If you’re running B2B sales and looking for software to automate your go-to-market (GTM) process, you’ve probably seen a tidal wave of tools and buzzwords. Everyone promises “scalability,” “AI everything,” and “seamless integration.” Most of it is noise. This guide is for founders, sales leaders, and ops folks who want to cut through the hype and actually pick tools that help their teams sell more—without creating new headaches.
Below, I’ll lay out a step-by-step approach to evaluating sales automation platforms, using Postdrips as an example. But honestly, these steps work for any tool. Let’s get to it.
Step 1: Get Real About Your Sales Process
Before you even look at software, map out how your sales team actually works—warts and all. Fancy features won’t fix a broken process.
Questions to ask: - How do leads come in? (Inbound, outbound, referrals?) - Who touches a lead, and when? - What’s manual vs. what’s automated today? - Where do deals fall through the cracks? - What tools do you already pay for?
Pro tip:
Skip the “ideal” funnel and draw your real process on a whiteboard. It’ll expose the gaps faster than any vendor demo.
What to Ignore
- “All-in-one” promises: Most all-in-one tools do a lot of things, none of them well.
- Shiny dashboards: Automation that looks slick but doesn’t fit your flow is just a time sink.
Step 2: Make a Short List of Must-Haves (Not Nice-to-Haves)
Vendors love to sell you on features you’ll never use. Stick to what actually matters for your team and customers.
Core features to consider: - Multi-channel outreach: Email, LinkedIn, phone—whatever your team uses. - Lead routing & assignment: Can you automate who gets which lead? - Sequence builder: Set up and tweak follow-up steps without a PhD in workflow design. - Reporting: Not just vanity metrics. Can you see what’s working and what’s not? - Integrations: Does it play nice with your CRM, email, and calendar?
Nice-to-have (but not essential) features: - AI copywriters (they’re not magic) - Social media automation (rarely moves the needle in B2B) - Predictive scoring (works best if you’ve got a ton of clean data)
Step 3: Dig Into Scalability and Flexibility
“Scalable” gets tossed around a lot. What you want is a tool that doesn’t choke when you double (or triple) your team or pipeline.
How to test for real scalability: - User management: Can you add/remove reps easily? Any extra cost for admins or observers? - Volume limits: What happens if you want to send 10,000 emails a week? - Custom workflows: Can you change things without breaking everything? - APIs: If you need to connect custom stacks, are the APIs usable and well-documented?
Where tools fall short: - Some platforms make you pay through the nose for basic scaling. - Others get clunky once more than a handful of people use them. - Watch for “enterprise” features locked behind expensive tiers.
Step 4: Evaluate Automation That Actually Saves Time
Plenty of tools automate busywork… and then create new busywork. Focus on automation that truly reduces manual steps, not just moves them around.
Look for: - Automatic follow-ups: Not just reminders, but actual sending with logic (e.g., “If no reply in 3 days, send X”). - Template management: Can you share, edit, and test templates easily? - Rules engine: Can you set triggers and actions (e.g., “If lead replies positively, assign to AE”)? - Error handling: What happens if an email bounces or a prospect unsubscribes? Is it clear, or does it disappear into a black hole?
What doesn’t work: - Automation that’s hard to override. Sales is messy; you’ll need to step in sometimes. - Rigid sequences that don’t allow human touchpoints.
Step 5: Don’t Ignore the Human Factor
The best automation tools get adopted. The rest gather dust. If your reps hate it, they’ll work around it or just not use it.
Check for: - Ease of use: Can a new rep get up to speed in under an hour? - Support: Is there real human support, or just a bot and a knowledge base? - Customization: Can users personalize outreach, or is it all canned? - Onboarding: Do you need a consultant, or can your team handle it?
Pro tip:
Ask for a sandbox account and let a couple of reps try it—no hand-holding. Watch where they get stuck.
Step 6: Put Postdrips (and Others) to the Test
Now, let’s apply all of this to Postdrips. It’s one of the newer players in the B2B sales automation space, and it claims to be built for “scalable, human-first outreach.”
What works: - Simple sequence builder: You can set up multi-step email and LinkedIn workflows fast—no code, no headaches. - Solid integrations: Native connections to common CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce) and Google Workspace are there. API is usable, though not exhaustive. - Team management: Easy to add/remove users, assign leads, and track performance by rep. - Clear reporting: Shows actual replies, not just opens/clicks.
What could be better: - The AI writing assistant is… fine. But it still spits out generic copy unless you tweak it. - No native phone dialer (yet). If your team does a lot of cold calling, you’ll need another tool. - Limited out-of-the-box integrations with less common CRMs—check before you buy.
What to ignore: - “Magic” send times and predictive features. In practice, your content and targeting matter more.
Step 7: Price Check—But Don’t Be Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
Price matters, but so does value. Cheap tools that slow your team down will cost you more in lost deals than you save on subscription fees.
Ask vendors: - What’s included in the base plan? (Users, contacts, emails, integrations) - Are there onboarding or support fees? - Can you upgrade/downgrade easily? - What’s the contract length? (Month-to-month is best when you’re testing)
Pro tip:
Most platforms offer free trials or pilots. Use them, but don’t expect to see full ROI in 14 days—focus on fit and usability.
Step 8: Ignore the Hype—Focus on Outcomes
Demo fatigue is real. Every vendor will show you a perfect use case. What matters is whether this tool helps your team book more meetings, close more deals, or save real time. Everything else is noise.
Check: - Are follow-ups actually going out, or are reps still doing it manually? - Can you track replies and handoffs in one place? - Is the team happier and more productive, or cursing your software spend?
If the answer’s no, move on—there are plenty of fish in the SaaS sea.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Sales automation isn’t about buying the fanciest tool—it’s about making your process less painful and more productive. Start with the basics, get your team on board, and build from there. Don’t be afraid to switch if something better comes along. The best stack is the one your team actually uses.
Good luck, and don’t let the shiny demos distract you from what really matters: closing deals, not wrestling software.