In the fast-paced world of lending, where Loan Originators (LOs) are the heartbeat of client relationships, staying connected with prospects and borrowers is paramount. Yet, when you’re managing hundreds of contacts per LO—each with its own set of communication preferences—the challenge can quickly morph into an administrative labyrinth. This is the tale of how we solved a tricky subscription preferences challenge for one of our clients in the lending industry, turning chaos into a streamlined, scalable solution powered by HubSpot.
The Challenge: Navigating the Maze of Communication Preferences
Our client’s business model was built around empowering Loan Originators with control over their own books of business. Each LO, with hundreds of owned contacts, required the ability to opt in or out of various email communications. This wasn’t just about ticking boxes—it was about maintaining compliance, ensuring relevant communications, and preserving the trusted relationship between LOs and their contacts.
The initial system, built in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, worked reasonably well but lacked the flexibility and ease of use demanded by an industry where change is the only constant. With Loan Originators frequently moving between firms, quickly onboarding new professionals, and updating contact assignments, the system needed to be agile:
- Rapid Onboarding: new LOs had to be integrated seamlessly into the system
- Swift Deactivation: outgoing LOs needed to be removed from communication streams without delay
- Dynamic Updates: Contacts changing their LO assignments required their preferences to be updated promptly
- User-Driven Changes: LOs needed a simple interface to manage their subscription preferences and email signatures
In short, the solution had to be robust yet flexible, automating routine tasks while allowing manual adjustments where necessary.
The Turning Point: A New Home in HubSpot
Recognizing the limitations of the old system, our client made a bold decision: transition from Salesforce Marketing Cloud to HubSpot. This migration wasn’t just a change in platforms—it was an opportunity to reimagine the entire workflow for managing subscription preferences. Our goal was to create an integrated solution that leveraged HubSpot’s powerful automation capabilities while addressing the unique challenges of the lending industry.
Step 1: Capturing Preferences with a HubSpot Form
The journey began with a simple yet powerful tool: the HubSpot form. We designed a form tailored specifically for Loan Originators to capture their email communication preferences and signature details. This wasn’t just a form—it was a gateway to ensuring that every LO could manage how their contacts received dynamic, personalized communications.
The form was intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring that even those less tech-savvy could navigate it effortlessly. Once submitted, the form data was written directly to a HubDB table, a central repository that would become the heart of our new system.
Step 2: The Role of HubDB—A Dynamic Data Engine
HubDB, HubSpot’s flexible database tool, played a pivotal role in our solution. The table served as the single source of truth for all LO preferences and signature details. Every LO’s submission was captured here, allowing us to centralize data and easily manipulate it through workflows.
For the lending industry, where compliance and accuracy are critical, having a centralized data repository ensured that every contact’s communication preferences were up-to-date. This was particularly important because contacts still retained the option to opt out individually. The HubDB table simply provided the blueprint for how communications should be tailored based on the LO’s current preferences.
Step 3: Automating the Workflow—Bringing Data to Life
With preferences securely stored in HubDB, the next challenge was ensuring that every outbound email was dynamically personalized. Here’s how we tackled it:
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Draft Email Generation: Every time an email was scheduled to go out, the system automatically generated a draft version for the corresponding LO. This draft wasn’t a static message—it was a dynamic template that reflected the latest LO preferences and included a personalized email signature drawn from the HubDB table.
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A Feedback Loop: The draft email contained a link back to the HubSpot form. This allowed LOs to review their preferences and update them in real time if necessary. This step was crucial. It wasn’t enough to capture data once; our system needed to be responsive to changes, especially given the rapid turnover in the industry.
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HubDB Workflow Action: The linchpin of our automation was the HubDB workflow action. When a LO updated their preferences via the form, the changes were instantly written to the HubDB table. Then, a workflow was triggered that retrieved the updated data from HubDB and applied these changes to every Contact associated with that LO.
This seamless integration ensured that if a Loan Originator decided to change their communication settings—say, opting out of certain emails or updating their signature—the new preferences were propagated across all their contacts without manual intervention.
Step 4: Onboarding New Loan Originators—A User-Based Approach
In an industry as dynamic as lending, new Loan Originators are constantly joining the fray. We needed a mechanism that could automatically integrate these newcomers into the HubDB system. Our solution? A User-based Workflow.
When a new LO was added to HubSpot as a user, their information was automatically written to the HubDB table using the HubDB workflow action. This ensured that from day one, every new LO’s preferences were captured, and their contacts were primed to receive the correct, personalized communications.
Step 5: Flexibility and Scalability—The Winning Combination
The beauty of our solution lies in its flexibility. By leveraging HubSpot’s native tools—forms, HubDB, and workflows—we created a system that could scale with the business. Adding a new LO was as simple as onboarding a new user, while deactivating an LO could be done swiftly by updating their status in HubSpot and reflecting that in the HubDB table.
Moreover, if a contact’s assigned LO changed—a common scenario in the lending industry—the system could update the contact’s preferences dynamically. This level of flexibility not only saved time but also reduced the risk of errors, ensuring that every communication was as accurate and personalized as possible.
Reflections on the Journey: Lessons Learned and Best Practices
Our journey from Salesforce Marketing Cloud to HubSpot was more than a technical migration—it was a lesson in how thoughtful automation can solve complex problems in even the most challenging industries. Here are a few key takeaways for HubSpot admins and marketing managers in the lending industry:
- Centralize Your Data: using HubDB as a single source of truth simplifies data management and ensures consistency across all communications
- Empower Your Users: by giving Loan Originators control over their own communication preferences, you foster a sense of ownership and accountability
- Automate Relentlessly: automated workflows not only reduce the administrative burden but also ensure that changes are applied promptly and accurately
- Plan for Change: in an industry where personnel and assignments are constantly in flux, build systems that are inherently flexible and scalable
- Keep It User-Friendly: no matter how advanced your system is, its success hinges on how easily your users can interact with it; a simple, intuitive form can make all the difference
The Road Ahead
As we look to the future, the integration of HubSpot’s capabilities with lending-specific workflows is set to redefine how Loan Originators manage their contacts and communications. Our solution is a testament to what’s possible when innovative technology meets real-world challenges. By harnessing the power of HubSpot’s forms, HubDB, and workflows, we’ve created a system that not only meets the demands of today’s lending environment but is also poised to evolve with it.
For HubSpot admins and marketing managers facing similar challenges, our tale offers a blueprint for success—a reminder that even the most complex problems can be unraveled with a bit of creativity, strategic thinking, and the right set of tools.
In the ever-changing trails of the lending industry, let this story inspire you to explore new ways to automate, connect, and grow. After all, in the journey of business transformation, every challenge is just an opportunity waiting to be conquered.
By sharing our journey, we hope you’ve gained insights into how to manage dynamic communications in an industry defined by rapid change. If your organization is grappling with similar challenges, consider taking a page out of our playbook. With the right strategy and tools at your disposal, you too can master the art of seamless, automated communication. Happy trails!
