Answer more RFQs faster and learn which machine shop customers pay off
Your shop ERP knows the routings, the hours and the jobs. It usually doesn't know which RFQs are still open, who to follow up with, or which customers are worth chasing. We set up HubSpot to handle that part and connect it to the ERP.
Free, 30 minutes, and you'll leave with at least one clear next step.
How job shops lose work they could have won
We hear these from shop owners and estimators again and again.
RFQs arrive everywhere
Emails to the owner, uploads to a portal, drawings sent to an estimator's personal address. Some get quoted late and some never get quoted.
Quotes go out with no call back
The estimator moves to the next RFQ. The buyer picks the shop that checked in.
Lost quotes have no reason recorded
Price, lead time, capability or no answer. Without a reason, you can't tell which work to stop quoting.
Big customers might be losing you money
Your ERP has actual hours, but they never get compared to what was quoted, customer by customer.
Where do RFQs get stuck?
In most shops, the first delay is intake. An RFQ lands in someone's inbox, waits for the right person to see it, then waits again for the estimator to have time. Buyers notice. A shop that turns quotes around in two days often wins work from one that takes two weeks, even at a slightly higher price.
We set up one RFQ inbox or web form that creates a record in HubSpot with the customer, the drawings and a due date. The estimator gets a task. Managers see every open RFQ by age and by estimator, and the ones close to their due date stand out.
What HubSpot handles, and what your shop ERP keeps
Most shops run JobBOSS, E2, ProShop or a similar system. It stays in charge of the shop floor.
HubSpot governs
- RFQs and their due dates
- Buyers, engineers and their companies
- Quotes in progress and follow-up
- Win or loss reasons
- Marketing to new and lapsed customers
Shared, synced one way
- Won quote becomes a job CRM to ERP
- Customer account, once created ERP to CRM
- Order history by customer ERP to CRM
- Quoted against actual hours per job ERP to CRM
Shop ERP governs
- Estimates, routings and rates
- Jobs, travelers and schedules
- Materials and purchasing
- Actual hours on each job
- Shipping and invoices
Which customers are actually profitable?
This is the question most shop owners can't answer quickly. Your ERP holds quoted hours and actual hours for each job. Bring a summary of that into HubSpot by customer, and you can see which accounts consistently run over and which run to plan.
Put that next to win rate and order volume, and quoting decisions get easier. You might quote one customer more carefully, raise prices for another, or go after more work like the jobs that always run clean.
Keep the summary simple. Quoted hours, actual hours and the gap, per customer, each quarter. Sales doesn't need routing detail in the CRM.
From RFQ to repeat order
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RFQ logged
One inbox or form creates the record, with drawings attached and a due date set.
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Quote sent
The amount and lead time from your ERP estimate go on the record, and follow-up starts.
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Follow-up
A call task a few days after sending, then reminders until the buyer decides.
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Won or lost
Won quotes become jobs in the ERP. Lost quotes record a reason.
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Reorder watch
When a repeat customer goes longer than usual without an order, the rep gets a task.
What we've done that's closest
We haven't published a machine shop case study. The closest is a custom power systems manufacturer whose sales ran on manual steps, spreadsheets and Salesforce. We moved it to HubSpot and sorted out the link to its ERP, so both systems show the same customers and orders. It kept working with us afterward on quoting and ERP reporting, which is the same ground a job shop needs covered.
A job shop is smaller and faster, but the fix is similar. Get every RFQ into one place, follow up on every quote and let the ERP tell sales what it already knows. Our guide to connecting HubSpot to your ERP covers the decisions involved.
Machine shops questions
Does HubSpot connect to JobBOSS or E2?
Not always with a ready-made app. Most shops use a connector tool or a custom build against the ERP's database or API. We confirm what your version supports before quoting the work.
How do we track RFQ turnaround time?
Record when each RFQ arrives and when the quote goes out. HubSpot reports the gap by estimator and by customer.
Can HubSpot show quoted against actual hours by customer?
Yes, if your ERP tracks actual hours. We bring a summary per job or per customer into HubSpot so sales can see which accounts run over.
Should a small machine shop bother with a CRM?
If you quote more than a handful of RFQs a week or have more than one estimator, yes. Below that, a shared inbox and a simple list may be enough.
How often should we follow up on a machining quote?
A call or email a few days after sending, then a reminder near the buyer's decision date. One polite check-in wins work that silence loses.
What should we do with RFQs we decline?
Log them with a reason, such as capacity, capability or price. Over time you'll see which customers send work that fits your shop.
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Count last month's RFQs with us
We'll count how many got quoted, how fast and how many got a follow-up, and show you where we'd start.