If chasing down renewals feels like Groundhog Day—same emails, same reminders, same last-minute chaos—this guide’s for you. Whether you’re in Sales Ops, RevOps, or just the unlucky soul who owns contract renewals, you’ll learn how to get rid of most of the grunt work using Dealhub. No fluff, just the stuff that actually saves you (and your team) hours.
Let’s get into it.
1. Map Out Your Actual Renewal Process (Don’t Skip This)
Before you start clicking around in Dealhub, step back and write down how renewals really happen today. Not the “official” process, but what people actually do.
Grab a notepad and jot down: - When do you start renewal outreach? (30/60/90 days out? Or when someone yells?) - Who’s involved? (AE, CSM, legal, finance…) - What’s sent to the customer? (Quote, new contract, reminders) - Where does info live? (CRM, spreadsheets, inboxes) - What’s the #1 thing that causes delays?
Pro tip: Keep it simple. If your current process is a mess, don’t try to automate every edge case. Focus on your typical renewal flow first. You can always get fancier later.
2. Get the Right Data into Dealhub
Dealhub isn’t magic. It needs the right data—like contract end dates, account owners, and product details—to work its automation mojo.
What you need: - Active contracts with start/end dates - Customer contacts (who gets the renewal notice?) - Product/service info (what are they renewing, and at what price?) - Any custom terms or add-ons
Where to get it: - CRM sync: If your Salesforce/HubSpot data is solid, set up the integration and let Dealhub pull from there. - Manual import: If your CRM is a dumpster fire, you can upload a spreadsheet. Get it clean first—garbage in, garbage out.
Don’t: Try to automate with incomplete or messy data. It’s tempting, but you’ll just create more headaches.
3. Build Your Renewal Playbook in Dealhub
A “playbook” is Dealhub’s term for a guided workflow. For renewals, build a playbook that matches your mapped process.
At a minimum, your playbook should: - Trigger based on contract end date (e.g., 90 days out) - Assign the renewal to the right rep or team - Generate a draft renewal quote or proposal (pulling in latest pricing/terms) - Send an internal alert for review (if needed) - Email the renewal quote to the customer (automatically, or with a manual send)
How to do it: 1. Start with Dealhub’s renewal template. Don’t reinvent the wheel—customize it as needed. 2. Set your triggers. Usually, this is a date field (“contract end date minus 90 days”). 3. Configure actions. Who gets notified? What’s generated? What’s sent? 4. Test it with a dummy deal. Don’t skip this. Nothing exposes broken logic like a real test.
Pro tip: Keep your first playbook basic. Get it running before you try to handle exceptions (like customers with special pricing or odd renewal terms).
4. Automate Notifications and Tasks
The human brain is a terrible reminder system. Let Dealhub handle the nagging.
Set up: - Auto-notifications for upcoming renewals. These should go to account owners first, then escalate if ignored. - Task assignments in your CRM or project tool (if you use one). - Optional: Personalized customer reminders (just don’t overdo it—nobody likes spam).
Reality check: Over-automating communication can feel robotic to customers. It’s fine to automate the internal reminders, but keep customer emails human (or at least, let a rep review before sending).
5. Generate, Approve, and Send Renewal Documents
Here’s where most renewal processes get stuck: document hell. Dealhub can generate quotes/contracts automatically, but you need to set up templates first.
What to do: - Create renewal document templates (quote, agreement, etc.) in Dealhub. - Use merge fields for customer name, products, pricing, dates, etc. - Set up approval workflows for special cases (discounts, custom terms).
What works: - Standard renewals with no changes = pure automation bliss. - Complex renewals (big changes, custom terms) = route for manual review.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time automating edge-case documents until you’ve nailed the basic flow. Let those go manual for now.
6. Sync Updates to Your CRM (and Avoid Double Work)
Once a renewal goes out (or closes), make sure your CRM stays in sync. Otherwise, you’ll end up with two sources of truth and a lot of confusion.
How to do it: - Map Dealhub fields to CRM fields (opportunity stage, renewal amount, close date, etc.). - Set up automatic updates when a renewal is sent, signed, or lost. - Create reports in your CRM to track renewal pipeline and outcomes.
Heads up: CRM syncs are only as reliable as your mapping. Double-check field names and test edge cases before rolling out to everyone.
7. Track, Report, and Improve
Automation isn’t “set it and forget it.” Use Dealhub’s dashboards (or your CRM’s) to see what’s working and what’s falling through the cracks.
Track: - Renewals generated vs. sent vs. closed - Bottlenecks (where do deals stall?) - Time-to-renewal (how long from kickoff to signature?) - Win/loss reasons (why do deals fall through?)
What to do with this info: - Fix the steps that slow things down (too many approvals, unclear emails, etc.) - Cut out unnecessary steps or notifications - Share learnings with your team—nobody likes surprises at quarter-end
Honesty Break: What Dealhub Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Automate
There’s a limit to what you can (and should) automate: - Bad data: If your CRM is a mess, fix that first. - Relationship stuff: No automation replaces actual customer conversations. - Edge cases: High-value, super-complex renewals usually need human eyes.
Don’t fall for “fully automated” promises. You’ll always need a human in the loop for weird deals, special customers, or when things go sideways.
Final Thoughts: Start Simple, Iterate Often
Automating renewals in Dealhub can save serious hours and headaches—as long as you keep it grounded. Start with the basics, get feedback, and improve as you go. Don’t chase perfection on day one. The best workflow is the one your team actually uses.
Remember: it’s better to have a simple, working system than a fancy one nobody trusts. Automate the boring stuff, and free up your team for the parts that actually need a human touch.
Now, go reclaim your calendar.