Your CRM is only as useful as the data inside it. And if you’re relying solely on HubSpot’s default properties, chances are your team is making up for gaps with workarounds, manual updates, or (worst of all) spreadsheets.
To build a system that actually supports sales, marketing, and service alignment, you need to customize your CRM with purpose-built properties that reflect how your business actually works.
In this post, we’ll break down a strategic approach to CRM property creation in HubSpot, so you can improve visibility, streamline processes, and scale without sacrificing usability.
Custom properties are the foundation of everything in HubSpot: segmentation, automation, reporting, personalization, lifecycle management, and more.
Poorly structured properties lead to:
Inaccurate reporting and attribution
Cluttered records and user confusion
Inflexible automation
Poor handoffs between sales and service
Low CRM adoption across teams
Done right, though, custom properties turn HubSpot into a true operating system for growth, one that reflects your unique business model and empowers your team to act on the right data at the right time.
Before creating anything in HubSpot, take time to think through the categories of data your teams need to capture.
Use this strategic brainstorming framework:
What do your reps need to know about each opportunity?
Deal Type
Product/Service Category
Deal Source
Term Length
Budget
Renewal Date
What insights support personalization and segmentation?
Industry
Company Size
Tech Stack
Location
Internal Champion
Key Pain Points
What does your team need to deliver?
Onboarding Status
Primary Contact Role
Platform Access
Service Level or Tier
Contract Start/End Dates
What will power automation and reporting?
Lead Source Detail
Sales Qualified Date
Customer Health Score
CSM Assigned
Upsell Opportunity?
Once you know what to track, it’s time to build. HubSpot allows you to create custom properties across:
Contacts
Companies
Deals
Tickets (for support/onboarding workflows)
Custom Objects (for advanced CRM builds)
Each property can be customized by type: dropdown, checkbox, number, date, calculation, and more.
Pro Tip: Avoid creating unnecessary duplicates. If multiple record types need the same info (e.g., contract renewal date), consider using property sync workflows to keep your data centralized and consistent.
Your deal record might include a property like “Monthly Recurring Revenue”—but what if your service team lives in the company record?
With property sync workflows, you can automatically copy critical information (like MRR, start dates, or service tier) across deals, companies, and even tickets, ensuring every team has the context they need—without re-entering data.
Too many companies treat custom properties like a junk drawer: new fields are added on the fly, never standardized, and rarely pruned.
Avoid the clutter with these tips:
Use naming conventions (e.g., “Sales - Lead Score” vs. “Marketing - Lead Source”)
Document each property’s purpose and use case
Audit quarterly and consolidate duplicates
Hide or archive outdated fields
Your sales reps, CSMs, marketers, and ops folks all have different data needs. Before finalizing your CRM property structure, ask them what data they rely on—and what’s missing.
Often, the most valuable properties already exist... inside someone’s spreadsheet.
Custom properties aren’t just about reporting or automation. They’re about creating a shared language across your entire revenue team.
Whether you’re just starting with HubSpot or refining a messy system, take the time to define the right properties—and connect them in ways that serve your people, not just your platform.
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