If you’re buried in demos and sales pitches for sales tech, you’re not alone. B2B GTM (go-to-market) software promises to automate, accelerate, and “transform” your sales process—until you try to actually use it. If you’re trying to figure out if Dealhub is the real deal, or just another tool with too many bells and whistles, this guide’s for you. We’ll break down how to compare Dealhub to other sales platforms, what to watch out for, and which features are actually worth your attention.
1. Get Clear on Your Sales Process (Before Buying Anything)
Start simple: what, exactly, are you hoping software will fix? Too many teams try to buy their way out of messy processes. Before you even look at a tool:
- Map out your current sales process. Where are the bottlenecks? Are reps spending hours on quotes? Is approval a nightmare? Are deals stalling after the proposal?
- List your “must solve” problems. Don’t just shop for features you might use someday.
- Talk to the people doing the work. If you’re not a daily user, get honest feedback from your sales team about what actually slows them down.
Pro tip: If you can’t sketch your sales process on a whiteboard in under 5 minutes, you’re not ready for new software yet. Fix the mess first.
2. Know What “B2B GTM” Tools Really Do (and Don’t)
“GTM platform” is a catch-all phrase, but in practice, most tools fall into a few buckets:
- CPQ (Configure-Price-Quote): Automate quoting, pricing, and approvals. Dealhub is in this camp.
- Contract management: E-signature, redlining, legal reviews.
- Deal desk/collaboration: Centralize approvals, negotiations, and communications.
- Revenue operations: Reporting, forecasting, pipeline management.
- Sales asset management: Templates, content, collateral.
No one tool does all of this well. Most “all-in-one” claims are marketing spin. Decide what your top pain is, then focus your evaluation there.
3. Compare the Core Features Side by Side
Once you know what you actually need, line up Dealhub and its main competitors (think: Salesforce CPQ, Conga, PandaDoc, or Qwilr) and do a feature gut check. Don’t get distracted by shiny add-ons—focus on the basics:
Must-Have Features (for Most B2B Sales Teams)
- Quote creation: Is it fast? Can reps do it without a 30-minute training video?
- Pricing rules: Can you handle your discounting, bundling, and custom pricing logic?
- Approval workflows: Can you set up multi-step approvals that actually work?
- Contract generation: Is it easy to create and edit contracts from templates?
- E-signature: Is it built-in, or do you need to duct tape another tool?
- CRM integration: Does it sync reliably with Salesforce, HubSpot, or your CRM of choice?
- Reporting: Can you track what matters (cycle time, win rates, bottlenecks) without custom dev work?
Nice-to-Have (But Often Overhyped)
- AI “deal insights”: Most of these are just dashboards with a new name. Don’t pay extra for basic analytics.
- Chatbots or “deal rooms”: Often sound great, rarely used after the first month.
- Endless customization: The more you customize, the harder it is to maintain long-term.
What to ignore: Anything that sounds impressive but doesn’t solve a problem you have. Sales tech is full of “innovation” nobody asked for.
4. Dig Into Ease of Use (and Real Adoption)
No tool works if your team hates using it. Do not trust vendor demos—they’re polished to make even clunky software look slick. Instead:
- Ask for a sandbox or trial. Get a real feel for day-to-day tasks.
- Watch a rep (not an admin) create a quote and get it approved. Time it.
- Check for “click fatigue.” If it takes 10 steps to send a proposal, your reps will go back to spreadsheets.
- See how it handles mistakes. Can you easily fix a quote or resend a contract?
Red flag: If your sales team starts using email or Excel to “work around” the new tool, you’ve got a problem.
5. Evaluate Integration and Data Flow
Your sales tool is only as good as its connections. Ask:
- How does it sync with your CRM? Real-time, or batch updates? (Delayed syncs can kill your data.)
- What about billing, ERP, or marketing tools? Can you automate handoffs, or are you stuck exporting CSVs?
- Is there an open API? If your stack is a little weird, you’ll want flexibility.
- How hard is initial setup? If you need a six-month project just to connect to Salesforce, run.
Pro tip: Fancy “integrations” often mean just pushing PDFs around. Ask for specifics, not just logos on a slide.
6. Look Beyond the Demo—Ask for Proof
Every vendor claims happy customers. Don’t just take their word for it.
- Ask for customer references who switched from a tool similar to yours.
- Check review sites (G2, TrustRadius) for recent, in-depth reviews. Ignore five-star reviews with no details.
- Ask about implementation timelines and setbacks. Most teams underestimate the pain of migration.
- Look for transparency about limitations. If a vendor says “we can do anything,” they’re not being honest.
You want a partner who will tell you what doesn’t work, not just promise the moon.
7. Consider Total Cost—Not Just the Subscription
Sticker price is just the start. Think about:
- Implementation fees: These can be as much as the first year’s subscription.
- Training and change management: Will your team need outside help?
- Admin/maintenance: How often will you need to tweak rules or templates? Who does it?
- Renewal “gotchas”: Are prices set to jump in year two?
Pro tip: Ask for a real-life, all-in total cost scenario for a company your size. Vendors hate this question, but it saves headaches later.
8. Pressure Test Support and Roadmap
Support isn’t sexy, but it matters. Here’s what to check:
- How fast are real support responses? Not just “we’ll get back to you.”
- Is documentation useful, or just marketing fluff?
- What’s on the product roadmap? Are they building things that matter to you, or chasing trends?
- Is there a real user community? Or will you be on your own?
If you’re stuck waiting days for a fix, or if updates break your workflows, it doesn’t matter how many features you have.
9. Run a Real-World Pilot (Not a Vendor-Driven “POC”)
Before signing a contract, set up a real pilot with your process, your data, and your team. Don’t let the vendor cherry-pick the use cases.
- Pick a handful of deals to run end-to-end.
- Get feedback from everyone involved—reps, managers, legal, finance.
- Track what breaks, what’s slow, and what actually saves time.
- Be honest: Did this tool actually streamline your process? Or did it just move the work somewhere else?
If the tool can’t handle your real work, don’t force it.
10. Make the Call—And Keep It Simple
After all this, remember: no tool will save a broken process, and no tool is perfect. Pick the one that solves your biggest pain point, that your team will actually use, and that won’t drown you in admin work.
If you’re on the fence, start small. Roll out to one team or segment, watch what happens, and adjust. The best sales teams tweak as they go, instead of getting stuck in analysis paralysis.
Bottom line: Don’t get dazzled by features or swayed by big promises. Focus on what actually matters for your sales process, test it in the real world, and remember—simple, usable beats fancy every time.