THE C U S TO
M E R C O D E customercode.com IV

Years ago, in a presentation
about the kind of company we wanted HubSpot to be, we asked our employees to solve for the customer.

That meant placing their customer
ahead of their team… 1 2 3

That meant placing their customer
ahead of their team and their team ahead of themselves. 1 2 3

We were serious about it
too. We had it painted on our walls.

Pretty cool, right?

And we included it in
a defining document about our culture.

SFTC.SOLVE FOR THE CUSTOMER. We
don’t want to satisfy them, we want to delight them. Our goal is to help them succeed.

It got a lot of
people’s attention.

4+
million
views
CultureCode.com

But we didn’t always get
solve for the customer right.

And we aren’t the only
ones.

C U S T O
M E R Many businesses say they’re “customer first.”

But often they’re really “customer
eventually.” C U S T O M E R

Some say they’re
“customer obsessed.”

But they’re really
“self obsessed.”

They talk the talk,

They talk the talk, but
don’t always walk the walk.

HubSpot isn’t without fault WE-A-CULPA
TOO.

But we knew it was
time for a change.

Customers have more power than
ever before.

Businesses report that WORD-OF-MOUTH is
their single biggest source of referrals.

of buyers would spend more
because of excellent customer service.90%

So we decided to take
a hard look at ourselves, we asked some tough questions, and we talked to the people who matter most…

So we decided to take
a hard look at ourselves, we asked some tough questions, and we talked to the people who matter most — CUSTOMERS.

We talked with thousands of
them. And we captured what we learned.

In a document we call…
The Customer Code. We’re known for our creative naming.

The Customer Code EARN MY
ATTENTION, DON’T STEAL IT. TREAT ME LIKE A PERSON, NOT A PERSONA. SOLVE FOR MY SUCCESS, NOT YOUR SYSTEMS. USE MY DATA, BUT DON'T ABUSE IT. ASK FOR FEEDBACK, AND ACT ON IT, OWN YOUR SCREW-UPS. I DON'T MIND PAYING, BUT I DO MIND BEING PLAYED. DON’T BLOCK THE EXIT. HELP ME HELP YOU, BY HELPING MYSELF. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 DO THE RIGHT THING, EVEN WHEN IT’S HARD.#10

1 Earn my attention, don’t
steal it. #

Your time is precious.

So is your customer’s.

As you learned growing up,
if you don’t have something valuable to say…

As you learned growing up,
if you don’t have something valuable to say… DON’T SAYANYTHING ATALL.

IS NOW A GOOD TIME
TO TELL YOU ABOUT OUR MARKET-LEADING… customercode.com

customercode.com

2 Treat me like a
person, not a persona. #

It’s fine to market to
a persona, But you build relationships with a person.

A person with fears, hopes,
and dreams.

A person with fears, hopes,
and dreams.

A person with fears, hopes,
and dreams.

A person with a life.

And life doesn’t happen on
the phone Monday through Friday between 9am-5pm EST (6am - 2pm PST).* *Except for major bank holidays and the second Tuesday of every month.

So be prepared to interact
with customers how, when, and where they want.

And if you can’t chat
directly, get a bot to help out.

3 Solve for my success,
not your systems. #

Don’t make your process your
customer’s problem.

Customers don’t care about your
carefully crafted, magical “BUYER’S JOURNEY.”

customercode.com

YOUR DEPARTMENTS. And they definitely
don’t care about or their dysfunctions

They just want you to
solve their problem — and quickly.

4 Use my data, but
don’t abuse it. #

It’s hard to have a
relationship with a person who doesn’t remember your name. ?

customercode.com

Customers shouldn’t have to repeat
their entire history every time they interact with you.

customercode.com

They expect you to use
their data to create helpful, personalized experiences.

But don’t abuse it. Your
relationship will never recover.

5 Ask for feedback, and
act on it. #

The absence of a complaint
is not a compliment...

Especially if you aren’t listening
for either.

No one knows your customer
experience better than your customers.

So ask them how you
can improve…

So ask them how you
can improve — AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

6
Own your
screw-ups.
#

Everyone makes mistakes. It’s part
of life.

It’s how you deal with
them that sets you apart. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s part of life.

Say you’re sorry, be sorry,
and make it better.

Like KFC. They may have
run out of chicken, but they didn't chicken out of apologizing.

Your customers will appreciate it.

If a company you regularly
buy from made a mistake, but apologized and made it right, would you continue to buy from them? 4%96% YES NO HubSpot Research

7 Help me help you,
by helping myself. #

customercode.com

You know who really knows
how to solve for your customers’ needs?

YOUR CUSTOMERS

Give them ways to
answer their own questions… ? ? ?

Give them ways to
answer their own questions and solve their own problems.

They’ll call you, beep you,
if they want to reach you.

8 I don’t mind paying,
but I do mind being played. #

customercode.com

Customers shouldn’t need a math
degree to figure out what they’ll pay.

customercode.com

When we asked buyers if
confusing pricing would keep them from making a purchase, 69% said yes. No 31% Yes 69% The people who answered "No" must really enjoy hide-and-seek ¯_(ツ)_/¯ HubSpot Research

$“ W E D O
N ’ T C A R E A B O U T O U R C U S T O M E R S ” F E E “ W E ’ R E G R E E D Y A N D Y O U C A N ’ T D O A N Y T H I N G A B O U T I T ” F E E $ $“ W E K N O W Y O U W E R E N ’ T G O I N G T O R E F E R F R I E N D S A N Y W A Y ” F E E INVOICE That means invoices like this no longer fly with today’s customers.

Keep your pricing and discounts
open, clear, and fair.

Keep your pricing and discounts
open, clear, and fair.

Keep your pricing and discounts
open, clear, and fair.

9 Don’t block the
exit. #

customercode.com

If you can make a
purchase with one click …

* H U B S
P O T D O E S N O T H A V E A P A T E N T O N T H I S You should be able to cancel that purchase with one click.

It’s not just the right
thing to do…

It’s not just the right
thing to do — IT’S BETTER FOR BUSINESS.

of consumers are more likely
to buy if a company makes it easy and simple to cancel. HubSpot Research 89%

So don’t do this…

If a customer’s meant to
be, they’ll be. If they’re not, let them be.

But most importantly…

10# Do the right thing.
even when it’s hard.

10 Do the right thing,
even when it’s hard. #

10 Do the right thing,
even when it’s hard. # Especially when it’s hard

It’s not just nice to
do. It’ll define your destiny.

It’s not just nice to
do. It’ll define your destiny.

Because your relationship with your
customers doesn’t stop the moment you make a sale. STOP

Purchase Stop
Customer Experience

It begins the moment a
customer discovers your brand, and it never ends.

First contact Purchase Stop Customer
Experience

If you ignore your customers,
your business will suffer.

It's no longer enough to
grow…

It's no longer enough to
grow — WE NEED TO GROW BETTER.

Growing better is never forgetting
to solve for the customer.

It's placing long-term relationships ahead
of short-term results.

It’s more than what you
sell; it's whether your succeed.

So to all of our
customers, we hear you loud and clear.

We promise to abide by
these tenets.

We promise to create a
culture that puts customers first,

We promise to create a
culture that puts customers first, an experience that customers love,

We promise to create a
culture that puts customers first, an experience that customers love, and technology that customers value.

And we promise to hold
ourselves accountable by grading ourselves against these tenets every year.

N A M E :
H U B S P O T | Y E A R : 2 0 1 8 E A R N M Y A T T E N T I O N , D O N ’ T S T E A L I T . T R E A T M E L I K E A P E R S O N , N O T A P E R S O N A . S O L V E F O R M Y S U C C E S S , N O T Y O U R S Y S T E M S . U S E M Y D A T A , B U T D O N ’ T A B U S E I T . A S K F O R F E E D B A C K , A N D A C T O N I T . O W N Y O U R S C R E W - U P S . H E L P M E H E L P Y O U , B Y H E L P I N G M Y S E L F . I D O N ' T M I N D P A Y I N G , B U T I D O M I N D B E I N G P L A Y E D . D O N ’ T B L O C K T H E E X I T . S C O R E A V E R A G EA V E R A G E 8 6 6 9 7 8 7 6 7 7.1customercode.com

N A M E :
H U B S P O T | Y E A R : 2 0 1 8 E A R N M Y A T T E N T I O N , D O N ’ T S T E A L I T . T R E A T M E L I K E A P E R S O N , N O T A P E R S O N A . S O L V E F O R M Y S U C C E S S , N O T Y O U R S Y S T E M S . U S E M Y D A T A , B U T D O N ’ T A B U S E I T . A S K F O R F E E D B A C K , A N D A C T O N I T . O W N Y O U R S C R E W - U P S . H E L P M E H E L P Y O U , B Y H E L P I N G M Y S E L F . I D O N ' T M I N D P A Y I N G , B U T I D O M I N D B E I N G P L A Y E D . D O N ’ T B L O C K T H E E X I T . S C O R E A V E R A G EA V E R A G E 8 6 6 9 7 8 7 6 7 7.1customercode.com

And we encourage you to
do the same by filling out your own report card.

N A M E :
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | G R A D E : _ _ | Y E A R : 2 0 1 8 S C O R E A V E R A G EA V E R A G Ecustomercode.com E A R N M Y A T T E N T I O N , D O N ’ T S T E A L I T . T R E A T M E L I K E A P E R S O N , N O T A P E R S O N A . S O L V E F O R M Y S U C C E S S , N O T Y O U R S Y S T E M S . U S E M Y D A T A , B U T D O N ’ T A B U S E I T . A S K F O R F E E D B A C K , A N D A C T O N I T . O W N Y O U R S C R E W - U P S . H E L P M E H E L P Y O U , B Y H E L P I N G M Y S E L F . I D O N ' T M I N D P A Y I N G , B U T I D O M I N D B E I N G P L A Y E D . D O N ’ T B L O C K T H E E X I T .

N A M E :
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | G R A D E : _ _ | Y E A R : 2 0 1 8 E A R N M Y A T T E N T I O N , D O N ’ T S T E A L I T . T R E A T M E L I K E A P E R S O N , N O T A P E R S O N A . S O L V E F O R M Y S U C C E S S , N O T Y O U R S Y S T E M S . U S E M Y D A T A , B U T D O N ’ T A B U S E I T . A S K F O R F E E D B A C K , A N D A C T O N I T . O W N Y O U R M I S T A K E S , D O N ’ T M A K E E X C U S E S . H E L P M E , H E L P Y O U ( B Y H E L P I N G M Y S E L F ) . M A K E Y O U R P R I C I N G T R A N S P A R E N T A N D F A I R . D O N ’ T B L O C K T H E E X I T . S C O R E A V E R A G EA V E R A G E Download the template at customercode.com

And please tell us what
you think! Share your report card or give us feedback by emailing customercode@hubspot.com. @dharmesh (one of our founders) reads every email. Getting feedback is important, remember?

Because when our customers succeed,
we do too.

Let's all grow better, together.
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