If you’re trying to pick the right software to take the grunt work out of B2B sales outreach, you’ve probably seen a dizzying number of tools promising to “revolutionize your GTM strategy.” The reality? Most of them do about 80% of the same stuff—and it’s the last 20% that’ll actually make your life easier (or make you want to rip your hair out). This guide is for founders, sales leaders, or anyone on the hook for results who wants a no-nonsense way to figure out if Mailstand or another GTM tool is actually the right fit.
Let’s cut through the features lists and look at what really matters.
1. Get Clear on Your Real Needs (Not Just “More Meetings”)
Before you start comparing tools, get specific about your actual pain points. “Streamline sales outreach” sounds nice, but what’s the bottleneck?
Ask yourself: - Are you drowning in manual follow-ups? - Is your team struggling to personalize outreach at scale? - Are you fighting with your CRM just to track replies? - Do you need to avoid getting your domains blacklisted? - Is your outreach limited by how many inboxes/accounts you can use?
Pro tip: Write down your top 3 headaches. If a tool doesn’t address them, move on.
2. Identify the True “GTM” Tools (and Ignore the Pretenders)
Lots of products call themselves “B2B GTM” (go-to-market) tools, but not all of them actually help with outbound sales. Here’s how to sniff out the real deal:
- True GTM/Outreach Tools: Think Mailstand, Outreach, Apollo, Reply.io, Woodpecker. These actually send emails, automate sequences, and help you manage multiple inboxes.
- Pretenders: “Sales Enablement” platforms that mainly organize assets, or CRM add-ons that do a bit of automation but aren’t built for sending campaigns at scale.
What to ignore:
Fancy dashboards, “AI insights” with no clear use case, or “revenue intelligence” features that won’t move the needle for your team size.
3. Compare the Core Features That Actually Matter
Don’t get lost in endless checklists. Focus on the stuff that’ll make or break your workflow:
a. Email Deliverability & Domain Management
- How many inboxes can you connect? (Mailstand is strong here—great for teams that want to rotate multiple domains/inboxes to avoid spam filters.)
- Does it help you warm up new domains? Some tools include automated warm-up; others expect you to DIY.
- Delivery monitoring: Can you see if your emails are landing in spam?
What to watch for:
Some tools brag about “unlimited sending” but don’t lift a finger to protect your sender reputation. That’s a shortcut to your emails going straight to junk.
b. Personalization & Automation
- Dynamic fields: Can you use custom variables in your emails beyond just “First Name”?
- Conditional logic: Can you branch sequences based on responses or engagement?
- Templates vs. true automation: A lot of tools claim to “personalize at scale” but just mean mail merge.
Mailstand’s take:
Mailstand lets you automate inbox rotation and personalize emails using dynamic fields. It’s not as heavy on AI bells and whistles as some bigger players, but it covers the bases most teams actually use.
c. Reply & Lead Tracking
- Unified inbox: Can you see and reply to all outreach emails in one place, or do you need to keep hopping between accounts?
- Lead management: Does it sync with your CRM, or do you end up copying and pasting data?
- Threaded conversations: Can you track the back-and-forth, or do replies get lost?
d. Sequence Building & Scheduling
- Multi-touch sequences: Can you set up complex outreach flows (email, follow-up, pause on reply, etc.)?
- Send time optimization: Does the tool help you avoid blasting everyone at the same time?
- A/B testing: Can you test different versions easily, or is it a pain?
4. Look for Straightforward Pricing (and Hidden Gotchas)
Plenty of tools look cheap—until you realize you need to pay extra for each inbox, user, or “premium support.”
- Mailstand: Pricing is predictable and built for scale (especially if you need lots of inboxes).
- Others: Some charge by number of contacts, users, or even emails sent per month. Watch out for “starter” plans that are useless for real outreach.
What to ignore:
Don’t get distracted by “free trial” offers if the base plan won’t actually support your workflow.
5. Test Out the Workflow (Don’t Trust Demos Alone)
Sales tool demos always look slick—but you won’t know if a tool fits your process until you actually try it.
- Set up a real campaign (or a close dummy version). How long does it take?
- Add your actual team members. Is onboarding painless, or do you end up in a maze of permissions?
- Send test emails. Do they land in inboxes, or go to spam?
- Check reporting. Can you see what you need at a glance, or are you drowning in vanity metrics?
Pro tip:
If you’re stuck after 30 minutes of setup, the tool probably isn’t built for teams like yours.
6. Don’t Get Sucked Into “AI” Features Unless They’re Useful
Every outreach tool now touts “AI personalization,” “AI scoring,” or “AI sequence builder.” Some of it is genuinely helpful (think: suggesting better subject lines), but a lot of it is window dressing.
Questions to ask: - Can you actually use the AI features, or do they just spit out generic copy? - Does it save you time, or just add another step? - Are you paying a premium for “AI” that you’ll never use?
Mailstand, for example, doesn’t go overboard with AI. If you actually need deep content suggestions or analytics, look closely at how each tool implements them—don’t take the marketing at face value.
7. Assess Support and Community (When Things Go Wrong)
Stuff breaks. Deliverability tanks. You’ll need help. Here’s what to look for:
- Real human support: Can you get chat or email help in a pinch?
- Documentation: Is it actually useful, or just a bunch of screenshots?
- Community: Are there active forums or user groups where you can swap tips?
What to ignore:
Slick “customer success” promises with no clear way to actually get help.
8. Make Your Shortlist and Avoid Analysis Paralysis
Once you’ve compared features, pricing, and support, narrow it down to two or three tools. Don’t get stuck in endless spreadsheet hell.
- Run a side-by-side test: Try each tool for a week, with a real use case.
- Trust your gut: If a tool feels clunky, your team will hate it even more.
Bottom Line: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Chase Shiny Objects
No tool will magically fix a broken process or turn bad lists into meetings. The right B2B GTM software should get out of your way and let you focus on what matters—building real conversations with prospects.
Start with what you need now, not what you might need someday. If Mailstand fits your workflow and pricing, great. If not, keep looking. The best approach is to pick a tool, get rolling, and tweak as you go. The goal isn’t to have the most features—it’s to actually close deals without burning yourself out.
Happy hunting.