If you’ve ever tried to pick a go-to-market (GTM) tool for your sales team, you know it’s not as simple as reading a few reviews and clicking “Buy.” There are too many promises, too many buzzwords, and not enough straight talk. This guide is for sales leaders, ops folks, and anyone who needs to cut through the noise and actually choose a tool that works—whether you’re looking at Mantiks or any of its competitors.
Let’s walk through a real-world process for evaluating B2B GTM software, covering what’s worth your time, what you can safely ignore, and where the hype outpaces reality.
1. Get Clear on the Problem You’re Actually Trying to Solve
Before you even start researching tools, write down—in plain language—what’s not working for your team right now. If you skip this step, you’ll end up distracted by features that sound cool but don’t move the needle.
Ask yourself: - Where are deals getting stuck or falling apart? - What info does your team wish they had but can’t easily get? - Do reps waste time on manual processes that could be automated? - Is your pipeline tracking more gut feel than data?
Pro tip: If your team can’t name the top two pain points without thinking too hard, you’re not ready to shop for software.
What to ignore: Don’t let your wish list get hijacked by flashy dashboards or “AI-powered forecasting” that sounds great in a demo but doesn’t address your actual pain.
2. Build a Shortlist—But Don’t Get Distracted by the Big Names
Once you’ve got your problems mapped, make a list of tools that claim to solve them. Don’t just Google “best GTM software”—that’ll get you a heap of pay-to-play review sites and the same five vendors.
How to build a better shortlist: - Ask peers at similar companies what actually worked (and what didn’t). - Look for products built for your sales motion. Enterprise? SMB? Inbound? Outbound? Some tools are better at one than the others. - Check for integrations. There’s no point in buying a tool that won’t talk to your CRM or other must-have software. - Include up-and-comers. Tools like Mantiks often punch above their weight, especially if you want something more nimble than the “big box” vendors.
What to ignore: Don’t overweight Gartner Magic Quadrant ratings or G2 badges. Those are popularity contests, not always a sign of fit.
3. Get Hands-On: Insist on a Real Trial
A sales rep’s demo is designed to show you the best-case scenario. That’s fine—but it’s not real life. Always push for a sandbox or trial with your data and your workflow.
How to run a meaningful test: - Set up a mini-pilot. Give a few reps and managers access for 2–4 weeks. - Pick real deals. Run a couple of live opportunities through the tool, not just dummy data. - Document what breaks. What’s confusing? What do reps forget to update? Where does the tool save time, and where does it create new hassles? - Test support. Submit a ticket or two. Was the help any good?
Pro tip: If a vendor won’t let you try before you buy, that’s a red flag. Good software companies want you to see the value, not just the sizzle.
4. Evaluate the Must-Haves (Not the Nice-to-Haves)
Here’s where most teams get tripped up. They fall in love with fancy features that look good in a deck but don’t fix their biggest problems.
Focus on these core questions:
- Does it solve your primary pain? If pipeline visibility is a mess, does this tool actually make it clearer or just prettier?
- Is it easy for reps? If it adds more admin work, reps will ignore it, no matter how powerful it is.
- Does it fit your workflow? Can it adapt to how your team sells, or will you have to change how you work?
- How’s the data quality? Garbage in, garbage out. If the tool relies on data your team won’t reliably enter, it’s a non-starter.
- Integration reality check: Does it genuinely sync with your CRM, or does it require a bunch of manual exports and imports?
- Price-to-value: Is the cost justified by the problem it solves? Don’t pay for bells and whistles you won’t use.
What to ignore: Don’t get seduced by AI features unless you can see them in action, using your data. Most sales AI is still “auto-complete with aspirations.”
5. Pressure Test the Vendor
This is about more than just the software. You want a vendor who’ll be around, listens to feedback, and doesn’t treat you like a ticket number.
Ways to check: - Ask for references—but don’t just ask for happy customers. Ask how long implementation took, what went wrong, and how the vendor responded. - Check the roadmap. Is the product improving in ways that matter to you, or just chasing the latest buzzwords? - Look for transparency. If they can’t give you a straight answer on something, that’s a warning sign.
Pro tip: Smaller companies like Mantiks may offer better support and move faster on feature requests than the big names. But ask about their financial stability if you’re betting your whole pipeline on them.
6. Plan for Rollout and Adoption
The best software in the world is useless if your team doesn’t use it. Before you sign anything:
- Get buy-in from sales leadership and frontline reps. If they don’t believe it’ll help, usage will be dead on arrival.
- Decide who “owns” the tool. Someone needs to be the point person for questions, training, and troubleshooting.
- Keep the rollout simple. Don’t try to use every feature on day one. Solve the top pain first, then expand.
- Set clear success criteria. What does “working” look like after 30, 60, 90 days? Be specific.
What to ignore: Don’t let the vendor’s “white glove onboarding” become a never-ending homework assignment. The tool should work for you, not the other way around.
7. Review, Iterate, and Don’t Be Afraid to Bail
No tool is perfect. Give it a fair shake, but don’t be afraid to change course if it’s not working out. The best teams treat software adoption as an experiment, not a marriage.
- Schedule a formal review after 90 days. Did it solve the problems you started with?
- Cut features that aren’t used. Complexity kills adoption.
- Stay in touch with your reps. They’ll tell you what’s working (and what’s a pain) faster than any dashboard.
- If it’s not working, move on. Don’t let sunk cost keep you using a tool that’s not helping.
Keep It Simple—And Don’t Fall for the Shiny Stuff
Choosing GTM software shouldn’t be a full-time job. Focus on your real problems, ignore the hype, and test tools in your own messy reality. Start small, get feedback fast, and don’t be afraid to change your mind. The right tool is the one your team actually uses—and that makes things a little less painful for everyone.