5 Steps to Make HubSpot AI-Ready: It's Easier Than You Think

TLDR: 🚀   In our last blog, we discussed how companies are often fed scare tactics by consultants to convince them that they're not "AI ready." This produces two effects: 1) it ensures job security for the consultants as they offer expensive "AI readiness assessments," and 2) it often times creates unrelenting anxiety for the client. As we mentioned in our blog, don't give in to the hype. You're more AI ready than you've been led to believe.

There are, however, some considerations you have to make when adopting AI as a strategic resource and connecting it to a CRM like HubSpot. In this blog, we'll outline the good news and the bad news when it comes to integrating HubSpot with AI.

The Bad News: AI Only Knows What Your CRM Tells it

With the rise of powerful Large Language Models (LLMs) and Artificial Intelligence to help guide sales and marketing strategy, you might be wondering what role your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system even plays in the brave, new AI-enabled world. The answer is simple: the CRM is vital when it comes to providing the necessary structure AI LLMs need to function effectively. 

Here’s a scenario that might sound all-too-familiar: your sales team is disjointedly working in multiple tools. You might use a CRM, but only for certain functions. Your team is likely operating with a mixture of spreadsheets, project management software, and email marketing tools. If that scenario is your reality, you’re going to want to spend some energy organizing and streamlining your CRM. If your CRM is a chaotic mess, then all of the energy of the LLM (whether it's Claude, ChatGPT, or another model) will be spent on trying to infer some structure from that chaos. 

In October, Periti hosted a webinar, Using AI (LLMs) with HubSpot: Enabling Data-Driven Strategy for Sales & Marketing Leaders, and we touched on this very topic. Check out this clip from our webinar:

The Good News: Prepping Your CRM for AI Integration isn’t Difficult

The good news? If you're a HubSpot user, preparing your CRM for AI integration doesn't require a massive overhaul or technical expertise. Here are the fundamentals that will set you up for success:

1. Ensure Data Consistency - AI thrives on patterns. Review your contact and company records to ensure key fields are populated consistently. This doesn't mean perfection—it means establishing basic standards. For example, if you track industries, make sure you're using consistent terminology (e.g., "Higher Education" vs. "Higher Ed" vs. "Colleges and Universities").
   
   
2. Define Your Custom Properties Thoughtfully -Take inventory of the custom properties you've created in HubSpot. Are they still relevant? Do they capture the information that matters most to your sales and marketing decisions? AI can only work with the data you give it—so focus on properties that truly drive your business forward.
   
   
3. Maintain Clean Deal Stages and Pipelines - Your deal pipeline tells the story of your customer journey. When deal stages are clearly defined and consistently used, AI can identify patterns in what moves deals forward—and where they tend to stall. This insight becomes the foundation for predictive recommendations and strategic guidance.
   
   
4. Leverage HubSpot's Native Structure - You don't need to be a database architect. HubSpot already provides the scaffolding: contacts, companies, deals, tickets, and the relationships between them. Simply using these objects as intended, and ensuring they're connected properly, gives AI the context it needs to deliver meaningful insights.
   
   
5. Document Your Processes - Whether through workflows, playbooks, or simple notes in your knowledge base, documenting how your team uses HubSpot helps AI understand not just what your data says, but why it matters. This transforms AI from a data reporter into a strategic partner.
   
   

The reality is that most HubSpot users already have much of this foundation in place. You don't need a perfect CRM to benefit from AI, you need a purposeful one. Start with the basics, improve incrementally, and let AI help you identify where your next improvements should focus.

The Bottom Line

Your CRM isn't competing with AI. It's empowering it. When you combine HubSpot's structured data with the reasoning capabilities of tools like Claude, you move beyond simple automation into true strategic intelligence. You can ask nuanced questions, explore complex scenarios, and receive guidance that's grounded in your actual business reality.

The companies that will thrive in the age of AI aren't necessarily those with the most sophisticated technology. They're the ones with solid fundamentals: clean data, clear processes, and a CRM that serves as the reliable foundation for everything AI can build on top.

Ready to Get Started?

Partner with Periti Digital to accelerate your AI journey. We help teams implement proven AI best practices and integrate HubSpot with powerful LLMs like Claude and ChatGPT, so you can move faster and see value sooner.

Take the first step today: contact us and we'll help you reap the benefits of AI/HubSpot integration quickly!