So, your team is growing fast and—surprise!—your “stack” is suddenly a shaky pile of tools, spreadsheets, and wishful thinking. You keep hearing about all-in-one B2B GTM software: maybe Beautiful, maybe a dozen others. The sales reps say their platform will fix everything. They won’t.
This guide is for folks who want to compare Beautiful vs. other B2B go-to-market (GTM) solutions, without getting lost in buzzwords or wasting hours on product demos that all sound the same. If you want clear steps, honest pros and cons, and a few shortcuts, you’re in the right place.
1. Get Clear on What Actually Matters
Before you get dazzled by slick UI or “AI-powered” filler, nail down what your team really needs.
Start with these questions:
- What are the top 2-3 bottlenecks in your GTM process? (Be specific: e.g., slow lead routing, messy reporting, poor handoff between sales and CS.)
- Who will really use this tool day to day? (Sales? Ops? Marketing? Everyone?)
- What do you need to see in the next quarter if this goes well?
Pro tip: Write these down and get buy-in from the folks who’ll actually use the software, not just leadership.
Ignore: Feature checklists from vendors. They all look impressive until you realize nobody on your team will use 80% of it.
2. Make a Shortlist: Beautiful and the Real Alternatives
There are more B2B GTM tools than you’ll ever demo. Don’t get analysis paralysis.
Beautiful is pitched as a unified GTM platform for high-growth teams—think pipeline management, forecasting, and automation, all in one place. (If you haven’t seen it, check out Beautiful.)
But you’ll want to compare it to:
- Point solutions: Tools like Outreach (sales engagement), HubSpot/Salesforce (CRM), or Gong (call analytics). These do one thing well.
- Other all-in-ones: Like Clari, Apollo, or Groove, which promise “end-to-end” GTM workflows.
- Your current stack: Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don’t, especially if your team’s already deep into something like Salesforce.
How to pick who to compare:
Shortlist 3-5 products max. If you can’t explain to your team why each is on the list, cut it.
3. Match Features to Real-World Use Cases
Vendors love to sell “capabilities.” You want solutions to actual team problems.
Map your needs to features:
| Need | Beautiful | Other All-in-ones | Point Solutions | |-----------------------|--------------------|-----------------------|---------------------| | Pipeline visibility | Strong | Varies | Weak (often manual) | | Forecasting | Built-in, automated| Sometimes manual | Siloed or absent | | Workflow automation | Native, flexible | Often clunky | Limited/siloed | | Integration | Modern APIs, open | Often limited | Varies, often weak | | UI/Usability | Clean, modern | Mixed bag | Usually simple | | Onboarding speed | Fast (weeks, not months) | Usually slow | Fast (but limited) |
What works:
- Unified platforms (like Beautiful) cut down on context-switching and manual work, but only if your team’s ready to adopt something new.
- Point solutions are safer if you have one glaring need and don’t want to rip up your whole stack.
What doesn’t:
- Frankenstein stacks. If you’re constantly exporting/importing CSVs or building Zapier workarounds, you’re wasting time.
- “AI” features that sound impressive but nobody uses.
4. Test for Real: Don’t Trust the Demo
A slick demo is easy. Living in the software every day is another story.
Run a real-world pilot:
- Give your top 2-3 options to the actual end users for 2-4 weeks.
- Set up a specific workflow: e.g., lead assignment, pipeline review, or reporting.
- Track how many steps it takes to get work done. If people are reaching for the old system (or Google Sheets), that’s a red flag.
Checklist for a good pilot: - Can you get up and running without a dedicated consultant? - Does the UI make sense to your least tech-savvy team member? - How painful is data migration? (Hint: It’s always harder than the vendor says.) - Do integrations really work, or do they break when you add real data?
Ignore: Vendor-run “guided trials” where they set up everything for you. You need to see how it works when your team’s on their own.
5. Dig Into Pricing and the Gotchas
Most B2B GTM platforms hide the real cost in “implementation” and “add-ons.” Be direct.
Ask for: - All-in pricing for your actual team size (including future growth). - What’s included vs. extra (support, API access, integrations). - Contract terms—can you quit if it’s not working? - Cost of onboarding and migration.
Beautiful and similar modern platforms usually have transparent pricing and faster onboarding, but always double-check what’s not included.
What works:
- Flat, predictable pricing. Credits and “consumption-based” models can backfire as your usage grows.
- Month-to-month or short-term contracts if you’re still figuring things out.
What doesn’t:
- Multi-year contracts unless you’re absolutely sure this is The One.
- Paying for features you don’t need just because they’re bundled in.
6. Get Honest References
Sales reps will always say “our customers love us.” You want to hear from folks who aren’t on the vendor’s reference list.
How to do it: - Ask your network: “Anyone actually using Beautiful (or X) for GTM? What’s the real story?” - Look for candid reviews in places like G2 and Reddit, but take extremes with a grain of salt. - If a vendor gives you a reference, push for someone whose situation matches yours (size, industry, sales model).
Red flags: - References who only talk about the sales process, not daily use. - “Case studies” that skip over the pain of onboarding or migration.
7. Plan for Change Management (the Boring But Critical Part)
Even the best tool flops if the team doesn’t buy in.
What helps: - Assign a clear owner for rollout and support—someone who’ll actually answer questions. - Build in time for training (yes, even if the UI is “intuitive”). - Set clear success metrics: e.g., “If pipeline updates drop by 80% after two weeks, it’s not working.”
What doesn’t: - Dumping a new platform on the team and hoping for the best. - Relying on vendor hype to drive adoption.
Keep It Simple—Iterate as You Grow
You can spend months benchmarking every feature, but at the end of the day, most high-growth teams need a tool that’s easy to use, fits their actual workflow, and doesn’t turn every problem into a “project.” Start with your real needs, test with real users, and don’t be afraid to keep things simple. If you get it 80% right, you’re ahead of the game—and you can always swap things out as you learn.
Don’t let the sea of “next-gen” GTM platforms slow you down. Pick what works, get using it, and fix what breaks as you go. That’s how real teams move fast—and stay sane.