Can't Compare "Budget vs. Actuals" in HubSpot? A Trick to Dynamically Compare Two Numbers & Create Conditional Branches in Workflows

First, let's organize what you "can do" and "cannot do" with HubSpot's standard workflow features.

What You Can Do (Standard Features)

In standard triggers and If/Then branches, comparison with a "Fixed Value" is possible.

• Is "Deal Amount" greater than or equal to "1 million yen"?
• Is "Number of Employees" less than "50"?

This is a comparison of "Property A vs. Fixed Number."

What You Cannot Do (Limits of Standard Features)

On the other hand, what it struggles with is the comparison between "Dynamic Values (Properties)."

• Is "Quote Amount" greater than "Budget Cap (Property Value)"?
• Is "Current NPS Score" higher than "Previous NPS Score"?
• Has "Acquired Leads" reached "Target Leads"?

In this way, if the target number for comparison differs for each contact or deal, standard features cannot create conditional branches. While this is possible by writing custom code with an Operations Hub Professional plan or higher, it requires engineering resources, making the hurdle high for many marketers and Sales Ops.

Note: By using Custom Code Actions, it is possible to directly reference object properties via the HubSpot API or retrieve/set property values. This allows for flexible manipulation of property values using custom code within workflows, enabling API-based property management and output field control.

2. Why Do Users Want to "Compare Numbers"?

Why is there such a high need to "compare properties against each other" rather than using fixed values? It is because "Relative Evaluation" is essential in business settings.

Reason ①: Automate with Individual Criteria (Personalization)

"Budget" and "Expectations" differ for each customer. Instead of a uniform "Alert if over 1 million yen," flexible automation tailored to the partner's situation (property value), such as "Alert if it exceeds that customer's budget," is required.

Reason ②: Data Integrity Check (Validation)

To prevent input errors, there is a need to cross-check two input items, such as whether the "Discount Amount" exceeds the "Approved Cap." If this can be automated, rework in approval flows can be drastically reduced.

Reason ③: Detection of Change (Trend Analysis)

This applies when you want to compare "Last Month" vs. "This Month" numbers to judge if things are improving or worsening. It enables actions triggered not just by recording numbers, but by the "Direction" of change (e.g., sending a coupon only to customers whose usage frequency dropped).

3. Specific Use Cases

Here are three specific use cases on how utilizing the "Number Comparison Action" introduced here can improve your operations. You can easily realize a flow where you use the Number Comparison Action in a workflow to set properties, input comparison conditions, check results, and select the next action to proceed.

Case A: Budget Management and Cost Overrun Alert

In the Deal object, compare the "Order Amount" property and the "Outsourcing Budget" property. If Order Amount < Outsourcing Budget (meaning a risk of deficit), you can enable risk management such as automatically sending an approval request chat to a manager or moving the deal stage to "Need Review."

Case B: Branching for Custom Scoring via Custom Code Actions

This applies if you have your own "Behavior Score" and "Attribute Score" separate from the standard HubSpot Score. You can detect the timing when "Behavior Score" exceeds "Attribute Score" (e.g., a segment with high enthusiasm but perhaps outside the target attributes) and route them to a marketing email nurturing path instead of inside sales, enabling advanced sorting.

Case C: Inventory Allocation Check

If you manage inventory with Custom Objects, compare "Order Quantity" and "Current Inventory." If Order Quantity ≦ Current Inventory, proceed to "Shipment Instruction." Otherwise, change the status to "Awaiting Stock" and notify the procurement department. By building such logic, you can utilize HubSpot like a simple Order Management System (OMS).

How to Create a Workflow

Leveraging HubSpot's workflow features allows you to automate daily business processes and improve efficiency. Here is the basic flow for creating a workflow in HubSpot.

1. First, clarify the purpose and target of the workflow. Set a goal tailored to your operations, such as "Automatically send follow-up emails to new leads" or "Assign tasks to sales reps when a deal is closed."
2. Next, from the HubSpot dashboard, click "Workflows" and select "Create workflow." Here, choose the type of workflow that suits your purpose, such as Contact-based, Deal-based, or Company-based.
3. Once the workflow type is selected, set the Trigger (Enrollment Criteria). You can trigger based on specific actions or data changes, such as "When a form is submitted" or "When a deal stage changes."
4. Then, add the Actions you want to execute within the workflow. Options include sending emails, creating tasks, updating property values, or syncing data with other systems. Select necessary actions and configure the details for each.
5. When all settings are complete, Activate (Turn On) the workflow. Now, actions will automatically execute based on the set conditions. Mastering HubSpot's workflow features can significantly streamline your daily operations.

4. How Can This Be Achieved with Workflow Features?

To break through the walls of HubSpot's standard features, the third-party app "Number Comparison Action" was developed.

Installing this app adds a dedicated action to "Compare two numbers and output the result" to your workflow action selection screen. It is set up using the following procedure.

Setup is Surprisingly Simple

Complex formulas or code are not required. Setup is completed with an intuitive UI.

1. Add Action: Place the "Number Comparison Action" at the timing you want to compare within the workflow.
2. Select Logic: Choose the comparison method.
   
   • Greater than
   • Greater than or equal
   • Less than
   • Equal, etc.
3. Select Comparison Targets:
   
   • Base Number: Select a property (e.g., Budget Cap)
   • Comparison Number: Select another property (e.g., Quote Amount) or input a fixed value.
4. Create Branching: When the action executes, a value like yes or no (or true / false) is output as the comparison result. By placing an "If/Then Branch" action immediately after and referencing this output result, you can easily create routes for "When condition is met" and "When condition is not met."

Just with this, dynamic numerical comparison that differs for each record, like "Person A's Budget" vs. "Person A's Actuals," becomes possible.

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▼ Details & Installation Here How to compare values in HubSpot workflows

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Workflow Management

Continuous management is important even after creating a workflow. Utilize HubSpot's workflow management features to maintain optimal automation at all times.

First, check the execution status of workflows regularly to verify if actions are working as expected. In the workflow dashboard, you can see the progress and any errors for each workflow at a glance. If an error is displayed, check the content immediately and correct settings as needed.

Also, it is important to edit workflow content in response to changes in business operations or flows. You can easily add/delete actions or change conditions from the workflow editor. This ensures automation based on the latest business processes.

Delete workflows that are no longer needed to maintain system performance. It is safe to back up workflow settings before deletion. In HubSpot, you can export and save workflow settings, allowing for quick recovery in case of issues.

In this way, by thoroughly managing workflows, you can maximize the use of HubSpot's features and continuously promote operational efficiency and automation. Please check your workflow operation status regularly.

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We'll Build What You "Wanted to Do" — The Potential of a Development Request

The "Contact Search Action" we introduced is a powerful tool for expanding HubSpot's potential. However, every company's business process is unique. This action alone might not satisfy 100% of your specific needs.

"I don't want to search Contacts; I need to search Custom Objects.""I need to search data from our external database, not just HubSpot.""I need to not only search, but also process and aggregate the results with a specific logic and write them to another object."

You may be feeling the "limits of a packaged solution."

The "If It Doesn't Exist, Build It" Mindset

If the bottleneck in your marketing or operations is a specific "missing feature" in HubSpot, you have the option to fill that gap with custom development. This is where HubSpot's extensibility and flexible API truly shine.

Your daily manual tasks, your exports and imports to spreadsheets, your visual data checks... all of that inefficient work might be completely automatable by developing just one "Custom Workflow Action" built specifically for your company.

Please Consult With Us

• "I want to build this workflow, but I can't with standard features."
• "If only I could get that piece of data into my workflow, I could automate this whole process."
• "I want to automate this manual task, but the functions I need are missing."

If you're hitting a wall with your HubSpot operations, it's too early to give up.At Tech-Father, we specialize in developing the exact custom workflow actions that solve these "pain points." From general-purpose actions like the "Contact Search Action" to fully custom logic optimized for your unique business processes, we can provide a wide range of solutions.

Why not start by telling us what you've "always wanted to do"?We can propose the optimal solution to solve your challenge, whether it's a workaround with standard functions, utilizing an existing add-on, or building a completely custom solution from scratch.

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The Power of Custom Development: Turning "Can't" into "Can" in HubSpot

The "Marketing Event Recommend Action" featured here is just one example of how HubSpot's capabilities can be extended.

The key takeaway is this: you don't have to give up just because a standard HubSpot feature is missing. The option to "achieve it with custom development" exists.

• "I want to create a bi-directional data sync between my internal system and HubSpot."
• "I need to run complex, proprietary calculations (like a custom lead score) inside a workflow."
• "I must integrate with our niche industry SaaS via API and write data back to contact properties."

HubSpot has an open API and is extremely flexible for customization. However, unlocking its full potential requires specialized development skills and a deep understanding of both the HubSpot platform and its API.

If you are using HubSpot and find yourself thinking, "If only I had this one feature, my operations would improve dramatically," or "If only I could connect this system, our data utilization would be next-level," you don't have to give up on "if only."

Why not discuss your development request with a specialist who can turn that "can't" into "can"?

The action introduced today was developed by Tech-Father Inc., a company specializing in exactly this kind of HubSpot customization.

They provide solutions that address those specific "pain points" in HubSpot, from custom workflow action development to external system API integrations.

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