I grew up in Stark County, Ohio, surrounded by manufacturing companies. They were everywhere—friends' parents worked in them, neighbors ran them and they played a huge role in shaping the community. These companies were—and still are—really good at what they do. They’ve built strong businesses, delivered real value and kept things moving for decades.
As a kid, I assumed they had everything figured out. I pictured them as big, efficient machines—with perfect systems and super-tight processes.
But now that I’m on the Platforms team at TKG—building and supporting HubSpot Sales Hub—I’ve gotten to see things up close. And honestly? It surprised me. It might surprise you too.
Here's What I've Seen
1. These companies are busy.
Like, really busy. And it makes sense—they’re chasing leads, managing quotes, checking in with customers and trying to hit their numbers. Sales is the heartbeat of the business, and it shows. But because they’re so deep in the day-to-day, there’s rarely a chance to pause and ask, “Is there a better way to do this?”
2. The organization isn't what you'd expect.
This part caught me off guard. Given how successful many of these companies are, you'd think there would be rock-solid systems behind the scenes. But in reality, a lot of them either don’t use a CRM—or if they do, the data is all over the place with incomplete contacts, unclear deal stages or duplicate records. Reps often aren’t using it much, which only adds to the chaos. It’s not because they’re lazy or careless—they’re just too busy to slow down and fix the foundation.
3. Change is tough—especially for sales teams.
And I get it. When something’s been working for a while—even if it’s not perfect—it’s hard to justify shaking things up. Reps have their own ways of working: notebooks, Excel sheets, email threads. Bringing in a CRM feels like a big lift. The usual reaction? “I don’t have time for this,” or “This is just going to make my job harder.”
The Approach We Use At TKG
We don’t just hand over HubSpot and walk away. When you’re implementing a CRM—especially in a fast-paced, traditional sales environment—you have to take the time to make it work for the people who’ll actually use it.
So we start by spending time with the reps. We learn how they already sell and build around that. We clean up messy data, set up automations that actually save time and keep the system simple and usable.
Most importantly, we talk to people like people. No pressure. No overcomplication. Just real conversations about what’s working—and what could work better.
And if you're implementing something like this yourself? Start there. It’s not about fixing something that’s broken. It’s about showing people how a few smart changes can make what they’re already doing even smoother.
The Wild Part?
These companies have gotten pretty far without a polished CRM—and that’s honestly impressive. They’ve grown, landed major clients and kept things running with spreadsheets, whiteboards and gut instinct.
But things are shifting.
Sales cycles are becoming more digital. Buyer expectations are evolving. And younger generations are stepping into leadership roles. Clean data, clear systems and smarter tools are quickly going from “nice-to-have” to "need-to-have."
So yeah, maybe these companies aren’t the perfect machines I once thought they were—but they’re still really good at what they do. And now, I get to be part of a team that’s helping them level up in a way that respects where they’ve been and supports where they’re going.
And honestly? That’s the coolest part.
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Instead of juggling freelancers or stretching one person too thin, you get a flexible team that can shift resources to meet your needs—when and where it matters most.
Curious what a more modern sales system could look like for your team? Let’s talk. We’ll show you how HubSpot can work with your sales process—not against it.
