This client is one of the largest yacht brokerages in the Pacific Northwest. The firm represents both new and pre-owned yachts across premium brands.
Like many growing marine sales organizations, they needed a purpose-built yacht brokerage HubSpot CRM to support long sales cycles, territory-based broker assignments, and multiple lead sources. Their existing CRM lacked flexibility, adoption was inconsistent, and reporting was limited.
They partnered with Optimize 3.0 to migrate off SugarCRM, streamline sales operations, and configure HubSpot to match how yacht brokers actually work.
Client: Confidential Yacht Brokerage
Industry: Marine and Yacht Brokerage
HubSpot Hubs Implemented: Sales Hub, Marketing Hub
Previous CRM: SugarCRM
Project: Sales and Marketing Hub Onboarding plus Yacht Broker CRM Integration
Objectives
- Replace SugarCRM with a yacht brokerage CRM customized and built on HubSpot
- Migrate all legacy CRM and Mailchimp contact data
- Design a dual-pipeline system for yacht buyers and sellers
- Automate lead routing and broker assignments
- Integrate YachtWorld lead data into HubSpot
- Deliver hands-on CRM training for brokers and sales staff
Solutions Implemented
- Built a tailored yacht sales pipeline system inside HubSpot with separate pipelines for buyers and sellers
- Customized sales dashboards and broker-level contact views
- Implemented lead status workflows such as New, Attempted to Connect, Bad Timing, and Meeting Scheduled to reflect the marine sales cycle
- Configured permissions so each broker could only view their own contacts and deals
- Automated broker assignments based on geography, inquiry type, and yacht category
Yacht CRM Data Migration and Cleanup
- Migrated contacts, companies, deals, and engagement history from SugarCRM and Mailchimp
- Created custom deduplication workflows using phone number matching
- Built automation to safely merge duplicate contact records
Marketing Segmentation and CRM Optimization
- Segmented contacts into sales-ready leads versus long-term prospects and industry contacts
- Created custom properties for boat type, interest level, and lead source
- Defined marketing versus non-marketing contacts to support compliant email outreach
- Built smart lists to enable targeted marketing by yacht type and buyer intent
Custom Integration: YachtWorld Leads and Boat Object
- Implemented a custom integration to ingest YachtWorld inquiries directly into HubSpot
- Automatically assigned each lead to the correct broker based on predefined rules
- Created a custom boat object in HubSpot to store key listing data, including:
- Boat brand
- Boat category such as sailboat, catamaran, or fishing
- Length, year, and listing details
- Mapped boat records to contacts and deals for improved personalization and reporting
Broker Enablement and Sales Team Training
- Delivered live and recorded HubSpot training covering:
- CRM navigation and deal management
- Using the HubSpot mobile app for field updates
- Booking meetings with the HubSpot Meetings tool
- Tracking emails and activity using the Outlook Sales extension
- Built custom contact views and reports by lead status, broker activity, and deal stage
Results
- HubSpot now serves as the central CRM for all yacht sales and marketing activity
- Brokers have real-time visibility into leads, deals, and full client history
- YachtWorld leads are automatically imported and enriched with boat data
- Broker assignments are handled automatically based on category and location
- Sales activity is tracked and reported by broker, deal stage, and revenue potential
- Marketing segmentation is in place to support future nurture campaigns by boat type and buyer interest
Why Optimize 3.0
Optimize 3.0 specializes in HubSpot CRM implementations for yacht brokerages and marine companies. The team has deep experience configuring HubSpot to support broker territory protection, long sales cycles, and complex inventory data.
With hands-on experience integrating platforms like YachtWorld and Boats Group, Optimize 3.0 delivers CRM systems that balance broker adoption, marketing efficiency, and leadership-level reporting.