If you're part of a B2B go-to-market (GTM) team, you’ve probably been told that revenue intelligence tools are the answer to your forecasting, pipeline, and data headaches. Maybe you’re eyeing Insightsquared, or maybe your inbox is full of slick pitches from Gong, Clari, Salesforce, and half a dozen others. Problem is, every vendor claims they’ll “revolutionize” your process. Most don’t say much about the day-to-day reality.
Here’s a practical guide to actually compare Insightsquared with other revenue intelligence tools—without getting lost in buzzwords, or buying something that’s overkill (or underwhelming) for your team.
1. Get Clear on What You Need Revenue Intelligence to Do
Before you even look at vendor features, get specific:
- What hurts right now? Is it forecasting accuracy? Pipeline visibility? Rep coaching? Data quality?
- Who’ll use it, and how? Sales managers? RevOps? C-level? If it’s just for leadership, that’s a different tool than if you want reps in the weeds daily.
- What’s your stack? Are you deep in Salesforce, HubSpot, or something more obscure? Integration headaches are real.
- How big is your team? Some tools are overkill for a 10-person team, but perfect for 200+.
Pro tip: Write down your top 3-5 “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.” If you can’t explain them to a non-sales friend, they’re probably too vague.
2. Know What Insightsquared Actually Does (and Doesn’t)
Insightsquared isn’t as famous as some competitors, but it’s built a solid rep around sales analytics, forecasting, and pipeline management—especially for teams who want to get serious about data (without hiring a data scientist).
What it’s good at: - Pipeline health reports that go deeper than what you get in standard CRM dashboards. - Forecasting (with some machine learning under the hood) that’s more transparent than the “black box” you’ll find with others. - Customizable reporting—great if you want to slice/dice by territory, product, or whatever. - Integrations with Salesforce and some marketing automation tools. Not as many plug-and-play connectors as the “big guys,” but enough for most B2B stacks.
Where it falls short: - Call recording and conversation intelligence: You won’t get the robust voice analysis and coaching tools you’d see with Gong or Chorus. - UI/UX: It’s gotten better, but it’s still more “data nerd” than “Apple slick.” Some sales teams love this, others bounce off it. - Implementation: Not the hardest, but you’ll want someone who can wrangle CRM fields and reports.
3. Stack Up the Key Features (and Ignore the Noise)
Every vendor will throw a giant features grid at you. Most of it’s fluff. Here’s what actually matters for B2B GTM teams:
Must-Haves to Compare:
- Forecasting accuracy and transparency: Can you see why the number is what it is? Or is it just “the algorithm says so”?
- Pipeline visibility: How easy is it to spot deals at risk, stuck stages, or sandbagging?
- CRM integration: Does it work with your actual setup, or just in theory?
- Reporting flexibility: Can you create the views you need, or are you stuck with canned reports?
- Data hygiene tools: Will it help you spot garbage data, duplicates, or missing fields?
Nice-to-Haves (Depending on Your Team):
- Conversation intelligence: If coaching reps on calls is a priority, look closely at Gong, Chorus, or Salesloft.
- Deal change tracking: Can you see how deals have moved (or haven’t) over time?
- Mobile access: If your team lives on their phones, don’t overlook this.
- User experience: Will actual salespeople use it, or is it just for ops nerds?
Stuff to Ignore (for Most Teams):
- AI claims without details: If they can’t show you how their AI works, assume it’s just a fancy filter.
- “Gamification” or “engagement scores”: Half-baked leaderboard features rarely move the needle.
- Vague “revenue signals”: If you can’t define it, you can’t act on it.
4. How to Actually Test Tools (Without Wasting Weeks)
Demos are designed to impress you. They rarely show you the ugly parts. Here’s how to kick the tires:
- Push for a real trial. If you can’t get hands-on, at least ask for a sandbox with your own data (even if it’s just a sample).
- Bring in actual users. Get a sales manager, a RevOps person, and a rep to poke around. Watch where they get stuck or roll their eyes.
- Try to break it. Change a deal stage, mess up a field, delete something. How does the tool handle it? Does it flag issues, or just let bad data slide?
- Check reporting speed. If you’re waiting 30 seconds for a dashboard, your team won’t use it.
- Ask “dumb” questions. How do I add a field? Can I report by product line? You’ll quickly see how flexible (or not) it is.
Pro tip: Record your screens during the trial. Share the pain points with the vendor—if they can’t give you a straight answer, that’s a red flag.
5. Price and Scalability: Don’t Fall for the Sticker Shock (or FOMO)
Revenue intelligence isn’t cheap. But “expensive” is relative. Here’s what to watch for:
- Per-seat pricing: Some tools charge for every user, even if you just want managers to have access.
- Data/storage limits: Watch for hidden fees if you want to keep lots of history.
- Implementation and support: Is there a setup fee? Will you need a consultant, or can you DIY?
- Annual lock-in: Month-to-month is rare, but worth asking for if you’re not 100% sure.
On scalability: - If you’re a 20-person sales team, don’t buy a tool built for 2,000. You’ll pay for features you’ll never use (and support that’s too slow to care). - If you expect to double in size soon, check how pricing and support change at higher tiers.
Don’t buy because “everyone else is.” The fanciest tool in the world won’t fix a broken process or bad data.
6. Honest Pros and Cons: Insightsquared vs. the Usual Suspects
You’re comparing Insightsquared, Gong, Clari, Salesforce, and maybe a few others. Here’s a no-nonsense summary:
Insightsquared
- Pros: Transparent forecasting, deep pipeline analytics, customizable reports, solid Salesforce integration.
- Cons: No voice/conversation analytics, less “sexy” UI, not as many integrations.
Gong/Chorus
- Pros: Best for conversation intelligence, call coaching, deal tracking driven by real conversations.
- Cons: More focused on sales calls than forecasting; pricier if all you want is reporting.
Clari
- Pros: End-to-end revenue operations, strong forecasting, deal inspection, works well at scale.
- Cons: Can be overwhelming for smaller teams, expensive, black-box AI.
Salesforce Revenue Intelligence
- Pros: Tightest CRM integration (no surprise), one less vendor to manage.
- Cons: Reporting can still be clunky, often needs a Salesforce admin to get the most out of it.
Others (People.ai, Salesloft, etc.)
- Usually strong in a niche (activity tracking, engagement scoring) but may not be a “one-stop shop.”
7. Make a Decision (and Don’t Overthink It)
Once you’ve lined up demos, trials, and real feedback, you’ll notice the differences become obvious fast. Here’s how to avoid decision paralysis:
- Pick the tool that solves your biggest pain point first. You can always add bells and whistles later.
- Prioritize adoption over features. The best tool is the one your team actually uses.
- Don’t buy for “future needs” you can’t define. Most tools let you add users or modules later.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Revenue intelligence isn’t magic. It’s a tool—sometimes a very useful one, sometimes just another dashboard. The trick is to focus on what you actually need, test honestly, and avoid getting dazzled by AI promises or fancy charts.
Start with your real-world pain points, choose the tool that addresses them best (even if it’s not the trendiest), and don’t be afraid to switch later if your team outgrows it. Simple wins, hype doesn’t.