Looking for a better way to help your sales team close more deals? You’ve probably come across a pile of “GTM” (go-to-market) platforms and all-in-one tool suites. Qualified and its competitors promise to turn your website into a sales machine, but the salesy feature charts and endless hype don’t make your decision any easier.
This guide is for sales leaders, RevOps folks, and anyone stuck picking between Qualified and the rest of the B2B GTM crowd. I’ll skip the buzzwords and help you zero in on what actually matters.
Step 1: Get Clear on What “GTM” Tools Actually Do
First things first: “GTM software” is an overloaded term. Most tools in this space promise some mix of:
- Website visitor tracking: See which companies are on your site.
- Chatbots or live chat: Engage visitors in real time.
- Lead qualification: Figure out if a visitor is worth your team’s time.
- Routing and scheduling: Book meetings instantly with reps.
- Integrations: Sync data with your CRM, marketing tools, and more.
- Analytics: Report on pipeline, conversions, and rep performance.
Qualified, Drift, Intercom, 6sense, and others all claim to “accelerate pipeline.” But the devil’s in the details—and a lot of these details are glossed over in demos.
Pro tip: Before you even compare tools, nail down what your team actually needs. Don’t get distracted by features you’ll never use.
Step 2: Define Your “Must-Have” Outcomes
Skip the shopping list of features. Instead, ask: What are the 2–3 outcomes you really care about?
Examples: - More meetings booked from high-value website visitors - Higher quality leads (less SDR time wasted) - Faster response times for inbound prospects
Bring your sales team into this conversation. Ask them what’s slowing them down, what’s working, and what feels like busywork.
Write your priorities down. Seriously. Sales tool FOMO is real, and you’ll need to keep your north star in front of you when the feature lists get overwhelming.
Step 3: Compare the Core Capabilities (Not Just the Shiny Stuff)
Let’s get into the nuts and bolts. Here’s how Qualified stacks up against typical alternatives—and what to watch for in the fine print.
1. Website Visitor Identification
- Qualified: Uses reverse IP lookup, often with enrichment partners like Clearbit or 6sense. Decent accuracy for mid-market and enterprise; can miss smaller companies or VPN users.
- Others: Most major GTM tools use similar data sources. Don’t believe anyone who claims >90% accuracy—30–40% is more realistic.
What matters: If your ICP is Fortune 500, you’ll get more matches. If you sell to startups or international companies, expect more “unknowns.”
2. Chatbots and Live Chat
- Qualified: Focused on B2B, offers bot flows, live chat, and routing based on Salesforce data. Good for teams already deep into Salesforce.
- Others: Drift and Intercom have similar bots, sometimes more mature for complex routing. Some tools push AI chatbots—usually still pretty basic.
What matters: Can your reps actually use the chat, or will it just annoy prospects? Can you customize chat for different segments, or is it one-size-fits-all?
3. Lead Qualification and Routing
- Qualified: Heavy on Salesforce integration. Can qualify based on firmographics, intent, or CRM fields. Routing rules are flexible, but setup can be fiddly.
- Others: Most modern tools do some version of this. Some (like Chili Piper) specialize in scheduling/routing but don’t handle chat or visitor ID.
What matters: Does routing actually work the way your team does, or will you be fighting the tool? Test with real reps and real scenarios.
4. Integrations
- Qualified: Deep Salesforce support. Decent with Marketo, Eloqua, Outreach, and others. API access for custom work.
- Others: Drift, Intercom, and others also have big integration lists—but quality varies. Some “integrations” are just glorified Zapier automations.
What matters: Will your data land in the right place, in the right format, without manual cleanup every week?
5. Reporting and Analytics
- Qualified: Prebuilt dashboards for pipeline, rep activity, and conversions. Advanced reporting usually requires Salesforce or BI tools.
- Others: Dashboards are everywhere, but real insights? Rare. Most tools show vanity metrics and lag on custom reports.
What matters: Can you run the reports your CRO asks for, or will you be wrestling with CSV exports at quarter-end?
Step 4: Watch for the “Gotchas” (and Ignore the Hype)
Every vendor swears their tool is “easy to set up,” “AI-powered,” or “the only platform you’ll ever need.” Here’s the reality:
Common Gotchas:
- Data accuracy: You’re never going to identify 100% of your visitors. Anyone who says otherwise is selling snake oil.
- Salesforce lock-in: Qualified is great if you’re all-in on Salesforce. If you’re not, it can feel like pushing a square peg into a round hole.
- Bot fatigue: Over-automating with chatbots can annoy prospects and your own team. Use bots to qualify, not to run the whole show.
- Integration sprawl: More integrations = more things to break. Keep it simple and focus on what’s actually used day-to-day.
What to Ignore:
- “AI” features: Most are just rules-based routing with a dash of ChatGPT. Don’t expect magic.
- Feature bloat: If you don’t need SMS, WhatsApp, Slack notifications, or 50 dashboard widgets, don’t pay for them.
- Fluffy ROI calculators: These always show massive gains. Reality is usually less dramatic.
Step 5: Put Tools to the Test (With Real Reps, Not Just Admins)
Demos are designed to impress. Real life is messier. Before you buy:
- Run a real-world pilot: Set up the tool with your actual data, your reps, and your workflows.
- Test the edge cases: What happens when a high-value lead comes in at 8pm? Does routing work on mobile? Can your SDRs actually use the tool, or does it just look good in theory?
- Get feedback from users: Not just admins—your frontline reps will know if a tool helps or gets in their way.
Pro tip: If a vendor won’t let you run a real trial, that’s a red flag.
Step 6: Cut Through the Pricing Maze
GTM tools love opaque pricing. Some charge per user, some per website visitor, some for “premium integrations.” It adds up fast.
- Qualified: Pricing is customized (read: you’ll need to talk to sales). Generally higher than SMB tools, but includes onboarding and support.
- Others: Drift, Intercom, and others have tiered plans—watch for add-ons and usage limits.
What matters: Get a clear quote in writing, with all the features and limits you actually need. Don’t get stuck paying surprise overages.
Step 7: Plan for Change (and Keep Your Stack Simple)
No matter what you pick, your GTM software will need tweaking. Your sales process will change, your ICP will shift, and new tools will pop up.
- Don’t try to solve every edge case on day one.
- Start with your top 1–2 use cases, get them running, and expand later.
- Regularly review what’s working—and turn off features that aren’t.
Pro tip: The best GTM stack is the one your team actually uses, not the one with the longest feature list.
Quick Recap
Picking between Qualified and other B2B GTM tools isn’t about who shouts “AI” the loudest or has the fanciest dashboards. It’s about what actually helps your reps turn website visitors into pipeline, without a bunch of headaches.
Get clear on your must-haves, ignore the noise, and test with real users. Keep your stack simple, and don’t be afraid to change course if something isn’t working. The best tool is the one that makes your sales team’s life easier—period.