If you've ever tried to buy B2B software for tracking leads, you know it can feel like shopping for a car from a lot where every salesperson swears their model is “game-changing.” Whether you’re a head of sales, a marketer, or the one stuck with integrating all this stuff, this guide’s for you. We’re going to talk about how to actually evaluate B2B go-to-market (GTM) software for lead tracking and qualification—without the fluff. And yes, we’ll dive into how Salespanel stacks up, but the same logic applies to any tool you’re considering.
Step 1: Get Clear on What Actually Matters for Your Team
Before you look at any software, write down the real problems you need to solve. Most B2B teams want to:
- Know which leads are actually worth chasing
- Track where those leads come from and what they do on your site
- Get that info to the right people, fast
Skip the feature checklists for now. Ask yourself:
- Who on your team needs to use this? (Sales, marketing, ops?)
- What’s “broken” about your current process?
- What’s the ONE thing this tool must do to be worth the hassle of switching?
Pro tip: If your current system is just sticky notes and spreadsheets, don’t worry about fancy AI. Focus on getting reliable tracking and data syncing first.
Step 2: Make a Shortlist—Ignore the Noise
Vendors love to drop big promises: “AI-powered scoring!” “360-degree lead views!” Most of it’s just marketing. Cut through it by sticking to:
- Tools that integrate with your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) and marketing stack
- Clear documentation and support (if it takes 3 calls to sales to see a demo, run)
- Transparent pricing—if you can’t get a ballpark without a sales call, be wary
When looking at options like Salespanel, Leadfeeder, or Clearbit, ask around in your network and check sites like G2 or Capterra. But take online reviews with a grain of salt—most folks write reviews when they’re either thrilled or furious.
Step 3: Dig into Lead Tracking—What’s Real, What’s Hype
Tracking leads sounds simple until you try to do it across forms, emails, and anonymous website traffic. Here’s what actually matters:
- Visitor identification: Can the software tell you which companies (and ideally, which people) are visiting your site? Or just anonymous IPs?
- Multi-touch tracking: Does it follow a lead across web visits, email opens, and chat? Or does it only log form fills?
- Data accuracy: How often does it get it wrong? (Nobody brags about this, but you want to know.)
Salespanel’s Take: Salespanel is solid at tracking both known and anonymous leads, and it ties website behavior to your CRM contacts pretty reliably. It’s not magic—it won’t tell you “Bob from Acme Corp” if Bob never gives you his email, but it’s better than most at matching companies and qualifying anonymous visitors.
What to ignore: Any vendor promising to “reveal all anonymous visitors by name” is overselling. At best, you’ll get company-level info and some guesses based on cookies and IP lookups.
Step 4: Lead Qualification—Is the Scoring Useful or Just Fancy Math?
Most tools offer lead scoring. Some use rule-based systems (you set the criteria), others pitch AI or machine learning. Here’s the dirty secret: if your sales team ignores the scores, the algorithm doesn’t matter.
- Customizable scoring: Can you define what makes a “good lead” for your business, or are you stuck with out-of-the-box rules?
- Behavioral triggers: Can you set up alerts for sales when a lead does something important (downloads a paper, visits pricing, etc.)?
- Transparency: Can you see why a lead got a certain score, or is it a black box?
Salespanel’s Take: Salespanel lets you build custom scoring models based on both demographic data (company size, title) and behavior (pages visited, emails opened, etc.). You can see the criteria behind the scores, which is a big plus. The scoring is only as smart as you make it—so be ready to spend time dialing it in.
Ignore: “Our AI will find your best leads automatically.” This is almost never true in practice unless you have thousands of leads a month and really clean data.
Step 5: Integration and Data Sync—Will This Play Nice with Your Stack?
Lead tracking is only useful if you get the data where you need it—fast.
- Native integrations: Does the tool have plug-and-play connections with your CRM, email platform, and other key apps?
- Real-time sync: How quickly does new activity or lead data show up in your CRM or Slack?
- APIs and export: If you need something custom, can you access the raw data without jumping through hoops?
Salespanel’s Take: Salespanel connects natively to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and more. The real-time sync is decent—they’re not the fastest in the world, but for most B2B teams, it’s fast enough. Their API is pretty open if you want to do custom stuff, but you’ll need a developer.
What doesn’t work: Tools that only do CSV exports or need manual uploads. In 2024, that’s a dealbreaker.
Step 6: Privacy, Compliance, and Data Ownership—Don’t Get Burned
GDPR, CCPA, and all the rest mean you need to know:
- Where is your lead data stored? (EU, US, elsewhere?)
- Can you delete or export a contact’s data on request?
- Does the tool drop third-party cookies or fingerprint users in a way that might get you in trouble?
Salespanel’s Take: Salespanel is pretty upfront about GDPR compliance and offers tools to help you manage data requests. No tool is 100% “risk-free,” but if you’re in regulated industries, always check with legal before you roll anything out.
Ignore: Any tool that dodges questions about privacy or compliance. If they won’t answer, move on.
Step 7: Pricing, Support, and the “Real” Cost
After all the features and promises, it comes down to brass tacks:
- Transparent pricing: Is the pricing per user, per lead, or a combination? Are there surprise overages?
- Support: If something breaks, can you get a human quickly, or are you stuck with a chatbot?
- Onboarding help: Will they help you set up, or are you on your own?
Salespanel’s Take: Salespanel’s pricing is mid-market—not the cheapest, but not crazy. They have real humans for support (a big plus). Onboarding is DIY with good docs, but you can get more help if you pay for higher tiers.
Ignore: “Free forever” plans with severe feature limits—you’ll outgrow them fast and have to switch.
Step 8: Run a Real-World Pilot—Don’t Buy Blind
No matter how good a demo looks, you won’t know how a tool fits until you put it in your workflow. Before you commit:
- Set up a trial or pilot with real leads and your actual sales/marketing process.
- Get feedback from the folks who’ll use it daily—not just the admin.
- Time how long it takes to go from “lead visits the site” to “rep gets notified.”
If you can’t run a real pilot, that’s a red flag.
Lead tracking and qualification tools should make your life easier, not more complicated. Don’t get distracted by shiny features or AI hype. Figure out what matters to your team, test a few options like Salespanel in the real world, and keep iterating. Software won’t fix a broken process, but the right tool can help you focus on leads that actually matter. Start simple, improve as you go, and don’t let the vendors talk you into anything you don’t need.