Creating Political Deals in HubSpot

A deal represents an active business opportunity that the Political practice is pursuing.

Create a deal as soon as you begin actively pitching work or responding to an RFP. Once a deal is created, it becomes part of the Political practice's revenue forecast and should be maintained until the opportunity is won, lost, or otherwise closed.

Unlike other business units, the Political practice uses a custom pipeline, custom probability model, and several political-specific properties to reflect the unique nature of election work. This guide walks through those requirements and explains how to create deals consistently.

Leads vs. Deals

Not every opportunity belongs in the Political pipeline immediately.

Use a Lead when you're cultivating a relationship or tracking a future opportunity that isn't yet an active pursuit. Leads help you remember to follow up, but they are not included in revenue forecasts.

Create a Deal once you've begun actively pursuing the work—for example, after submitting an RFP, making a pitch, or otherwise competing for the business. Deals are included in forecasting and should be updated until the opportunity is won or lost.

Before You Start

Keep these principles in mind when creating Political deals.

One deal = one opportunity.
Each deal should represent a single opportunity to win work. For example:

• Primary and General elections should be tracked as separate Deals.
• Each candidate supported by a PAC, party committee, or other umbrella client should have its own Deal, even if the parent client remains the same.

Use your best estimate.
Budgets, timelines, and probabilities are expected to evolve. Enter your best reasonable estimate today rather than waiting for perfect information.

Forecasts are expected to evolve.
HubSpot is designed to reflect the team's current understanding of the pipeline. Updating a Deal as new information becomes available is expected—and encouraged.

Update the deal as circumstances change.
Creating the Deal is only the beginning. You'll continue updating it through the weekly review process until the opportunity is complete.

Before You Create a Deal

Before creating a deal, make sure you have:

• Identified the organization that will contract with and pay Orchestra (this may be different from the candidate or campaign you are supporting).
• Determined whether the client already exists in HubSpot.
• Estimated a preliminary gross budget.
• Identified the relevant election date.
• Determined whether this is an active opportunity (Deal) or an early-stage prospect (Lead).

Creating a Political Deal

Once you're ready to begin pursuing an opportunity, follow these steps to create a new Deal.

Step 1: Find the Company

Search for the organization that will contract with and pay Orchestra.

If no Company record exists yet, open the appropriate TBA Political Work Company for the relevant state and create the Deal there temporarily.

Step 2: Create the Deal

From the Company record, select Create Deal.

Choose the Political pipeline and enter the required information.

At a minimum, you'll need to provide:

• Deal name
• Estimated gross budget
• Election date
• Pipeline stage
• Probability
• Deal source (if applicable)

HubSpot uses the election date to automatically estimate the initial timing of the work, which can be refined later as more information becomes available.

Step 3: Review Your Deal

Before saving, verify that:

• The Deal is associated with the correct Company.
• The estimated budget reflects your current best estimate.
• The election date is correct.
• The Deal stage and probability accurately reflect where the opportunity stands today.

Remember that every Deal contributes to the Political practice's forecast, so accuracy is more important than perfection. Estimates can—and should—be updated as circumstances change.

Political Pipeline Stages

The Political practice uses a custom pipeline.

Unlike other teams, these stages do not automatically determine forecast confidence. You must update probability separately.

Deal Probabilities

Use only the approved probability values:

Choose the probability that best reflects your confidence in winning the client at the projected revenue amount—not the candidate winning the election.

Political-Specific Best Practices

Primary vs. General Elections
Create separate Deals for primary and general election work. Each represents a distinct opportunity and should be forecasted independently.

Multi-District or Umbrella Clients
For organizations such as party committees or PACs that support multiple candidates:

• Begin with a placeholder Deal if districts or candidates haven't been assigned.

• Once assignments are known, replace the placeholder with individual Deals for each candidate or district.

• Associate each Deal with the same parent Company to avoid double-counting revenue.

Future Election Cycles
Keep long-term relationship management in Leads until you're actively pursuing the work. Once you begin pitching or responding to an opportunity—even if the work won't begin until a future election cycle—create a Deal.

TBA Political Work Companies
If a campaign or client doesn't yet have a Company record in HubSpot, create the Deal under the appropriate TBA Political Work Company for that state. Update the association once the permanent Company record has been created.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I create a Deal instead of a Lead?
Create a Deal once you're actively pursuing work—for example, after making a pitch, responding to an RFP, or otherwise competing for the business. Use a Lead for early-stage relationship management or future opportunities that aren't yet forecastable.

What if I don't know the final budget?
Don't wait. Create the Deal using your best reasonable estimate and update it as more information becomes available.

Should I use gross or net revenue?
Always enter the gross budget when creating or updating Political Deals.

The campaign hasn't announced yet. How do I create the Deal?
Create the Deal under the appropriate TBA Political Work Company for that state. Once the campaign has an official Company record in HubSpot, the Deal can be reassociated.

Should a primary and general election be one Deal or two?
Create separate Deals. Each election represents a separate opportunity and should be forecasted independently.

We have one client funding multiple candidates. How should I structure that?
Create separate Deals for each candidate or district and associate them with the same parent Company. If candidates haven't been assigned yet, use a temporary placeholder Deal until they are.

What if the work won't start until the next election cycle?
If you're actively pitching or have won the work, create a Deal—even if revenue won't be recognized until a future cycle. If you're simply maintaining the relationship, keep it as a Lead until the opportunity becomes active.

What if my estimates change after I create the Deal?
That's expected. Budgets, probabilities, dates, and other Deal details should be updated as new information becomes available.

Who is responsible for maintaining Deal information?
The Deal Owner is responsible for keeping the opportunity accurate throughout its lifecycle, including updating key properties and completing the weekly review process.

Do I need to update the Deal every time something changes?
Update significant changes as they happen whenever possible. Every active Deal should also be reviewed during the weekly Thursday review.