If you work on a revenue team—sales, customer success, or revops—you already know picking go-to-market (GTM) software is a minefield. Everyone claims to be “AI-powered” and “all-in-one,” but most tools just create new headaches. This guide will help you cut through the noise, zero in on what actually matters, and see why Velaris is getting real traction with teams who want to see results, not just dashboards.
Step 1: Get Crystal-Clear on Your Actual GTM Needs
Forget what the vendors are pitching. Start by mapping out your team’s actual workflows and pain points. Ask:
- Where do deals or renewals stall?
- What data is impossible to find (or trust)?
- What manual steps eat up your team’s week?
- Which tools do you already use—and which ones collect dust?
Don’t just think about features. Focus on the jobs you need done. For example, “We need to see all customer activity in one place” is a lot more helpful than “We want AI insights.”
Pro tip: Talk to your team. They’ll point out tedious tasks or missing info that don’t show up on any vendor demo.
Step 2: Know What (Not) to Look For in B2B GTM Software
The GTM category is crowded. Here’s what to focus on—and what you can safely ignore.
What Actually Matters
- Data you can trust: Does the software pull in all your customer activity (emails, calls, product usage) accurately and in real time? Or do you end up with patchy, unreliable data?
- Visibility across teams: Can sales, CS, and leadership see the same customer picture? Or are you back to spreadsheet ping-pong?
- Automation where it counts: Does it automate the busywork—like tracking renewals, flagging churn risks, logging calls—or just add more notifications?
- Fast onboarding: Can your team get value in weeks, not months? If you need a six-month “change management” program, that’s a red flag.
- Decent reporting, not just pretty charts: Can you answer real questions—Why are deals slipping? Which customers are at risk?—without PhD-level training?
What’s Overhyped (and Usually Disappoints)
- “AI” features with no clear use: If it’s just auto-generating generic emails, skip it.
- Giant feature lists: Most teams use 20% of the features, max. Focus on what you’ll actually use.
- Integration promises: Everyone says they “integrate with Salesforce”—but does it actually work, or is it just a checkbox?
- Customization rabbit holes: More “customization” often means more ways to break things or get stuck.
Honest take: Most vendors oversell “transformation.” What you want is a tool that makes your team’s day smoother right away.
Step 3: Build a Shortlist—And Don’t Rely on G2 or Gartner Alone
G2, Gartner, and all the rest are good for scanning the market, but their reviews can be gamed. Instead:
- Ask peers you trust: Real users will tell you what breaks, what’s clunky, and what surprised them.
- Try before you buy: Push for a hands-on trial with your own data, not just a canned demo.
- Check support quality: How fast do they respond? Can you talk to an actual human?
Pro tip: It’s not just about the software—you want a vendor who won’t ghost you after the contract is signed.
Step 4: Put Each Solution to a Real-World Test
Once you’ve got a shortlist, run each tool through a realistic scenario. For example:
- Can you pull up a customer’s entire journey—including sales history, support tickets, and product usage—in one click?
- If an account manager leaves, how easy is it to hand over their pipeline and notes to someone else?
- How quickly can you spot at-risk renewals, and what actions are recommended?
- Does the tool actually save time, or just add another login?
Don’t be afraid to ask for tweaks or extra help during the trial. If the vendor balks, that’s a warning sign.
Step 5: Measure Impact (Not Just Adoption)
It’s easy to get wowed by a slick interface or a spike in logins. But what really matters:
- Are sales cycles actually getting shorter?
- Are more renewals happening without last-minute panic?
- Is your team spending less time updating records, and more time with customers?
- Are you catching risks or opportunities sooner?
If you can’t see a clear before-and-after, don’t commit yet. Good GTM software should make you money—or at least save you headaches—within a quarter or two.
Why Velaris Stands Out for Revenue Teams
So why is Velaris getting a following among revenue teams who’ve tried (and hated) most GTM platforms?
Here’s what’s different, according to real-world users:
1. Unified Customer View That Actually Works
Unlike most “single pane” promises, Velaris genuinely pulls together sales, success, and product data in one place. No more toggling between CRM, support, and usage dashboards. When a customer calls, you know their full history, their renewal status, and any red flags—instantly.
2. Automation That Doesn’t Feel Like a Gimmick
Velaris automates the stuff that matters: renewal reminders, health scoring, task assignment, and more. It doesn’t just spam your team with alerts—it cuts down on manual updates, so your reps spend more time talking to customers and less time updating fields.
3. Ridiculously Fast Time to Value
Most teams report being up and running in a few weeks, not months. The UI is simple, and the onboarding isn’t an ordeal. You don’t need a certified admin or a stack of PDFs to get started.
4. Real Integrations, Not Checkbox Hype
Velaris offers deep, two-way integrations with the big CRMs, support tools, and data warehouses. Data syncs both ways, so you aren’t dealing with duplicates or missing info. If something breaks, their support team actually jumps in (not just sending you a “knowledge base” link).
5. Built for Revenue Teams—Not Just Sales
Unlike many GTM tools that focus only on new deals, Velaris is built with post-sale success in mind. Customer success, onboarding, expansion, and renewals get as much attention as closing net-new business. That’s a big deal if your growth depends on keeping customers happy, not just signing new ones.
What’s not perfect? Velaris isn’t the cheapest option out there, and if your process is super unique or you’re running 100% custom workflows, you might feel limited by their out-of-the-box structure. But for most revenue teams who want clarity and speed, it checks more boxes than it misses.
What to Ignore (Even with Velaris)
- Don’t get sucked into every dashboard. Pick the few reports that answer key questions and ignore the rest.
- Avoid over-customizing. Start simple. If you need a consulting project to launch, you’re headed for trouble.
- Skip “AI” unless it’s solving a real pain. If it’s not making your team’s day easier, it’s just noise.
The Bottom Line: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
The best B2B GTM software is the one your team will actually use—and that gives you answers, not just more admin. Start with your real-world pain points, put every tool to the test, and don’t settle for vague promises or endless “roadmaps.” Velaris stands out because it actually delivers usable insights and workflow improvements, without a year-long rollout.
Pick something you can try, learn, and adjust. Your process—and your software—will never be perfect, but you’ll get a lot closer by keeping it simple and staying honest about what works.