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Case Study

How SXSW Used a HubSpot Sales Hub Implementation to Scale Their Sales Process

SXSW official logo for client case study section
SXSW 2 (2)

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Increased awareness

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Reduced manual processes, saving time

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Increased visibility
REVOLUTIONIZING EVENT PROCESSES
How SXSW cut costs and turbocharged their processes for greater efficiency
Icon representing SXSW as the featured client in Sales Hub implementation case study

The Client

 

South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual festival and conference held in Austin, Texas, bringing together film, music, and interactive media.

The Problem

  • The team had outgrown their CRM and needed a scalable solution for documenting their sales process.

  • They wanted to standardize and automate the sales process to reduce time spent on manual tasks. 

  • Visibility was limited, and they needed better reporting on sales deals.

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SXSW sales team challenges with CRM visibility and manual processes

The Solution

  • Completed a full HubSpot Sales Hub implementation, migrating all SugarCRM data (contacts, companies, opportunities, quotes).
  • Created custom properties to support a more structured sales hub implementation.
  • Built Playbooks to standardize data collection during deal stages.
  • Designed approval workflows to mimic Enterprise features and streamline quote updates.
Custom HubSpot Sales Hub solution setup for SXSW workflows and automation

The Outcome

As a result of this project, SXSW was able to standardize their sales processes. They defined their stages, properties, and requirements for each step of the sales process.

They now have access to more data that they can utilize in future marketing and sales campaigns. They also saved time with automation and increased their visibility across teams.  

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Increased Visibility 
Broke down silos between sales and marketing by migrating to HubSpot Sales Hub giving the team more visibility into their data. 
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Increased Awareness
Utilizing Required fields and Playbook information resulted in an increase in customer data available in the CRM to be used in future marketing and sales campaigns. 
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Reduced Time
Reduced manual processes through automation saving the team hours weekly. 

The Tools

Former Tech Stack

SugarCRM logo representing legacy CRM system

New Tech Stack

HubSpot logo for new CRM implementation Workato logo for integration automation platform

What the client is saying...

BRITTANI MATHIS | SXSW

“Migrating from SugarCRM to Hubspot was a large endeavor for SXSW, but Aptitude 8 helped us navigate the complexities and helped guide the way with expert technical support and execution."


PROJECT LEAD | APTITUDE 8

“The most challenging and interesting piece of this build was the cyclical component -  SXSW is an annual event with many returning customers which means we had to think outside of the box when devising the strategy for their systems. One of my favorite parts of the work we do at A8 is learning new industries and customizing our best practices to fit their specific needs. In SXSW’s case, we tailored all automation and their data structure to support their recurring event, and to provide scalability for years to come. "

Brittani Mathis, Director of Global Sales Operations at SXSW, featured in client testimonial
Brittani Mathis
Director of Global Sales Operations at SXSW

HOW WE SET YOU UP FOR SUCCESS

Next Steps

After the initial project launch, we migrated to working in a retainer where we continued to work on issues outstanding and phase two items backlogged from original launch.

We trained and educated the SXSW team to troubleshoot any problems that arose, so they would be able to fix them on their own. We also created and shared documentation for all processes and created additional sales reports.  





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

Learn more about our Sales Hub implementation process and how we tailor HubSpot to fit unique sales cycles like SXSW’s.

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