Hupspot Guide to Finding Untapped Markets

Sales teams inspired by Hubspot often ask the same question: how do we systematically uncover an untapped market before our competitors find it? This guide walks you through a practical, repeatable process based on the approach outlined in the original article on identifying an untapped market, adapted into a how‑to playbook you can execute with your own tools and workflows.

What Is an Untapped Market in the Hubspot Framework?

An untapped market is a group of buyers who have a real, urgent problem but lack strong, established solutions or vendors. In the Hubspot-style research approach, the goal is not to chase every new trend, but to find a segment where:

Demand already exists or is emerging.
The problem is painful and visible.
Existing solutions are incomplete, expensive, or hard to adopt.
Your product or service can solve the problem in a differentiated way.

Instead of guessing, you use structured research and prospect conversations to confirm that the opportunity is both real and reachable.

Step 1: Define the Problem Before the Hubspot-Style Search

Before you start prospecting, clearly articulate the problem you think you solve. A Hubspot-inspired exercise is to write a short problem statement:

Who is affected? (industry, role, company size)
What breaks down in their day-to-day work?
Why do current tools or processes fail?
How do they currently “patch” the issue?

Document a few initial hypotheses about your potential untapped market. These hypotheses will guide your research interviews and outbound outreach.

Step 2: Run Discovery Interviews the Hubspot Way

The original Hubspot article emphasizes deep discovery. Instead of pitching, you investigate. Start with 10–20 conversations across your suspected segment. Your goals:

Validate whether the problem is real and frequent.
Understand how prospects describe the pain in their own words.
Learn what they have already tried to fix it.
Assess willingness to pay if you solved it well.

Structure your calls with open-ended questions. For example:

“Walk me through how you currently handle X from start to finish.”
“Where do things slow down or fall through the cracks?”
“What have you tried so far to improve this?”
“If this problem disappeared tomorrow, what would that unlock for you?”

Record patterns in language, metrics mentioned, and emotional cues like frustration or urgency. These details later fuel positioning, content, and sales messaging.

Step 3: Score the Opportunity with a Hubspot-Style Checklist

Once you have early interview data, score each potential market segment. A simple checklist influenced by Hubspot’s research mindset might include:

Pain severity: How costly is the problem in time, money, or risk?
Pain frequency: Does it happen daily, weekly, or rarely?
Budget reality: Do these buyers control budget or influence it?
Competitive landscape: Are there entrenched tools or just manual workarounds?
Access: Can your team reliably reach this audience?

Rate each factor on a simple 1–5 scale. Segments that score highest across all categories are your most promising untapped markets.

Step 4: Build a Prospect List Using a Hubspot-Friendly Process

With a clear target segment, build a high-quality prospect list. Even if you are not using the Hubspot CRM directly, you should mimic its emphasis on clean data and segmentation:

Define ideal customer profile (ICP) attributes. Industry, company size, tech stack, geography, and buying role.
Source contacts. Use tools, directories, or events to find people who match your ICP.
Enrich data. Add context like current tools, headcount, or recent growth.
Segment lists. Group by industry, role, or maturity so outreach can be tailored.

Keep your data consistent: standard job titles, domains, and notes. This makes future automation and reporting far more effective.

Step 5: Craft Messaging Inspired by Hubspot Conversations

Your early interviews gave you real language from the market. Use that to shape messages. In a Hubspot-style outbound sequence, your outreach should be:

Problem-led, not product-led.
Specific and contextual.
Short and easy to scan.

A simple email framework:

Observation: Mention a specific challenge common in their context.
Impact: Show the cost or risk of that challenge.
Credibility: Briefly reference similar companies or roles you help.
Invitation: Ask for a quick call to see if the problem resonates.

Always connect your solution back to the pain they described, not your feature list.

Step 6: Test and Iterate Like a Hubspot Experiment

Treat your entry into an untapped market as an experiment. The Hubspot mindset focuses on measurement and iteration:

Track open, reply, and meeting rates for each sequence.
Log key objections and questions prospects raise.
Update messaging based on what sparks interest or confusion.
Test different segments inside the broader market.

Run small, focused experiments instead of broad, unfocused campaigns. This lets you pivot quickly without burning through the entire market.

Step 7: Turn Early Wins into a Repeatable Hubspot-Style Playbook

Once you start closing deals, standardize what works. Build a playbook similar to how a Hubspot sales team would document its process:

Hubspot-Inspired Playbook Components

Ideal customer profile: Clear definition with examples.
Discovery questions: The 10–15 questions that reliably uncover pain.
Messaging library: Proven email templates, call openers, and talk tracks.
Objection handling: Best responses for the top objections you hear.
Proof points: Case studies, metrics, and quotes specific to the new market.

Review this playbook regularly and keep refining it as you learn from new customers.

Using Hubspot Principles with External Partners

If you want help implementing this process, you can partner with specialists who understand CRM, automation, and go-to-market research. For example, Consultevo focuses on revenue operations and scalable sales processes, and you can bring a similar rigor to your own organization by blending strong research with disciplined execution.

Key Takeaways from the Hubspot Approach

Adapting the approach shared in the original Hubspot article gives you a practical way to find and win untapped markets:

Start with a crisp problem definition.
Use structured discovery interviews before selling.
Score segments to focus on the highest-value opportunities.
Build clean, segmented prospect lists.
Craft messaging rooted in the prospect’s own language.
Experiment, measure, and iterate quickly.
Document what works into a reusable playbook.

By following these steps, your team can move from guessing where opportunity exists to systematically discovering and capturing untapped markets using a disciplined, Hubspot-style methodology.

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