If you’re trying to pick the right B2B go-to-market software for data-driven decision making, you know the drill: sales decks, “magic” dashboards, and endless features you may never use. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype. This guide is for anyone who wants to cut through the noise—especially if you’re considering CB Insights alongside other tools. Whether you’re in sales ops, product, marketing, or leadership, here’s how to actually compare what matters.
1. Get Clear On What “Go to Market” Means for You
“Go to market” is one of those phrases everyone uses, but nobody defines the same way. For some, it’s sales prospecting. For others, it’s everything from market sizing to competitive tracking. Before you compare software, nail down what you really need. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a pricey tool that looks great in demos but gathers dust.
Ask yourself: - What decisions are you actually trying to make? (e.g., Who to target? Which markets to enter? How to beat competitors?) - Who will use this tool? (Sales, marketing, execs, all of the above?) - Do you need deep data, slick workflows, integrations, or just simple lists? - How often will you use it—daily, weekly, quarterly?
Pro tip: Write these out. You’ll thank yourself when vendors try to sell you “one platform to rule them all.”
2. Know What CB Insights—and Its Competitors—Actually Do
Most B2B go-to-market solutions pitch themselves as “data-driven.” That’s vague. Let’s get specific.
What CB Insights Does Well
CB Insights is best known for: - Deep data on private companies, funding, patents, and market trends - Research tools: market maps, competitive analysis, signals for emerging trends - Visualizations and reports that help you spot patterns - Strong in tech, venture, and startup ecosystems
If your job is to figure out where markets are moving or spot up-and-coming companies, CB Insights is solid. It’s less about daily sales prospecting and more about big-picture strategy.
What Other Tools Offer
Other popular B2B go-to-market tools include: - ZoomInfo, Lusha, Apollo.io: Focused on contact data, lead generation, and sales outreach. Great for sales teams, less useful for strategic market analysis. - Crunchbase: Similar to CB Insights, but lighter on research features and usually cheaper. Data quality can be hit-or-miss. - G2, TrustRadius: Good for software buying decisions (think peer reviews), not for market research or prospecting. - Gartner, Forrester: High-level trend reports and industry analysis—expensive, slow-moving, not interactive.
What to ignore: Any claims about “AI-powered insights” unless it’s clear what this actually means. Most of the time, it’s just fancier filtering, not real intelligence.
3. Compare on the Stuff That Matters (Not Just Features)
It’s easy to get distracted by shiny features. Instead, focus on these five criteria:
3.1 Data Quality and Coverage
- Breadth: Does the tool cover the industries, regions, and company sizes you care about?
- Depth: Just basic info, or details like funding history, product lines, org charts, intent data, and more?
- Freshness: How often is data updated? Stale data is worse than no data.
CB Insights: Excellent on private company and funding data, especially in tech. Less coverage for SMBs and non-tech sectors.
Others: ZoomInfo and Apollo.io win for up-to-date contact info; Crunchbase is decent for surface-level company data.
3.2 Usability and Workflow
- Search and filters: Can you actually find what you need, or are you lost in menus?
- Exporting and sharing: Is it easy to get data out, or are you trapped?
- Integrations: Does it plug into your CRM, analytics, or email? Or will you be copying and pasting all day?
CB Insights: Strong for research, but can be clunky for fast list-building or CRM workflows.
Others: Sales tools like ZoomInfo are built for speed; research-heavy tools like Gartner are slow but deep.
3.3 Pricing and Contracts
- Transparency: Can you see pricing, or do you need to talk to sales?
- Flexibility: Annual contracts only, or month-to-month?
- Hidden costs: Watch for limits on exports, seats, or data usage.
CB Insights: Not cheap. Pricing is opaque and geared toward enterprise deals. Budget accordingly.
Others: Crunchbase is affordable; ZoomInfo, Lusha, and other sales tools vary widely and love upsells.
3.4 Support and Updates
- Training: Is onboarding helpful, or do they dump you in the deep end?
- Support: Fast responses, or ticket black holes?
- Product updates: Does the tool improve, or feel stuck in time?
CB Insights: Good analyst support if you pay for premium. Basic users get less hand-holding.
Others: Varies a lot. Some sales tools have great chat support; others are “read the help doc and good luck.”
3.5 Signal vs. Noise
- Actionable insights: Does the tool surface real opportunities, or just throw data at you?
- Customization: Can you set up alerts, dashboards, or watchlists that matter to your team?
CB Insights: Better for surfacing market shifts than for “here’s your next lead.” Don’t expect it to spoon-feed you deals.
Others: Sales-focused tools are better at prompting action, but often bombard you with useless alerts.
4. Run a Hands-On Test (Don’t Trust Demos Alone)
Vendors make every tool look great in a demo. The only way to know if something works for you is to get your hands dirty.
How to do it: - Ask for a real trial, not just a guided tour. - Try to answer three real questions you have about your market, customers, or competitors. (If you can’t, that’s telling.) - Export a small data set—see what’s included and what’s missing. - Run through your actual workflow: search, filter, export, share. Is it smooth or clunky? - Bonus: Get someone less technical to try it. If they struggle, odds are your wider team will, too.
Red flag: If a vendor won’t give you a real trial, that’s a sign their tool is hard to use or the data is underwhelming.
5. Look for Real-World Results, Not Just Hype
Check for: - Case studies: Real ones, with names and numbers, not just “global financial services leader.” - Peer reviews: G2, TrustRadius, Reddit, or even LinkedIn posts—what do actual users say about data quality, support, and ROI? - Your own outcomes: After a few weeks, did the tool help you make a decision faster or better? Or did you just get another dashboard to ignore?
Tip: If you find yourself explaining away poor results (“we just haven’t had time to onboard…”), that’s a sign the tool may not fit.
6. Don’t Overthink It: Start Simple and Iterate
Here’s the honest truth: No tool is perfect. Most teams end up using a mix—maybe CB Insights for market research, ZoomInfo for prospecting, and Google Sheets for everything else. Don’t get paralyzed trying to find a unicorn platform.
Quick checklist: - Define your real needs. - Test top candidates on your own use cases. - Ignore features you’ll never use. - Start small, see what works, and build from there.
You can always add or swap tools later. The goal isn’t to buy software—it’s to make smarter decisions, faster.
Summary
Comparing CB Insights and other B2B go-to-market solutions isn’t about chasing the fanciest features or biggest promises. It’s about finding the tool that helps your team answer the questions that matter, without slowing you down. Stay skeptical, test for yourself, and don’t be afraid to keep things simple. The best stack is the one your team actually uses.