If you’re reading this, you’re probably drowning in sales tools, each promising to “revolutionize” your process. You don’t need more hype. You need fewer headaches and a sales process that actually works. This guide is for sales or RevOps leads who want to evaluate B2B go-to-market (GTM) platforms—like Dealpad—and pick something that genuinely streamlines the way your team sells.
Here’s how to cut through the noise and find a tool that fits your real-world sales workflow, not just a vendor’s demo.
1. Map Out Your Actual Sales Process—Don’t Assume the Tool Knows It
Before you even look at flashy features, get honest about how your team sells. I mean the real process, not the idealized version in your last board deck.
- Write down each sales stage. From first contact to closed-won (or lost).
- List the people involved. Reps, managers, legal, finance, and—crucially—your buyers.
- Call out pain points. Where do deals get stuck? What slows down handoffs?
Why this matters: Most GTM tools (including Dealpad) promise to “align” with your process, but if you don’t know what that process actually is, you’re just buying shiny features you may never use.
Pro Tip: If your team is already skipping steps in your current CRM, there’s a reason. Fix that first, or the new tool will just inherit the same problems.
2. Make a Short List—Ignore the Feature Laundry List
There are dozens of B2B GTM tools out there. Most of them overlap—heavily. Here’s how to whittle down your choices:
- Filter by your core needs. Do you need deal collaboration? Mutual action plans? Just pipeline visibility?
- Ignore “AI-powered” everything (unless you have a very specific use case and the vendor can show receipts).
- Check for integrations. Does it play nice with your CRM, email, and chat? If not, move on.
- Look for real customer stories (not just logo walls). Can you find companies like yours using the tool successfully?
What works: Focus on a handful of vendors whose core workflow matches yours. For example, Dealpad pitches itself as a “mutual action plan” tool that helps buyers and sellers stay on the same page. If your deals get bogged down by miscommunication, that’s worth a look.
3. Run a Hands-On Trial—Not a Vendor-Led Demo
Never trust a tool based on a polished demo. You want to see what happens when your team gets their hands dirty.
- Set up a real deal in the tool. Don’t just click around the homepage.
- Invite actual users. Sales reps, managers, even a friendly customer if possible.
- Try to break it. What happens when someone forgets to update a step? How does it handle messy data?
- Measure time-to-value. How long before you see any benefit? If it takes weeks to get going, that’s a red flag.
What doesn’t work: Relying on “white glove onboarding” to paper over a confusing interface. If your team can’t figure out the basics in 30 minutes, they won’t use it.
4. Evaluate Collaboration Features—Do They Actually Help?
A lot of GTM tools promise “better collaboration.” Here’s how to tell if that’s real or just window dressing:
- Can buyers and sellers both access the workspace? Mutual action plans only work if both sides use them.
- Are updates and comments trackable? Or do things just get lost in a feed?
- Is it easy to share documents and next steps? Or do you end up emailing PDFs anyway?
- Notifications: Are they helpful, or just more noise?
Pro Tip: Ask your sales team and real buyers (if you can) if they’d actually use this setup—or if it feels like homework.
What to ignore: “Gamification” and social feeds. Fun for a week, then forgotten.
5. Dig Into Integration (and Migration) Realities
It doesn’t matter how slick a tool is if it can’t talk to your existing systems—or if getting data in/out is a nightmare.
- Direct CRM sync. Does it integrate natively with Salesforce, HubSpot, etc., or does it need a Zapier workaround?
- Data ownership. Can you export everything easily, or are you locked in?
- APIs: If you have a custom stack, are their APIs actually documented and usable?
- Migration pain. How hard is it to get your historical deals and contacts into the new tool?
What works: Look for tools where integration setup takes hours, not weeks. If you need a consultant to get basic sync working, that’s a bad sign.
6. Get Real About Pricing (and Hidden Costs)
Pricing pages are often vague for a reason. Ask direct questions:
- What’s included in the base price? Users, integrations, support?
- Are there extra fees for onboarding, training, or storage?
- Contract terms: Is there a minimum commitment, or can you bail after a pilot?
- Scalability: What happens when you add more users or regions?
What doesn’t work: Assuming the “starting at $X per user” is the real price. Always ask for a sample invoice based on your actual team size and workflow.
7. Pressure-Test Support and Documentation
When something breaks (and it will), you need help—fast.
- Test support before you buy. Open a ticket with a real question. See how long they take and how useful the answer is.
- Read the docs. Are they up to date, or full of screenshots from 2021?
- Community: Is there an active user forum or Slack group? Sometimes that’s more helpful than official support.
Pro Tip: If the only way to get help is by booking a “success call,” expect frustration.
8. Don’t Forget Change Management
Even the best tool is useless if the team ignores it. Plan for:
- Training: Is it self-serve and quick, or will your team need hours of hand-holding?
- Resistance: Who’s likely to push back, and why? Salespeople are busy—if this feels like extra admin, expect adoption problems.
- Metrics: Define what “success” looks like in the first 30 and 90 days. If adoption is lagging, don’t be afraid to call it quits.
9. When (and Why) to Walk Away
Sometimes, the best decision is to do nothing.
- If your process isn’t clear, a new tool won’t fix it.
- If integration is a mess, you’ll create more problems than you solve.
- If your team hates it, move on. Adoption is everything.
Remember: The goal is to sell more, not to have more software.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need the “perfect” GTM tool—you need one your team will actually use, that fits your workflow, and doesn’t create extra work. Start small. Measure if it’s helping. If not, try something else or—sometimes—just stick with a shared doc and regular pipeline calls.
New sales tech is everywhere, but real improvement comes from clarity and ruthless simplicity. Don’t let a vendor’s vision replace your real-world needs. Keep it grounded, and keep moving.