If you’re trying to pick the right go-to-market (GTM) platform for your sales team, you’ve probably run into a wall of jargon, shiny dashboards, and “transformational” promises. This guide is for sales leaders, ops folks, or anyone actually responsible for making these tools work. We’ll focus on evaluating Highspot against other B2B platforms, but most of this applies to any head-to-head. No magic bullets or buzzwords—just what matters in the real world.
Step 1: Get Clear on What Your Sales Team Actually Needs
Before diving into demos, be brutally honest about what problems you need to solve. “Better sales enablement” means nothing if everyone’s already ignoring the last tool you bought.
Start here: - What’s actually slowing reps down? (Not what vendors say—ask your team.) - Do you need content management, training, analytics, or all of the above? - How do you currently share content? Is it working, or just duct-taped together? - What’s your tech stack look like? (CRM, email, chat—write it down.)
Pro tip: If you can’t write down your must-haves and nice-to-haves in a page or less, you’re not ready to evaluate platforms. More features ≠ more value.
Step 2: Understand What Highspot—and Its Competitors—Really Do
Vendors love to sound unique, but most B2B GTM platforms hit the same main beats: - Content management (central library, search, permissions) - Sales playbooks/guidance - Analytics & reporting - CRM integration - Training & onboarding
Highspot’s pitch: Strong content search, nice UI, and “pitch” analytics (how buyers interact with materials). Competitors—think Showpad, Seismic, or Enablement tools built into your CRM—offer variations on this theme.
What actually matters: - Does the platform make it dead simple for reps to find and share content? - Will it save managers time? Or just add another dashboard? - Is the analytics data useful, or just a pile of charts no one reads? - Can it tie back to revenue, or at least to pipeline activity?
Ignore: Claims about “AI-powered engagement” unless you can see a demo that solves a real pain you have today. Hype is cheap; working features are rare.
Step 3: Put Integration and Ease of Use Ahead of Flashy Features
No matter what the sales deck says, your reps won’t use a platform that’s annoying, slow, or forces them to leave their workflow. Period.
Check for: - CRM integration: Does it actually work, or just “sync” basic info? Can you push/pull real data to Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.? - Email/calendar plugins: Can reps send content directly from their email? Is it clunky or seamless? - Mobile usability: Will it work for field reps on the go? - Admin pain: How hard is it to update content, add users, or pull reports?
Red flags: - Endless customization. If you need a consultant to launch, you’ll be stuck paying them forever. - “Adoption services” as a required add-on. This usually means the product is confusing out of the box.
Step 4: Don’t Get Distracted by Analytics You’ll Never Use
Every GTM platform talks about engagement metrics, dashboards, and “insights.” Most of it just collects dust.
Ask yourself: - What metrics will my team actually act on? (E.g., “Who opened the deck?” is less useful than “Which content leads to meetings?”) - Do managers need to track activity, outcomes, or both? - Can we tie usage data to deals, or is it all vanity stats?
What works: - Simple, clean reports tied to real sales outcomes. - Alerts or nudges that help managers coach, not just scold.
What doesn’t: - Overly complex dashboards with a million filters. - “AI recommendations” that are just random content suggestions.
Step 5: Pilot with Real Reps, Not Just Champions
It’s easy to fall in love with a tool during a vendor-led demo. The real test: how do your most skeptical reps (not just your “change champions”) use it?
How to run a no-nonsense pilot: - Pick 3–5 reps who reflect your actual team—tech-savvy, old-school, and everyone in between. - Use the platform for real deals, not just test data. - Measure: Did it save time? Did content get used? Did anyone complain (or better, did they keep using it without nagging)?
Pro tip: Watch how many steps it takes to do a common task (e.g., sending a case study). If it’s more than a couple of clicks, reps won’t bother.
Step 6: Compare Pricing—But Don’t Forget Hidden Costs
Sticker price is just the start. Ask about: - User tiers (do you pay for everyone, or just “active” users?) - Required add-ons (analytics, integrations, support) - Implementation fees (sometimes buried in the contract) - Ongoing admin/budget for keeping things current
Reality check: Most platforms cost more than you expect once you scale up or want “enterprise” features. Get quotes in writing, and ask for a customer reference who’s your size.
Step 7: Talk to Real Customers—Not Just the Ones on the Website
Case studies are always glowing. You want to hear from a peer who’s been in the trenches.
How to get the real story: - Ask for references who switched from (or to) a core competitor. - Find users on LinkedIn and message them directly—most people will give you a candid take if you’re not a vendor. - Ask about rollout headaches, adoption, and what they wish they’d known.
Listen for: - “We had to hire a full-time admin to keep it running.” (Red flag.) - “Reps actually use it without being forced.” (Good sign.) - “We only use 20% of what we’re paying for.” (Common—ask why.)
Step 8: Make a Shortlist, Decide Fast, and Move On
After all this, don’t drag it out. If two or three options check most of your boxes, pick one and commit. Waiting for the “perfect” platform means you’ll never launch anything.
- Document your must-haves and “dealbreakers.”
- Score each platform honestly—don’t fudge numbers to fit your favorite.
- Don’t let a vendor’s last-minute “we’ll match their price” offer sway you if the product isn’t right.
Keep It Simple, Launch, and Iterate
Don’t let the search for the “ultimate” GTM platform distract you from the basics: tools should make your sales team’s life easier, not harder. Pick the one that works for your real needs, get it live, and improve as you go. Most of the value comes from using the tool well, not picking the shiniest one. Good luck!