Thinking about a new B2B sales tool? Maybe your inbox is full of pitches for “game-changing” GTM platforms, or your boss heard about a hot new product at a conference. Either way, choosing the right software for your sales team can feel like shopping for a car with a dozen pushy salespeople at your elbow.
This guide is for sales leaders, ops folks, and anyone tasked with picking tools that actually help sales teams hit their numbers—without the headaches or buyer’s remorse. We’ll walk through a practical, hype-free process to evaluate B2B go-to-market (GTM) software, using tools like Reachout as a reference point.
Let’s get straight to it.
Step 1: Get Clear on the Real Problem You’re Trying to Solve
Before you get dazzled by product demos, nail down what’s broken or slow in your sales process right now. Is your team burning hours on manual outreach? Is your CRM a graveyard of stale leads? Are you missing out on personalization because you’re juggling too many accounts?
Do this first: - Talk to your sales reps and managers. What bugs them most about the current tools or process? - Look at your numbers: Is it a lead volume problem, conversion rates, or time wasted on admin? - Write down the top 2–3 problems. Be specific. “We need more pipeline” is too broad. “Our reps spend 30% of their week chasing down contact info” is better.
Pro tip: Don’t buy a tool just because “everyone’s using it.” Your workflow is your workflow. Fix what’s broken, not what’s trendy.
Step 2: Make a Short List (and Don’t Trust the Hype)
Once you know what you need, it’s time to build a list of potential tools. You’ll hear a lot of big claims—AI-powered this, seamless that—but most sales software falls into a few categories: prospecting, outreach automation, pipeline management, data enrichment, and reporting.
How to build your list: - Start with word-of-mouth. Ask people you trust what actually works. - Google is fine, but watch out for affiliate “best of” lists—they’re often pay-to-play. - Look for tools that solve your actual problems, not just the ones with the flashiest websites.
Example: If you need better outbound outreach, products like Reachout promise targeted campaigns and automation. If you need better reporting, look elsewhere.
Watch out for: - Overlapping features. Lots of tools claim to “do it all”—they rarely do any of it well. - Lock-in. Some tools make it easy to get started, then hard to leave. - Huge promises about AI or automation. Ask for proof, not just buzzwords.
Step 3: Set Up a No-B.S. Scorecard
Now, compare your short list with a simple scorecard. Don’t get lost in 40 features you’ll never use. Focus on what matters to your team.
Key criteria to score: - Ease of use: Can a rep figure it out in 10 minutes, or will you need weeks of training? - Integration: Does it play nice with your CRM, email, and other tools? Or will it create more manual work? - Actual impact: Does it really speed things up or just add another dashboard? - Cost: Not just sticker price—look at onboarding, support, and hidden “premium” features. - Support and documentation: When things break, can you get a real answer fast?
How to use your scorecard: - Make a simple spreadsheet. Rank each tool (1–5) for each category. - Ignore fluffy “nice to have” features. If you can’t see your team using it weekly, it doesn’t matter.
Pro tip: Ask vendors for references—real customers you can talk to. If they hesitate, that’s a red flag.
Step 4: Run a Real-World Trial (Not a Demo Wonderland)
Demos are designed to impress. Real life is messier. Push for a hands-on trial with your own data and a few actual users. If the vendor only offers a canned demo, that’s a warning sign.
During your trial: - Use real leads, contacts, and workflows. - Have both power users and skeptics try it. Listen to their feedback. - Stress-test integrations: connect it to your CRM and email, run actual campaigns, export reports. - Track how long setup and daily tasks really take.
What you’ll learn fast: - Does it actually save time, or just shuffle work around? - Can your team adapt quickly, or does it require a lot of hand-holding? - Are there annoying bugs, lag, or missing features you didn’t notice in the demo?
Red flags: - Hidden paywalls for basic features. - Support is slow to respond or “escalates” every question. - Data exports or integrations are locked down or glitchy.
Step 5: Get Honest About Total Cost—and Long-Term Fit
A lot of B2B GTM tools are priced to get you in the door, then crank up the bill with “premium” add-ons or seat-based pricing. Before you sign anything, add up the real cost for your actual team size and workflow.
Check for: - Per-seat pricing that scales up fast. - Required “professional services” or onboarding fees. - Lock-in: Are you signing a 12-month contract, or can you pay monthly and bail if it’s not working? - Export/ownership of your own data. If you leave, can you take your info with you?
Don’t forget: - The cost of switching tools later—training, getting buy-in, migrating data. - Opportunity cost if your team gets bogged down in a clunky tool.
Pro tip: Ask for a pilot or proof-of-concept pricing. Good vendors want you to succeed—bad ones want you to sign and forget about you.
Step 6: Decide, Launch, and Actually Measure Results
Don’t drag out the process forever. Once you’ve run a trial and checked your scorecard, pick the best fit—even if it’s not perfect. No tool will magically solve all your problems.
Roll it out: - Train your team—don’t just send a login and hope for the best. - Set clear metrics for “success” (e.g., faster outbound, more connects, fewer manual steps). - Agree on a review date (30, 60, 90 days) to check if it’s really working.
How to measure: - Compare key metrics before and after: time per task, conversion rates, rep satisfaction. - Collect honest feedback—what’s working, what’s not? - Iterate. Tweak your workflows or try another tool if needed. Don’t be afraid to admit if something’s not working.
What Actually Matters (And What to Ignore)
Focus on: - Workflow fit. Does it make your team faster and more effective? - Adoption. If reps don’t use it, it’s worthless. - Real integration. If it doesn’t play nice with your stack, move on.
Ignore: - Fancy dashboards you’ll never look at. - “Next-gen AI.” If you can’t see the impact, it’s just a buzzword. - Vendor FOMO. Just because a competitor uses something doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
Keep it Simple—and Don’t Be Afraid to Change Course
The best sales teams pick tools that solve real problems, fit their workflow, and don’t get in the way. Don’t try to build the perfect stack on day one. Start small, measure real results, and make changes as you learn. No one gets it perfect the first time.
Pick what’s useful. Ignore the noise. Your team (and your budget) will thank you.