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This is why your sales numbers are stalling

Paul Vuijsters · 1 Jun 2025

When sales numbers fall short of budget, it often comes down to a lack of structure in the sales process. The SPICED framework — Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Decision Process — provides a clear, customer-centric approach that HubSpot can support systematically.

1. Incomplete understanding of the customer situation

When the sales team lacks detailed insight into the customer's current situation, they risk making inaccurate offers and seeing a lower conversion rate. Use HubSpot to create custom fields that document the customer's operational environment before the deal progresses. A structured approach ensures your team has a thorough picture of each prospect's situation.

2. Insufficient understanding of pain points

If the team does not clearly identify the customer's pain points, they may miss the chance to deliver a solution that addresses real challenges. Create automated workflows in HubSpot that ensure pain points are mapped and analyzed. This gives your team better insight into what drives the customer's needs, leading to more precise proposals.

3. Missing critical event mapping

Without knowing the customer's critical deadlines and events, the sales process can stall because the customer lacks incentive to act quickly. Set up automated alerts in HubSpot to track key deadlines and buying triggers. This helps your team proactively adjust follow-up timing around the moments that matter most.

4. Unclear decision-making process

When the sales team does not understand the customer's decision-making process, the deal may be delayed because the right decision makers are not involved early enough. Use custom pipeline stages to document this process. This makes it easier to involve the right stakeholders at the right time and creates a structured path through the sale.

5. Lack of systematic qualification

When qualification is not systematic and thorough, there is a risk of overlooking potential customers or wasting time on low-value leads. Integrate SPICED into HubSpot pipeline stages so qualification data is collected consistently. Automated reminders ensure leads do not slip through the cracks regardless of how busy the team gets.

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