Some of the best perspectives on HubSpot's product come from those who use it every day. In this interview series, we profile HubSpot partners and customers, and ask their thoughts on what our product team should keep in mind while solving for them, and where the future of the industry lies.
In this installment, we chat with Stephen Solademi, CEO and Managing Director, SOS Creativity.
How did you first come to work with HubSpot's products?
In 2016, I embarked on a project to design and develop my own CRM solution. As a full-stack developer, I understood the requirements from the technical standpoint and the end user's perspective; a seamless usability experience was a priority. On this journey, I came across
HubSpot's free CRM in 2016 and on my discovery, I abandoned my project because the HubSpot solution had all the functionalities I had developed and a lot more! As they say, don't reinvent the wheel.
Your company, SOS Creativity, helps businesses grow their online presences. In your experience, what is the most important contributing factor to successful marketing?We have a philosophy at SOS Creativity: first to understand what success looks like for the client. Similar to how a doctor would probe by asking the right questions consultatively, we ask the critical questions to help shape a client's perspective of a successful marketing campaign.Once the goal is understood, our next step is to understand their ideal customer profile before recommending and carrying out any marketing activities. As a marketing agency based in Bolton, England, these principles have helped us win the
digital marketing agency of the year — north-west [England, UK] in 2020 and 2021.
What's the biggest challenge your team is facing right now?
As we continue growing, our challenge is recruiting the right people from a value and skillset perspective.
You have a background in web development — when you look at HubSpot's product with a developer's eyes, what do you see?
I see a well-developed product. I stopped developing my own CRM to use HubSpot.
In your opinion, what's the most important thing for HubSpot's product team to keep in mind when solving for customers today?
Flexibility within the products. For example, having the options to drop the operations suite from the bundle to save cost when it's not required.
If you could add one feature to HubSpot's product right now, what would it be?
The ability to add pictures to the notes section.
What's one prediction you have about the future of marketing and demand generation?
Automation will become more mainstream, as well as omni-channel to streamline conversations.
Interested in working with a product team that solves for marketers, salespeople, and developers alike? Check out our open positions and apply.