How to Track Goals with HubSpot Mutual Action Plans

The mutual action plan feature in HubSpot gives sales teams a structured way to align with prospects, define shared goals, and track every step required to close a deal. Using this tool, you can make complex sales cycles more transparent and collaborative for both your internal stakeholders and your buyers.

What Is a HubSpot Mutual Action Plan?

A mutual action plan is a shared, timeline-based checklist that maps out all activities, milestones, and responsibilities needed to achieve a specific outcome, such as signing a contract or completing onboarding.

In HubSpot, the mutual action plan lives inside a deal record and is designed to:

Clarify ownership of each task for both your team and the prospect.
Set realistic deadlines and key milestones for the buying process.
Make expectations visible to everyone involved in the deal.
Keep momentum by tracking progress against agreed goals.

Only users with the right permissions and a supported subscription can configure and use this feature within the CRM.

Prerequisites for Using HubSpot Mutual Action Plans

Before setting up mutual action plans in HubSpot, confirm the following:

You have access to the relevant sales tools in your HubSpot subscription.
You can view and edit deal records where the plan will be stored.
Your account has been configured with deal stages that match your sales process.
Your team has agreed on a basic structure for standard deal plans (for example, discovery, evaluation, approval, and onboarding).

When these elements are in place, you can start building mutual action plans on individual deals.

How to Create a Mutual Action Plan in HubSpot

You create and manage mutual action plans directly from a deal record. The layout may vary slightly depending on your account configuration, but the steps below describe the general process.

Step 1: Open the Deal Record in HubSpot

Navigate to your Deals dashboard in HubSpot.
Search for and open the specific deal where you want to add a mutual action plan.
Locate the mutual action plan section or card on the deal record sidebar or main panel, depending on your view.

If you do not see the mutual action plan area, check with your HubSpot administrator to ensure the feature is available and visible in your deal layout.

Step 2: Start a New Mutual Action Plan

In the mutual action plan section, click the option to create or add a plan.
Give the plan a clear, descriptive name that references the customer and objective, for example, “Q3 Implementation Plan – ACME Corp.”
Confirm that the plan is associated with the correct deal and company record.

This creates the framework you will use to add milestones, tasks, and owners.

Step 3: Define Objectives and Success Criteria

Next, outline what both sides consider a successful outcome of the plan. Within the mutual action plan area in HubSpot, add a brief description of:

The main goal (for example, signing a subscription agreement or going live with a product).
Any key metrics or deadlines (such as a launch date or budget cycle).
Critical technical or legal requirements that must be met.

Clear, shared objectives help keep the plan grounded and prevent scope creep during the sales cycle.

Building the Timeline Inside HubSpot

Step 4: Add Milestones and Tasks

Use the mutual action plan interface in HubSpot to break the goal into logical phases. For each phase, add milestones and concrete tasks, such as:

Initial discovery and requirements gathering.
Product demo or proof of concept.
Security, legal, and procurement review.
Executive approval and signature.
Onboarding and handoff to customer success.

For every task, specify:

A short task name.
A due date or target timeframe.
A task owner on either your team or the prospect’s side.
Optional notes or links to supporting documents.

Step 5: Assign Owners on Both Sides

Effective mutual action plans in HubSpot always reflect responsibilities for both seller and buyer. When creating each task:

Select the internal owner from your team.
Note the corresponding stakeholder on the prospect side (for example, economic buyer, technical reviewer, or legal contact).
Update the plan as stakeholders change, so the information remains current.

This helps your team quickly identify bottlenecks and who needs to be engaged at each step.

Step 6: Set Realistic Deadlines

Use your understanding of the customer’s buying process to set achievable dates. Inside the HubSpot mutual action plan, adjust task due dates based on:

Internal approval cycles and procurement timelines.
Technical implementation complexity.
Holidays, quarter-end, or fiscal year constraints.

Well-planned timelines help avoid last-minute surprises and misaligned expectations.

Collaborating with Prospects Using HubSpot Mutual Action Plans

Step 7: Share the Plan with the Prospect

Once your mutual action plan is structured, you can share it with your prospect for review and collaboration. Depending on your account setup, you can:

Present the plan live on a call while viewing the HubSpot deal record.
Export, share, or summarize the plan through a connected tool or shared document.
Ask the prospect to validate dates, responsibilities, and dependencies.

Use this meeting as an opportunity to confirm that the plan reflects the buyer’s internal process accurately.

Step 8: Keep the Plan Updated

As the deal progresses, revisit the mutual action plan in HubSpot frequently. Make updates when:

New stakeholders are added or roles change.
Deadlines slip or are pulled forward.
New tasks emerge from discovery calls or evaluations.

Keeping the plan current signals reliability to your prospects and provides better forecasting visibility for your internal team.

Reporting on Mutual Action Plans in HubSpot

The mutual action plan contributes to a more predictable pipeline when it is maintained consistently across deals. Although reporting options may vary based on your subscription and configuration, you can generally:

Review individual deals to see which milestones are at risk.
Identify common stages that cause delays across deals.
Refine your standard mutual action plan templates based on what works best.

Over time, these insights help your organization shorten sales cycles and improve close rates.

Best Practices for Using HubSpot Mutual Action Plans

Introduce the plan early: Present the idea of a mutual action plan near the start of the sales process so it feels collaborative, not imposed.
Keep it simple: Avoid overloading the plan with unnecessary detail; focus on critical steps and decision points.
Make responsibilities explicit: Every key task should have a clearly identified owner.
Review regularly: Revisit the plan in each major customer meeting and update it live when possible.
Align with your stages: Ensure the plan aligns with your existing HubSpot deal stages and internal processes.

Where to Learn More About HubSpot Mutual Action Plans

For the most accurate, up-to-date documentation on mutual action plans, refer directly to the official HubSpot knowledge base article: Track goals with the mutual action plan. This page provides step-by-step instructions based on the latest product interface and requirements.

If you want strategic guidance on implementing HubSpot within a broader revenue operations or CRM strategy, you can also explore consulting resources such as Consultevo, which covers CRM optimization and process design.

By combining clear mutual action plans with consistent deal management in HubSpot, your sales team can collaborate more effectively with prospects, reduce confusion, and guide complex opportunities to a successful close.

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