The Background

Elevating Luxury Design Through Print and Modern Innovation

SANDOW Design Group is a luxury design media company with a portfolio of iconic brands, digital platforms, and high-profile events that serve the architecture and design community. For over 20 years, they’ve helped premium brands—from boutique design firms to luxury furniture makers—reach curated audiences through immersive, high-end experiences.

In a rapidly digitizing industry, SANDOW has stayed true to its roots—while staying ahead of the curve. Print remains central to their offering, but digital content, podcasts, video, and 30+ annual events round out a modern, multi-platform strategy that delivers impact across the full buyer journey.

“There’s something real about the pages on a piece of paper,” says Keith van de Venter, Director of CRM Strategy & Operations. “From the paper stock to the binding to how the book smells when you open it—our clients expect that level of craftsmanship.”

But as client expectations evolved, SANDOW faced growing demand for faster turnaround times, data-driven reporting, and bundled campaigns. The goal wasn’t just efficiency—it was delivering a premium experience at every touchpoint, without compromising on quality.

The Challenge

Disjointed Systems Were Slowing Sales and Diluting Experience

Before HubSpot, SANDOW’s sales team operated across a tangle of spreadsheets, email threads, and a homegrown CRM. There was no single source of truth, and the cracks were starting to show.

“It was a nightmare,” Keith says. “Reps were duplicating records. Nothing was searchable. We couldn’t trust the data—and we definitely couldn’t scale.”

At the same time, SANDOW was shifting to a new revenue model: 12-month subscription programs that bundled print, digital, events, and services. These high-value deals promised growth—but only if the team could deliver a seamless, strategic sales process.

“This model was new for our industry—and it only works if your sales process is tight,” Keith explains. “You can’t offer a premium bundled experience when your systems are disjointed and your reps don’t have a full picture of the client relationship.”

Sales cycles dragged. Forecasting was unreliable. And without visibility into customer activity, marketing and sales struggled to stay aligned.

“Our clients expect premium service,” Keith says. “But when your reps are hunting down info instead of having strategic conversations, you’re not going to grow.”

Multiple Sources of Truth

When Keith joined SANDOW, part of the sales team had already begun using HubSpot. Recognizing the platform’s potential, he led the full migration to HubSpot Sales Hub—bringing the entire sales team onto one centralized system.

“Migrating from our homegrown CRM into HubSpot was a heavy lift, but the payoff was immediate,” Keith shares. “Now our reps can trust the data. They have everything in one place—which means they’re better prepared, more efficient, and able to serve clients the way we want to.”

This foundational shift didn’t just fix broken workflows—it unlocked a more strategic, scalable way of selling.

The Solution

One Customer Platform, Endless Sales Potential

With HubSpot Sales Hub alongside Marketing Hub and Service Hub, SANDOW’s team finally had the structure, visibility, and speed they needed to work smarter and move faster.

“Sales Hub gave us one place to work, and one version of the truth,” Keith says. “That alone changed everything. Reps weren’t duplicating records or chasing client history—they could finally focus on selling.”

Proposals were more personalized. Contracts went out cleaner. And reps walked into meetings fully equipped with years of customer data, ROI insights, and deal history—leading to faster, more productive conversations.

A $375K deal that once took eight months to close? Closed in just three.

“That big deal was a perfect example of why fast time-to-value matters,” Keith explains. “In publishing, deadlines are fixed. We don’t have the luxury of slow onboarding or long learning curves—HubSpot delivered value immediately.”

Sales Workspace: From Visibility to Velocity

With the foundation in place, Sales Workspace helped SANDOW move from efficiency to acceleration—giving the team the clarity, structure, and tools to close faster and coach smarter.

Pipeline insights reps can act on
Sales leaders now have full visibility into the pipeline, broken down by rep, lead source, and deal stage. No more gut checks—just clean, actionable data. “Before, we were looking at one giant pipeline wondering how much was real versus high hopes,” Keith says. “Now we can coach around what’s actually happening.”

Deal scoring that drives smarter selling
Deal scoring helps the team stay focused on the opportunities most likely to close—while flagging stalled or slipping deals.  “If a deal’s been sitting in a stage for 29 days and the close date changed four times—it’s not real,” Keith explains. “We use deal scoring to coach around that and clean out anything that’s not in the green or yellow.”

Built-in momentum with guided actions
Guided actions keep reps moving with clear prompts for what to do next—without waiting on a manager.  “Guided actions help our reps stay ahead,” Keith says. “They don’t have to wait for someone to tell them what to do—it’s right there in front of them.”

AI-Powered Meetings, Smarter Follow-Up

Meetings are now central to SANDOW’s structured sales process—and with AI Meeting Assistant, those conversations become strategic assets.

“Before meetings, AI pulls in relevant context. Afterward, it captures the follow-up steps,” Keith explains. “That means less note-taking, more listening—and smarter decisions afterward.”

By transforming unstructured meeting data into organized, actionable insights, the team improved post-meeting execution while reducing manual workWith HubSpot’s mobile app, reps stay productive on the go—especially during SANDOW’s 30+ annual events.

“At our events, reps can scan business cards, check if contacts exist in HubSpot, add notes, and create follow-up tasks on the spot,” Keith shares. “It’s helped us act fast and stay organized—right from the floor.”

The Transformation

From Manual Work to Momentum

With HubSpot Sales Hub and Sales Workspace, SANDOW has transformed its sales process from slow and fragmented to fast, focused, and data-driven.

“The adoption of Sales Hub was fast and easy for our reps,” says Keith. “And Sales Workspace just took it to the next level. It’s helped us be more efficient, more insightful, and more agile.”

Now, reps are prepared for every conversation. Sales and marketing are aligned. And SANDOW is setting the foundation for what comes next—AI-powered growth built on clean data and a unified customer platform.

“AI is only as smart as the data you feed it,” Keith says. “That’s why we’re doing the hard work now—making sure we’re ready. We’re not just playing catch-up—we’re preparing to lead.”