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STRATEGY

A CRM architecture that still makes sense three years from now.

We design the foundation under your CRM: objects, lifecycle, properties and governance. This keeps your system sound as you grow, and new colleagues do not have to guess what a field does. Works in HubSpot, Salesforce or Attio. We typically land it in HubSpot.

Book a strategy call Take the Maturity Scan first
What do you deliver?
  • 01
    Data model blueprint Objects and associations in a diagram your IT team understands
  • 02
    Lifecycle & stages Unambiguous definitions for marketing, sales and service
  • 03
    Governance doc Naming and ownership in writing
The observation

Most CRMs are built on a foundation nobody designed.

Properties were added ad hoc by three successive admins. Custom objects overlap with companies. And lifecycle stages mean something different to each team. At a certain point, maintenance costs more than a redesign. These are the four patterns we see in almost every audit.

01

Property bloat

200+ fields of which 80% are never filled. Reports become unreliable and new admins are afraid to delete anything because they do not know what depends on it.

02

No clear object strategy

Companies, deals and custom objects with overlap. Which is leading, who is the owner? The answer differs by team.

03

Lifecycle that does not connect

Marketing, sales and service each have their own definition of MQL, SQL and Customer. Funnel reporting becomes guesswork.

04

No governance

No naming rules, no owner per property, no clean-up rhythm. The system keeps growing uncontrolled, even after a clean-up exercise.

Approach

From data chaos to a clear foundation.

Four to six weeks, with workshops and a review with your management team. Two strategy sessions per week on fixed days. No template, but a consistent rhythm.

01 Week 1

Discovery & audit

Interviews with the heads of marketing, sales and service. Audit of the current model: which objects and properties are still active, where there is overlap.

Wat je krijgt Baseline document with the top-5 architecture problems and open business questions
02 Week 2-3

Data model

Object strategy and associations. We map out relationships before touching a single property. Standard objects versus custom objects, account hierarchy where needed.

Wat je krijgt Visual data model diagram, custom object spec with rationale, association matrix
03 Week 3-4

Properties & lifecycle

Naming, validation rules and property groups. Redefining lifecycle and deal stages with marketing and sales at the same table.

Wat je krijgt Property sheet with naming and owner, lifecycle stage definitions, deal stage model with exit criteria
04 Week 5-6

Blueprint & review

Everything comes together in a Figma blueprint your operations team keeps using. Governance agreements for ongoing maintenance. Review with your management team to get sign-off.

Wat je krijgt Figma blueprint with data model, governance and implementation phasing
What you get in hand

A working document, not a report to file away.

The blueprint is not a slide deck. It is a reference your implementation team, IT partner or CRM administrator picks up daily. On one page if possible, in a Figma blueprint if it needs more space. With governance agreements included, so the work is still maintained a year later by someone who was not part of the original design.

For HubSpot we deliver the blueprint so that your implementation team can start straight away with property import and lifecycle setup.

What you get

  • Visual data model diagram with objects and associations
  • Property overview with naming convention, type and owner
  • Lifecycle stage and deal stage definitions per discipline
  • Custom object spec with rationale and associations
  • Governance document for maintenance and expansion
  • Implementation phasing and recommended order
  • Property import sheet, ready for your implementation team
  • Summary for your management team and stakeholders
Who helps you

Three specialists on your engagement.

Architecture is people work. You sit at the table with the strategist, the architect and the specialist. From the first session. No junior executing on behalf of someone you have never met.

  • Carel Schrier

    Carel Schrier

    RevOps Lead / Strategist

    Leads the discovery, translates strategy into the data model. Writes the blueprint and stays involved through to the review.

  • Carsten Huiskamp

    Carsten Huiskamp

    CRM Architect

    Builds the object layer and custom objects. Data quality, validations, governance. The technical backbone under every architecture.

  • Yoni Lammens

    Yoni Lammens

    HubSpot Specialist

    Translates the blueprint into a working HubSpot setup. Properties, lifecycle stages, sandboxes, automation. Makes the model adoption-proof.

Case · B2B mid-market

From 130 inactive properties to a clear object model in six weeks

A B2B organisation of 80 employees had been running HubSpot for five years without ever revisiting the data model. 130 properties at contact level, three different ways to mark a contact as a "customer" and a lifecycle nobody followed any more.

In six weeks we redesigned the object model, standardised the lifecycle, removed or merged 90 properties and introduced custom objects for accounts and projects. The sales team got reliable deal-level reporting for the first time.

Read more cases
B2B client
RevOps Lead, ~80 employees · B2B client
-70%
properties cleaned up
6 wks
turnaround time
100%
lifecycle ownership
Frequently asked questions

What clients usually ask.

Honest answers to the questions we hear before almost every engagement.

How long does a CRM architecture engagement take?

Four to six weeks for the blueprint. Three to four workshops, data model work in between and a review session at the end. An implementation on top of that is a separate follow-on engagement of six to twelve weeks, depending on scope.

Do you only work with HubSpot?

No. We design the architecture platform-agnostically: object model, lifecycle and properties work in any CRM. HubSpot is our preference because we are a Platinum Partner and most clients land there, but we also deliver architecture for Salesforce or Attio.

What is the difference from an implementation?

Architecture is the design, implementation is the build. Many clients start with the architecture and then decide how to build it: themselves, with us on a RaaS retainer or through an implementation engagement.

Do you have an example blueprint?

Yes. In the introductory call we show an anonymised Figma blueprint from a comparable B2B engagement, so you get a feel for what you will receive.

Ready to start?

Ready for a foundation that scales?

Book a strategy call. We look at your current CRM setup and pain points, then give you an honest scope.

Book a strategy call Take the Maturity Scan first