As an agency grows, so do its sales processes, lead management, and automation needs. Along the way, having the right CRM can make the difference between an efficient sales team and one that misses opportunities due to a lack of follow-up. Two very popular options in the marketing world are Close CRM and HubSpot. Which one is best suited to your business type and needs?
Close: Speed and Focus on Sales
Close was designed with a clear goal in mind: to help sales teams close deals faster. It features a streamlined interface that’s highly focused on productivity. Its key advantage is that it lets you make calls, send emails, and track everything from a single platform, without having to rely on multiple tools.
In addition, Close offers simple automations, visual pipelines, and a low learning curve. It’s ideal for small or medium-sized teams that need to move quickly, especially startups or agencies that handle high-volume sales pipelines.
HubSpot: an all-in-one platform
HubSpot is much more than just a CRM. It’s a comprehensive ecosystem that combines marketing, sales, customer service, and a CMS into a single platform. While its free version is quite powerful, the paid plans offer a suite of advanced features, ranging from lead nurturing to marketing automation and analytics.
For agencies that work with multiple clients, run inbound campaigns, or need a CRM integrated into their content and performance strategy, HubSpot offers more long-term possibilities. However, this also means more complex setup and, in some cases, higher costs.
A dashboard for integrating sales and marketing data
Regardless of which CRM you choose, one of the key factors is how you measure results. Where do the most profitable leads come from? Which campaigns are most effective at filling the sales pipeline? How is the sales team’s performance evolving?
That's where using a Digital Marketing Reporting Dashboard. This type of dashboard allows you to cross-reference data from your CRM (whether it’s Close or HubSpot) with Google Ads, Meta, email marketing, or organic traffic campaigns.
Tools such as Master Metrics centralize all this information, automate report generation, and allow you to customize visualizations by channel, customer, or stage of the funnel. This not only improves business visibility but also saves valuable hours of manual work.
Conclusion
Close is perfect for sales teams that prioritize agility and operational productivity. HubSpot, on the other hand, is ideal for agencies that need a comprehensive solution and are willing to invest in a tool with greater capabilities. In both cases, success depends not only on the CRM, but also on how the data is interpreted and acted upon. And that’s where having a professional dashboard like Master Metrics can make all the difference.
