THE

CUSTOMER CODE
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.
 h a v e
m e r s
u s t o t h an
C w e r
r e p o
mo f o re .
b e
ever
Businesses report that

WORD-OF-MOUTH
is their single biggest source of referrals.
90%
of buyers would spend
more because of excellent
customer service.
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 T R E AT M E L I K E A S O LV E F O R M Y
#1 AT T E N T I O N ,
D O N ’ T ST E A L I T.
#2 P E R S O N , N OT A
PERSONA.
#3 S U CC E S S , N OT
YO U R SY ST E M S .

U S E M Y DATA ,
#5
ASK FOR
#4 BUT DON'T
A B U S E I T.
F E E D B AC K ,
A N D AC T O N I T,
#6 O W N YO U R
S C R E W- U P S .

I D O N ' T M I N D PAY I N G ,
#7 #8 #9
HELP ME HELP D O N ’ T B LO C K
YO U, B Y H E L P I N G BUT I DO MIND
T H E E X I T.
M Y S E L F. B E I N G P L AY E D.

#10 D O T H E R I G H T T H I N G , E V E N W H E N I T ’ S H A R D.
#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 SAY ANYTHING AT ALL.

 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
And they definitely don’t care about

YOUR DEPARTMENTS.
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.
Everyone makes mistakes.
It’s part of life.

It’s how you deal with them that sets you apart.
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?

YES NO

96% 4%

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

HubSpot Research
That means invoices like this no longer
fly with today’s customers.

INVOICE
“ 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 DY A N D YO 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 YO 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 WAY ” F E E
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 …
You should be able to cancel
that purchase with one click.

* H U B S P OT D O E S N OT H AV E A PAT E N T O N T H I S
It’s not just the right thing to do…
It’s not just the right thing to do

— IT’S BETTER FOR BUSINESS.

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

HubSpot Research
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
STOP the moment you
make a sale.
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

S CO R E

E A R N M Y AT T E N T I O N , D O N ’ T S T E A L I T. 8

TREAT ME LIKE A PERSON, NOT A PERSONA. 6

S O LV E F O R M Y S U C C E S S , N O T YO U R S Y S T E M S . 6

U S E M Y DATA , B U T D O N ’ T A B U S E I T. 9

A S K F O R F E E D B AC K , A N D AC T O N I T. 7

OWN YOUR SCREW-UPS. 8

HELP ME HELP YOU, BY HELPING MYSELF. 7

I D O N ' T M I N D PAY I N G , B U T I D O M I N D B E I N G P L AY E D. 6

D O N ’ T B LO C K T H E E X I T. 7

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 N A M E : H U B S P O T | Y E A R : 2 0 1 8

S CO R E

E A R N M Y AT T E N T I O N , D O N ’ T S T E A L I T. 8

TREAT ME LIKE A PERSON, NOT A PERSONA. 6

S O LV E F O R M Y S U C C E S S , N O T YO U R S Y S T E M S . 6

U S E M Y DATA , B U T D O N ’ T A B U S E I T. 9

A S K F O R F E E D B AC K , A N D AC T O N I T. 7

OWN YOUR SCREW-UPS. 8

HELP ME HELP YOU, BY HELPING MYSELF. 7

I D O N ' T M I N D PAY I N G , B U T I D O M I N D B E I N G P L AY E D. 6

D O N ’ T B LO C K T H E E X I T. 7

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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 CO R E

E A R N M Y AT T E N T I O N , D O N ’ T S T E A L I T.

TREAT ME LIKE A PERSON, NOT A PERSONA.

S O LV E F O R M Y S U C C E S S , N O T YO U R S Y S T E M S .

U S E M Y DATA , 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 AC K , A N D AC T O N I T.

OWN YOUR SCREW-UPS.

HELP ME HELP YOU, BY HELPING MYSELF.

I D O N ' T M I N D PAY I N G , B U T I D O M I N D B E I N G P L AY E D.

D O N ’ T B LO C K T H E E X I T.

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 N A M E : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | G R A D E : _ _ | Y E A R : 2 0 1 8

S CO R E

E A R N M Y AT T E N T I O N , D O N ’ T S T E A L I T.

TREAT ME LIKE A PERSON, NOT A PERSONA.

Download the template

S O LV E F O R M Y S U C C E S S , N O T YO U R S Y S T E M S .

U S E M Y DATA , B U T D O N ’ T A B U S E I T.

at customercode.com
A S K F O R F E E D B AC K , A N D AC T O N I T.

OWN YOUR MISTAKES, DON’T MAKE EXCUSES.

HELP ME, HELP YOU (BY HELPING MYSELF).

M A K E YO U R P R I C I N G T R A N S PA R E N T A N D FA I R .

D O N ’ T B LO C K T H E E X I T.

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And please tell us what you think!

Share your report card or give us feedback

by emailing customercode@hubspot.com.
Getting feedback is important,
remember?

@dharmesh (one of our founders) reads every email.

Because when our customers succeed,
we do too.
Let's all grow better, together.