The Objective-Based Onboarding certification exam for HubSpot Partners was launched by HubSpot recently. I’ve cleared the exam in early June 2021, but got a few questions wrong. So, sharing the questions and my answers. Obviously, not all the answers are correct. They are for education and discussion purposes only; Use them at your own risks. If you are a HubSpot Partner Agency, you can find this course in HubSpot Academy under Partner Training. If you are not a HubSpot Partner Agency, this training will not be available to you.
Customer onboarding is defined as:
- the nurturing process that gets new users and customers acquainted and comfortable with your product or services.
- the sales process that gets marketing qualified leads and prospects and ready to learn your new product or service.
- training packages and demos based on your product or services.
- maximizing trust with new customers by prioritizing and customizing onboarding based on their most important goals so that they can accomplish their goals faster.
Implementing a strategy for customer onboarding will increase which of the following business metrics? Select all that apply.
- Lifetime value
- Churn
- Click-through rate
- Customer retention
Implementing a strategy for customer onboarding will decrease which of the following business metrics?
- Lifetime value
- Churn
- Click-through rate
- Customer retention
True or False: When customers are in control of how their onboarding is designed, they are less likely to engage.
- True
- False
Scenario: Your Solutions Partner organization is onboarding two different customers who both purchased Marketing Hub Professional.Customer A wants to focus on improving quality lead generation and prefers to meet multiple times a week to get feedback on their progress. Customer B wants to automate their entire marketing process and prefers a more autonomous approach. What onboarding strategy should your Solutions Partner organization use?
- Offer a fixed set of training demos to both customers.
- Reschedule onboarding for Customer A and create a custom onboarding for Customer B.
- Provide customized paths to each customer’s unique goals.
- Offer the same experience for both customers to become acquainted and comfortable with their software purchase.
Which “HubSpot Customer Code” tenet did our customer onboarding team need to revisit to create the Objectives-Based Onboarding strategy?
- I don’t mind paying, but I do mind being played.
- Use my data, but don’t abuse it.
- Earn my attention, don’t steal it.
- Solve for my success, not your systems.
Which of the following did NOT lead to the creation of Objectives-Based Onboarding at HubSpot?
- Misalignment between goals and training
- Lack of clarity around the definition of success
- Insufficient progress and overgeneralized goals
- Software demos were few and far between
The role of a customer onboarding specialist is twofold. They’ll assist as a _______ and a _______for your team.
- strategic advisor, training manager
- training manager, project manager
- strategic advisor, project manager
- coach, mentor
What were the key approaches HubSpot used when launching Objectives-Based Onboarding? Select all that apply.
- Making our customers’ priorities our priorities.
- Enhance opportunities for cross-selling and up-selling
- Discovering goals at the beginning of the sales process
- Enabling our customers to accomplish their goals faster
What is the maximum number of Objectives-Based Onboarding projects that can be assigned to new customers?
- Three
- Three per Hub purchased
- One
- One per software Hub purchased
What signifies the completion of Objectives-Based Onboarding?
- The customer has hit the 60 or 90-day mark of onboarding.
- All goal-based project tasks have been completed.
- The customer has launched their first marketing campaign or closed their first deal.
- The customer has let you know they are done with onboarding.
True or False: Objectives-Based Onboarding simplifies the process of learning new software, enabling HubSpot and its customers to train smarter.
- True
- False
Without Objectives-Based Onboarding implemented at your Solutions Partner organization:
- Your organization reactively proves its value by responding to questions and requests from the customer as they explore their new software tool.
- Your organization proactively proves its value by collaboratively defining a plan focused on helping your customers accomplish their business goals.
- Your organization proactively proves its value by creating a curriculum of fixed training demos to accomplish their business goals.
With Objectives-Based Onboarding implemented at your Solutions Partner organization:
- Your organization reactively proves its value by responding to questions and requests from the customer as they explore their new software tool.
- Your organization proactively proves its value by collaboratively defining a plan focused on helping your customers accomplish their business goals.
- Your organization proactively proves its value by creating a curriculum of fixed training demos to accomplish their business goals.
True or False: The goal of Objectives-Based Onboarding is to maximize trust with new customers by prioritizing and customizing onboarding based on their most important goals, so they can accomplish their goals faster.
- True
- False
True or False: Maximizing the value of your customer’s onboarding experience begins with capturing valuable information in the kickoff call.
- True
- False
Comparing roles in the 4×100-meter relay to Objectives-Based Onboarding, if the first runner represents your sales team and the second runner represents your services team, what does the baton represent?
- The information your services team gathered and will translate into goals for your customer during Objectives-Based Onboarding.
- The meaningful collaboration between your sales and services teams.
- The information your sales team gathered and will translate into goals for your customer during Objectives-Based Onboarding.
- All of the above.
What are the consequences if the proverbial baton is dropped during the transition between Sales and Services? Select all that apply.
- Customers are forced to repeat their story of why they purchased HubSpot.
- Customers are forced to repeat what their goals are to both Sales and Services.
- The services team must restart Objectives-Based Onboarding.
- Internal teams must repeat previously completed work.
True or False: Your customer will be more likely to cross the finish line if your sales and services teams complete a successful baton handoff in the “exchange zone.”
- True
- False
What are the primary inputs HubSpot transfers from Sales to enable Services to conduct Objectives-Based Onboarding?
- Customer’s goals, product(s) they purchased, existing technology stack, number of employees
- Number of employees, industry, existing technology stack, product(s) they purchased
- Industry, existing technology stack, customer’s goals, product(s) they purchased
- Number of employees, product(s) they purchased, existing technology stack, customer’s goals
True or False: Before any deal can be closed at HubSpot, the sales rep must make one last call to the customer to summarize their onboarding expectations and define their preliminary goals.
- True
- False
True or False: At HubSpot, the services team is responsible for uploading the corresponding Objectives-Based Onboarding HubSpot Projects templates to the customer’s account so they can be evaluated before the kickoff call.
- True
- False
True or False: HubSpot experienced a frictionless evolution of their sales process when adapting to Objectives-based Onboarding.
- True
- False
True or False: Sales processes in every organization are unique. But that shouldn’t stop you from making your customer’s priorities your priorities during Objectives-Based Onboarding.
- True
- False
What three phases can your Solutions Partner organization utilize to obtain buy-in from your sales team to implement Objective-Based Onboarding?
- Improve what already exists, Standardize Objectives-Based Onboarding deal properties, Start Objectives-Based Onboarding in sales
- Standardize Objectives-Based Onboarding deal properties, Start Objectives-Based Onboarding in sales, Make your case
- Improve what already exists, Start Objectives-Based Onboarding in sales, Make your case
Which of the following is NOT a primary goal of the kickoff call?
- Reviewing the deal notes to learn the story behind your customer’s goals.
- Providing the customer a clear roadmap for the entire onboarding process, based on their initial needs.
- Properly setting expectations about the type of service the customer can expect from you
- Preparing, delivering, and documenting the most valuable part of Objective-Based Onboarding
The goal of the kickoff call is always going to be:
- Hold customers accountable to complete the initial goals they set in objectives-based onboarding​.
- Maximize your first interaction in order to uncover the customer’s main priorities and relate them back to the Objectives-Based Onboarding project plan.
- Create tangible proof of your customer’s achievements.
Scenario: You are an onboarding rep at a company that uses Objectives-Based Onboarding. You’ve just been assigned a new customer to onboard. As you conduct research to complete your “Kickoff Call Prep List,” you discover that the deal note from the sales rep lacks crucial details, preventing you from having a successful kickoff call. What is your first course of action?
- Immediately contact the customer to fill in the blanks.
- Conduct more research on the customer’s website.
- Immediately contact the sales rep to fill in the blanks.
- Conduct more research on competitor’s websites.
When executing the “Kickoff Call Prep List” what lenses should you use when researching your customer’s business? Select all that apply.
- As a prospect in the market for your customer’s offerings.
- As a consultant focused on creating a statement of work your Solutions Partner organization could execute.
- As a liaison scoping how the prospect’s current practices will translate to HubSpot
- As an employee at your customer’s company.
Scenario: You are an onboarding rep tasked with executing Objectives-Based Onboarding with a new customer. Your sales team has selected the customer’s onboarding projects. You need to upload and customize these in their account, prior to the kickoff call. After entering the “Project Templates” section of the Projects tool, what tag should you search for to populate the library of Objectives-Based Onboarding projects to copy to your customer’s account?
- Objectives-Based Onboarding
- Onboarding
- OBO
When conducting research for kickoff calls, which HubSpot productivity tool helps standardize your note-taking process?
- Snippets
- Templates
- Projects
Which key pieces of information should be included in your kickoff call note snippet? Select all that apply.
- Sales notes
- Red flags caught during your preliminary research
- Company size
- Tech stack
The kickoff call agenda consists of which of the following points? Select all that apply.
- Introductions
- Onboarding overview
- Business discovery
- Onboarding experience recap
- Goal-setting and prioritization
- Next steps
True or False: Throughout the duration of onboarding, your customer should direct their short-term technical questions to their onboarding rep.
- True
- False
True or False: When working on Objectives-Based Onboarding activities, you can assign tasks to specific users within HubSpot Projects?
- True
- False
What Objectives-Based Onboarding project helps ensure that your customer is prepared to use more advanced features down the line?
- Increase Conversion Rates
- Generate More Website Traffic
- Automate & Personalize Your Marketing
- General Setup Tasks
After the kickoff call, how frequently should the onboarding reps schedule meetings?
- Weekly
- Bi-weekly
- Monthly
- At the end of each goal
What is a project manager?
- The person responsible for determining initial goals for Objectives-Based Onboarding.
- The person responsible for scheduling engagements to manage Objectives-Based Onboarding.
- The person responsible for planning, overseeing, and leading projects from ideation through to completion.
- The person responsible for account management after Objectives-Based Onboarding.
In Objectives-Based Onboarding project management meetings, your goal is to enable your customer to achieve their goals, But, it’s your responsibility is to:
- Allow customers to adapt the initial goals they set based on what they find when learning their new software tool.
- Ensure every task in every project is complete.
- Identify opportunities for cross-sell and up-sell during onboarding.
- Hold customers accountable to complete the initial goals they set.
True or False: When you organize work for your customer to do, they will begin feeling more comfortable in their surroundings.
- True
- False
The majority of your Objectives-Based Onboarding customer engagements can be categorized as:
- Kickoff calls.
- Growth plan calls.
- Project management meetings.
When comparing the skills required to execute a kickoff call versus project management meetings, the kickoff call requires the onboarding team to:
- Execute a repeatable process by following the instructions of an outlined playbook to generate a plan for onboarding.
- Re-prioritize tasks for your customer to focus on throughout the process, demonstrating adaptability.
- Generate a plan for your customer’s future growth.
HubSpot’s expert Objectives-Based Onboarding project managers shared their tried-and-true habits and mottos when supporting customers through Objectives-Based Onboarding. Which guiding habits apply to every type of customer?
- Focus on one goal at a time.
- Utilize HubSpot Projects for timelines and due dates.
- Align tasks with your customer’s prioritization ranking.
- Empower your customer to delegate tasks.
- Maintain focus on the original goals.
- All of the above.
True or False: Make it clear to your customer that you will be completing all of the Objectives-Based Onboarding projects at the same time to maximize the value of your experience.
- True
- False
Tasks in HubSpot Projects can be their own self-service tool when the following criteria are met. Select all that apply.
- Owners are assigned.
- Due dates are set.
- Attachments are included.
- Assets in other HubSpot tools are linked.
True or False: Allowing your customer to reshuffle the order of the tasks, potentially omitting some all together is against Objectives-Based Onboarding project management best practices.
- True
- False
Scenario: Your customer has informed you that they want to change all their goals to align with a newly-discovered feature of their HubSpot software. As their onboarding rep, what action should you take? Select all that apply.
- Maintain focus on the original goals.
- Understand the root of their curiosity by taking time to understand why they want to make the changes.
- Let them know that you’ll take note of their interest and incorporate it into the Growth Plan at the conclusion of onboarding.
- Replace the final onboarding project to align with your customer’s request.
True or False: If you and your customer are not experiencing the progress you anticipated, it may be an indicator that you need to circle back to the principle of adapting tasks based on prioritization.
- True
- False
True or False: According to the expert project managers at HubSpot, succeeding in their role means they are able to absorb their customer’s confusion and offer clarity in return.
- True
- False
Which of the following is not a project management strategy to focus on when working with On Track Otto?
- Proactive communication
- Your support connecting how HubSpot software works together
- Recap emails prioritizing the tasks due at your next meeting
- Show the value of this new environment
Which of the following is not a project management strategy to focus on working with Behind Schedule Ben?
- Show the value of this new environment
- Encouragement and support to get started
- Reminders about why it is important to stick to the initial goals
- Prioritize “need to haves” versus “nice to have”
Which of the following is not a project management strategy to focus on working with Always Ahead Amy?
- Guidance to transform attempts to increase the scope of onboarding into future growth opportunities
- Your support connecting how HubSpot software works together
- Reminders about why it is important to stick to the initial goals
- Corralling to optimize and build upon the initial goals, prior to launching any new ones
True or False: Every customer who has experienced Objectives-Based Onboarding at HubSpot can be organized into our three project management personas.
- True
- False
In the context of Objectives-Based Onboarding, growth planning is:
- The process of planning, overseeing, and leading projects from ideation through to completion.
- Maximizing your first interaction in order to uncover your customer’s main priorities.
- The process of reflecting upon the achievements your customer made during Objectives-Based Onboarding, in order to cultivate a long-term vision that continues to gain value from their initial purchase.
- The process of reflecting upon the achievements your customer made during Objectives-Based Onboarding, in order to identify opportunities to sell services offered by your Solutions Partner organization to retain them.
When should the growth plan call be scheduled?
- When the customer has completed all of their goals.
- During the kickoff call.
- When the customer is halfway through onboarding.
- 90 days after the kickoff call.
What are the two sections of the Growth Plan Template?
- Kickoff call prep list and customer information
- Customer information and onboarding performance
- Goal achievement and onboarding performance
- Kickoff call prep list and onboarding performance
Which of the following is not an agenda item in the growth plan call?
- Recap the onboarding experience
- Identify challenges experienced
- Share recommendations
- Offer ongoing Solutions Partner organization support
- Business discovery
- Clarify the change in relationship
True or False: HubSpot experienced a frictionless evolution of their sales process when adapting to Objectives-based Onboarding.
- True
- False
True or False: Sales processes in every organization are unique, but that shouldn’t stop you from organizing and documenting what matters most to make your customer’s priorities your priorities during Objectives-Based Onboarding.
- True
- False
When comparing the skills required to execute a kickoff call versus project management meetings, project management meetings require the onboarding team to:
- Execute a repeatable process by following the instructions of an outlined playbook to generate a plan for onboarding.
- Re-prioritize tasks for your customer to focus on throughout the process, demonstrating adaptability.
- Generate a plan for your customer’s future growth.
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments regarding this post.