If you’re leading a revenue or sales ops team, you know the software landscape is a mess. Everyone’s promising you a “single pane of glass” or “AI-driven 10x pipeline growth.” You just want tools that actually help your team bring in more deals, waste less time, and don’t cripple you with integrations or surprise costs.
This guide is for you. We’ll walk through a no-BS, step-by-step way to compare Spoke with other B2B GTM (go-to-market) platforms—so you don’t blow your budget or end up with another shelfware license.
1. Get Clear on What “Scaling” Actually Means for Your Team
Before you even look at a demo, talk to your team. “Scaling” isn’t just headcount or more leads. Is your real bottleneck onboarding, reporting, playbooks, or connecting all the random tools you already have?
Checklist: - What slows your reps down now? - Where do handoffs break (sales <> CS, or SDR <> AE)? - What data do you need but can’t get easily? - Are you stuck in spreadsheet land?
Pro tip: Vendors love to talk about features, but features alone don’t solve real workflow problems. Write down the actual pain your team feels. That’s your north star.
2. Cut Through the Hype—What Does Spoke Actually Do?
A lot of GTM tools sound the same. Here’s the real talk on what Spoke is focused on:
- Workflow automation for revenue teams—think sequences, handoffs, and follow-ups.
- Playbook execution—helping reps run the right plays at the right time.
- Connecting siloed tools (CRM, email, Slack) without a ton of custom code.
- Reporting on what actually moves deals forward.
What Spoke isn’t: It’s not a CRM replacement, not a sales engagement tool like Outreach/Salesloft, and it’s not a generic workflow tool like Monday.com.
Compare to others: Most “GTM” platforms try to be everything. A lot end up being a jack of all trades, master of none. Spoke is more focused, which means fewer bells and whistles, but also less confusion.
3. Make a Shortlist of Real Competitors
Don’t compare Spoke to Salesforce or HubSpot—they’re CRMs, not apples-to-apples. Instead, line it up against other GTM workflow or “revenue orchestration” tools. Here’s who’s usually in the ring:
- GTM workflow platforms: LeanData, Tray.io, Workato
- Sales playbook tools: Clari, Groove, Salesloft (for workflow parts)
- Custom stacks: Zapier + Google Sheets + Slack bots (if you’re scrappy)
Ignore: Anything that’s just a data enrichment tool, dialer, or pure analytics. They might integrate, but they won’t replace what Spoke does.
4. Map Out Your Must-Haves (and Nice-to-Haves)
List your critical needs, not just what’s “cool.” Be honest about what your team will actually use.
Must-haves might include: - Integrates well with your CRM (not just “has an integration”) - Handles your team’s common workflows (like lead routing, deal handoffs) - Easy to update when your process changes (no army of consultants) - Good support and documentation
Nice-to-haves: - Fancy dashboards (if you’ll actually use them) - AI/automation features (if they work out of the box) - Built-in templates or best practices
What to ignore: Shiny features that look good in a demo but don’t match your process. If you’ve never needed “AI-powered intent scoring” before, don’t pay extra for it now.
5. Dig Into Integration—Don’t Trust the Logo Farm
Every vendor slaps a bunch of logos on their site. That doesn’t mean the integration is deep or usable.
Questions to ask: - Does it really sync two ways with Salesforce/HubSpot, or just push data one way? - Can non-engineers set up and tweak integrations? - How hard is it to add new fields or change routing rules? - What breaks if your CRM schema changes? - Is there a sandbox to test things, or do you break production every time?
Pro tip: Ask for a live integration walkthrough, not a canned demo. If the vendor hesitates, that’s a red flag.
6. Scrutinize Reporting and Data Access
You need more than “activity logs.” Can you actually answer questions like “Which playbooks move deals fastest?” or “Where do we lose the most leads?”
Look for: - Customizable reports, not just canned dashboards - Ability to export your own data (CSV, API) - Visibility into adoption—who’s using the tool, and how? - Filters that match your sales process (not just “created date”)
Weak spots: Some platforms make it a pain to get your own data out, or require a premium tier for anything custom.
7. Test Support and Change Management (Before You Buy)
You’ll need help at some point—either with onboarding, troubleshooting, or updating your processes.
Ways to test: - Email/chat their support with a real question and see how fast/helpful the answer is. - Ask for a sample onboarding plan. - Check if there’s a real help center or just PDFs. - See if there’s an active user community (forums, Slack, etc.)
Reality check: A lot of promising tools fall flat when your team needs to change something. If every tweak requires a vendor project, you’ll regret it.
8. Run a Pilot—Don’t Buy Off the Demo
It’s easy to get wowed by a slick sales pitch. Insist on a real pilot, with your real data and workflows.
How to run a good pilot: - Pick one or two teams or workflows to test. - Set clear success criteria (“If X happens, we’ll consider rolling out”). - Timebox it—don’t let the pilot drag on forever. - Get honest feedback from frontline users—not just ops or IT.
Common pitfalls: - Pilots that are too broad or unfocused (“Let’s try everything!”) - Vendor does all the setup—then you can’t run it yourself later. - No clear exit criteria—leads to endless “maybe” decisions.
9. Total Cost—No Surprises
Pricing is rarely as simple as it looks on the website. Watch for:
- Per-seat minimums (even for non-sellers)
- Integration or API “add-ons”
- Professional services for setup or changes
- Surprise price jumps at renewal
Tip: Ask for a sample invoice for a company your size with your use case. See what’s included—and what’s not.
10. Make the Call—And Be Ready to Change Course
No tool is perfect, and your process will change as you scale. Pick the platform that solves your top problems, is easy to tweak, and won’t trap you with hidden costs or vendor lock-in.
Final questions to ask yourself: - Will this tool make my reps’ lives easier—today? - Can I change things myself, fast? - Am I buying for my actual team, or the team I wish I had?
Keep it simple. Get feedback early. Don’t fall for the hype. The right GTM platform should help you move faster, not create more work. Start with your real pain points, test in the real world, and don’t be afraid to rip something out if it stops working for you. That’s how you scale—without the headaches.