If you’re in charge of making B2B go-to-market work—and you’re evaluating business intelligence platforms—chances are, you’ve heard about Domo. Maybe your team wants cleaner dashboards, or leadership wants “one source of truth,” or you just want the daily sales reports to stop being a mess of spreadsheets. Either way, you’ve got to figure out if Domo is actually going to make your life easier, or if you’re buying another shiny tool that won’t deliver.
This guide is for B2B folks who need to cut through the noise and get real about what Domo does well, where it falls flat, and how to make smart decisions about features and integrations that will actually move the needle for your go-to-market engine.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Use Cases (Don’t Skip This)
Before you even start the demo treadmill, nail down what you need Domo to do for your business. “Analytics” is not a use case. Be specific.
Typical B2B go-to-market use cases: - Sales pipeline visibility across multiple sources (CRM, spreadsheets, legacy tools) - Real-time marketing campaign performance - Customer health and churn tracking - Executive dashboards that don’t require a data science degree to interpret - Automated reporting for investors or board decks
Pro tip:
If your “must-haves” list is more than a page, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Prioritize the 3–5 workflows that actually drive revenue or reduce pain.
Step 2: Dig Into Domo’s Core Features—What Matters, What Doesn’t
Domo offers a ton of features. Not all of them will matter to you. Here’s what to focus on (and what to ignore).
What to Pay Attention To
- Connectors:
Domo boasts hundreds of connectors (Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Ads, SQL, etc.). But does it connect to your actual data sources? Go beyond the logo wall. Ask: - Is the connector maintained, or is it just “available”?
- Does it support custom objects, or just the basics?
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Will it pull historical data, or just current info?
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Data Preparation (“ETL”):
Domo’s Magic ETL is drag-and-drop, which is great if you’re not a SQL wizard. But the learning curve gets steep for anything complex. If your data is messy (whose isn’t?), test how easy it is to clean, join, and transform data before it hits dashboards. -
Dashboards and Visualizations:
The visuals are slick, but the real question is: can non-analysts use them? Try building a dashboard from scratch with your own data. If you need a consultant for every tweak, that’s a red flag. -
Collaboration and Alerts:
Domo lets you annotate charts, tag teammates, and set up alerts on data thresholds. Useful if your team actually works in the platform—in reality, most folks still email PDFs. Decide if this is a must-have or just “nice to have.” -
Security and Governance:
If you’re in fintech, healthcare, or any regulated space, Domo’s granular access controls are solid. But setting them up can be tedious. Don’t underestimate the overhead here.
What to Ignore (or at Least, Be Skeptical Of)
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App Store:
Domo’s app store sounds great, but many apps are basic templates or require extra costs. Most teams never use them. -
AI/ML “Smarts”:
Unless you’ve got a mature data science team, you probably won’t get much value from Domo’s AI features out of the box. -
Mobile:
The mobile app is fine for viewing dashboards, but don’t expect to build or edit anything substantial on your phone.
Step 3: Test Integrations—Don’t Take Their Word for It
Integrations make or break your go-to-market reporting. On paper, Domo integrates with “everything.” In practice, it’s more complicated.
How to Really Vet an Integration
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Set up a Proof of Concept:
Actually connect your CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot) and pull in a real data set. Try some messy, real-world data. -
Check Data Freshness:
Can it update every 15 minutes, or is it once a day? For sales teams, stale data kills trust. -
Test for Data Loss or Lag:
Move a field, rename an object, or add a new column in your source system. Does Domo pick it up automatically, or do things break? -
User Permissions:
Do field-level permissions transfer over? If your team has sensitive info in CRM, make sure it doesn’t show up in Domo dashboards by accident.
Common Integration Pitfalls
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APIs Getting Rate-Limited:
If you’re pulling heavy data from Salesforce or Marketo, you might hit limits. Domo can’t magically fix this. -
“One-Way Street” Syncs:
Most Domo integrations are import-only. If you want to write data back to your systems, check if that’s possible (usually not). -
Custom Connector Costs:
If you need a custom connector, expect extra fees and a long timeline.
Step 4: Evaluate the User Experience (For Real Users)
A tool that only the analytics team can use is a tool that won’t drive go-to-market alignment.
What to look for:
- Self-service:
Can your sales or marketing folks build their own reports, or do they always need to go through ops?
- Speed:
Is the platform snappy, or do you wait 30 seconds every time you change a filter?
- Training and Support:
Does Domo offer actual help, or is it all community forums and paywalled content?
- Adoption:
Ask for customer references with similar team sizes and use cases. Not just the logos on their website.
Don’t get distracted by: - UI polish. Looks nice, but if your team can’t use it, who cares? - Gimmicky features (like “social” feeds in dashboards). No one uses them for real work.
Step 5: Get Real About Pricing and Hidden Costs
Domo’s pricing is not transparent. It’s “custom,” so expect negotiations. Here’s what actually impacts your bill:
- Number of Users:
More users, more money. Viewer vs. editor roles make a difference. - Data Volume:
Large or frequent data loads can bump you into a higher tier. - Connectors and Add-ons:
Some integrations or “premium” features cost extra. Get a full list in writing. - Professional Services:
If you need help with setup, budget for it—most teams do.
Pro tip:
Ask for a clear, itemized quote. Push for a pilot or short-term contract to prove value before you commit for a year.
Step 6: Don’t Forget Change Management
No tool will magically align marketing and sales or fix dirty CRM data. The best platforms still require:
- Executive buy-in (not just budget approval)
- Someone to “own” the system internally
- Regular audits to make sure dashboards stay useful
- Training for new hires
If you skip this, even the slickest dashboards will be ignored by the people who matter.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Domo can be a powerful tool for B2B go-to-market teams—if you stay focused on the features and integrations that actually solve your biggest pain points. Don’t get seduced by fancy demos or endless capabilities. Start with the basics, get them right, and build from there. The teams that win aren’t the ones with the flashiest dashboards—they’re the ones who actually use them to make better decisions, day in and day out.