---
title: Competitor Tracking System in HubSpot
type: article
created: '2026-04-05'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2025-10-14-bluepoint-hubspot-93990872.md
tags:
- hubspot
- crm
- competitor-tracking
- strategy
- company-records
- custom-properties
layer: 2
client_source: null
industry_context: null
transferable: true
---

# Competitor Tracking System in HubSpot

## Overview

HubSpot's company records can serve as a centralized competitor intelligence database. By creating company records for competitor locations and venues — and adding custom fields to track account status — teams can maintain a living map of the competitive landscape without relying on scattered spreadsheets, Google Drive folders, or memory.

The core principle: **HubSpot as single source of truth**. Any competitive intelligence gathered (news alerts, field reports, customer tips) should be logged directly into the relevant company record so it's searchable, filterable, and visible to the whole team.

---

## The Pattern

### 1. Create Company Records for Venues and Locations

Rather than tracking only direct competitors as companies, create records for the **venues and locations** where ATMs (or equivalent placements) are deployed. Each venue becomes a company record.

This allows you to answer questions like:
- Who currently has the account at this venue?
- Which venues are served by a specific competitor?
- Which venues have no vendor at all (opportunity)?

### 2. Add a Custom "Account Status" Field

Create a dropdown property on the Company object called something like **Account Status** with values such as:

| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Our Account | BluePoint currently holds this placement |
| Competitor Account | A competitor holds this placement |
| No Vendor | No ATM/service provider currently present |
| Not a Target | Venue is not worth pursuing |

This field enables filtered views and segmentation across the entire venue database.

### 3. Add a "Competitor" Field (Conditional)

When Account Status is set to "Competitor Account," a second dropdown field — **Competitor Name** — captures which specific competitor holds the account. With only ~4 major competitors in the space, a simple dropdown is sufficient.

This enables views like: *"Show me all venues where Competitor X has a placement."*

### 4. Log Intelligence Directly to Company Records

Use the company record's notes and activity feed to capture competitive intelligence as it arrives:

- **Google Alerts**: Set up alerts for each competitor's name. When an alert fires, paste the relevant excerpt into the company or competitor record.
- **Field reports**: If a sales rep spots a competitor's machine at a venue, they update the Account Status field and log a note.
- **Customer tips**: If a prospect mentions a competitor, log it immediately.

This keeps all context in one place and eliminates the "I know we talked about this somewhere" problem.

---

## Implementation Steps

1. **Create custom properties** on the Company object:
   - `Account Status` (dropdown)
   - `Competitor Name` (dropdown, conditionally relevant)

2. **Create company records** for known venues and competitor organizations.

3. **Build a "Competitors" segment/view** filtered by Account Status = Competitor Account, with Competitor Name as a column.

4. **Set up Google Alerts** for each major competitor and establish a habit of pasting relevant news into HubSpot records.

5. **Optionally import** a purchased list of ATM locations and bulk-tag records by account status.

---

## Example Use Case

> BluePoint learns that a competitor just signed the Milwaukee Brewers stadium. A team member opens (or creates) the company record for American Family Field, sets Account Status → "Competitor Account," sets Competitor Name → "[Competitor]," and pastes a note with the source. Now any team member can pull up that venue and immediately know the situation — no email thread required.

*Source: [[clients/bluepoint-atm/meetings/2025-10-14-hubspot-training]]*

---

## Related Articles

- [[knowledge/hubspot/contact-record-customization]]
- [[knowledge/hubspot/workflow-automation-overview]]
- [[knowledge/hubspot/hubspot-as-single-source-of-truth]]
- [[clients/bluepoint-atm/_index]]