Read this page as a quick path: scan the headings, use the step blocks, and escalate if the expected result does not happen.
Referral Factory’s HubSpot integration works within a single object type. If you configure the integration to create Contacts, your qualification rule must also be based on a Contact property. If you configure it to create Deals, your qualification rule must be based on a Deal stage.
You cannot create a Contact but qualify on a Deal stage change — those are two different object types and the integration cannot bridge them.
This catches businesses out because many have a workflow like:
Step 3 cannot trigger qualification if your integration is set to work with Contacts.
- Referred person joins → create a Contact in HubSpot
- Sales team works the contact → creates a Deal
- Deal reaches Closed Won → referral should qualify
Option 1: Switch to Deal-based integration
If your referral qualification should happen at a deal stage, configure the integration to create Deals (with an associated Contact) from the start. Then set your qualification rule to trigger when the deal reaches your target stage (e.g. Closed Won).
This is the cleanest solution if your sales process is fully deal-centric.
Option 2: Stay with Contacts and use HubSpot workflows
If you need to work with Contact objects but your conversion signal lives at the deal level, you can build a workaround inside HubSpot:
This adds complexity but keeps your CRM object model intact.
- Keep the Referral Factory integration set to create Contacts
- In HubSpot, create a workflow that triggers when a Deal reaches Closed Won
- In that workflow, update a custom Contact property on the associated contact — for example, set a custom property called
Referral StatustoQualified - In Referral Factory, set your qualification rule to trigger when that Contact property changes to
Qualified
Which option should I choose?
| Situation | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
| You want to keep things simple | Switch to Deal-based integration |
| Your other CRM workflows depend on Contact-based logic | Use HubSpot workflows workaround |