If you’re responsible for picking go-to-market (GTM) software for your B2B team, you know the drill: too many tools, too many bold claims, not enough clarity. This guide is for anyone comparing Centrical to other GTM tools—whether you’re in sales ops, revenue operations, or just the unlucky soul tasked with “figuring out what we actually need.” No fluff, no vendor hype—just a clear process to help you make a call that’ll actually work for your team.
Step 1: Get Clear on What “GTM” Means for Your Team
“GTM” (Go-To-Market) is one of those terms that gets thrown around so much it starts to mean everything and nothing. So before you even look at a tool:
- Define your real needs.
- Are you talking about sales enablement? Pipeline management? Onboarding? Coaching? Performance tracking?
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Write down what your team actually wants to fix or improve.
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Don’t chase features.
- Vendors love to sell you on dashboards, gamification, or “AI-powered insights.” Most teams only use a fraction of what they buy.
Pro tip: Ask your salespeople or reps what actually gets in their way daily. Their answers are usually more honest than the executive wish list.
Step 2: Make a Simple List of Must-Haves and Nice-to-Haves
You don’t need a 10-page requirements doc, but you do need a list you can point to when the demo starts.
- Must-haves:
The stuff you can’t live without. (e.g., Salesforce integration, coaching workflows, simple reporting) - Nice-to-haves:
Features that’d be cool but won’t break you if you don’t get them.
What to ignore:
Ignore buzzwords like “engagement layer” or “holistic enablement.” Focus on the real work your team does.
Step 3: See How Centrical Actually Works (and Where It Doesn’t)
Centrical bills itself as a performance management and gamification platform for frontline teams. It’s got a lot of features: coaching, real-time feedback, learning modules, contests, and more.
Where Centrical tends to work well:
- Sales teams needing motivation:
If your team responds to contests, rewards, or public leaderboards, Centrical’s gamification can help. (Just be honest: some teams love this, others roll their eyes.)
- Coaching and development:
Decent tools for manager-to-rep feedback, tracking skill development, and nudging reps to complete training.
- Integrations with CRMs:
It connects to Salesforce and others, so you can automate a lot of performance metrics.
Where Centrical might fall short:
- Complex reporting:
If you need deep, custom reporting, you’ll probably still be exporting to Excel.
- Non-sales use cases:
It’s built for frontline/sales teams. If you want one platform for sales, marketing, and support, it might not be broad enough.
- Overkill for small teams:
If you’re fewer than 20 people, much of this will feel like using a sledgehammer on a thumbtack.
What to watch for:
- Adoption:
Some reps are into gamification, some aren’t. If your culture is allergic to contests or badges, this can backfire.
- Admin effort:
Setting up contests, nudges, and content takes real work—assign someone to own it or it’ll collect dust.
Step 4: Compare Apples to Apples—Line Up Other Tools
You’ll probably be looking at other GTM platforms: think Ambition, LevelEleven, Highspot, or Showpad. Here’s how to compare them honestly:
- Are they solving the same problem?
Some tools focus on learning/content (Showpad, Highspot), others on motivation/contests (Ambition, LevelEleven). Don’t just compare feature lists—compare what problem they’re built for. - How’s the integration, really?
“Integrates with Salesforce” can mean anything from “pushes a few fields” to “deep two-way sync.” Insist on seeing it in action. - What does setup and ongoing admin look like?
If you have one ops person with 50 other jobs, don’t buy a tool that needs a full-time admin. - Can you actually get support?
Some vendors hand you a help doc and wish you luck. Others will walk you through onboarding and stick around for questions.
Red flags to notice: - Vague answers about integrations - “Custom dashboards” that require paid services - No clear way to measure ROI after rollout
Step 5: Demo Like You Mean It
Don’t let vendors run the show. Here’s how to get the most out of demos:
- Send your must-have list in advance.
Make them show you your use cases, not their canned deck. - Bring frontline users.
If your reps or managers won’t use it, who cares if it’s pretty? - Ask for a trial or sandbox.
You’ll learn more in 2 days of clicking around than 10 hours of watching a sales rep share their screen. - Time the admin tasks.
How long does it take to build a contest, set up a report, or add a new rep?
Warning:
If a vendor dodges your questions or can’t show you your real workflows, move on.
Step 6: Dig Into Pricing—And All the Hidden Costs
Sticker price is rarely the real price. Watch for:
- User minimums:
Some platforms require a certain number of licenses. - Implementation fees:
“White glove onboarding” often means extra charges. - Add-ons:
Reporting, integrations, or advanced features may cost more. - Long contracts:
Multi-year deals may lock you in before you know if it’s working.
Pro tip:
Ask for references from similar-sized teams. If a vendor can’t provide them, that’s a red flag.
Step 7: Be Brutally Honest About Change Management
This is where most GTM software fails—not because it’s bad, but because nobody uses it.
- Who will own it internally?
Assign someone responsible for rollout, updates, and training. - How will you get buy-in?
Teams ignore tools that feel like extra work or “big brother.” - Can you start small?
Pilot with one team before rolling out company-wide. - Track usage after launch.
If logins and activity drop off after a month, you’ll know you’ve got a problem.
Step 8: Make the Call—and Don’t Overthink It
After all this, you’re probably down to two or three finalists. Here’s how to make a decision:
- Does it solve your real problem?
If it checks your “must-have” boxes, that’s enough. Perfect is the enemy of done. - Is the team bought in?
If your users already hate it, keep looking. - Are you clear on total cost and effort?
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Picking GTM software isn’t about finding the “best” tool—it’s about finding the one your team will actually use that solves your main problem, without a bunch of admin headaches. Don’t overcomplicate things. Start small, measure what matters, and don’t be afraid to switch if it’s not working. The real magic comes from how you use the tool, not what the vendor promises. Good luck—and trust your own judgment over the marketing slides.