Sales teams live and die by the tools they use. If you’re growing, you’ve probably heard about Superhuman as the “fastest email experience ever,” or seen a flood of other B2B go-to-market (GTM) tools promising to make your team unstoppable. The reality? Most of these tools are expensive, loaded with features you won’t use, and can slow your team down if you’re not careful.
This guide is for sales leaders, ops folks, or anyone who actually has to pick, buy, and roll out these tools—not for people who get excited about buzzwords. Let’s cut through the hype and get practical about how to evaluate Superhuman versus the rest, so you can help your sales team close more deals without losing your mind (or your budget).
Step 1: Get Clear on the Real Problem You’re Solving
Before you even start a trial, ask: What’s actually slowing your team down? Is it slow email? Disjointed workflows? Poor CRM adoption? Too many tabs? “We need to grow faster” isn’t specific enough.
Make a list of your top 2–3 pain points. For example: - Reps spend too much time searching for old emails. - Hand-off between SDRs and AEs is messy. - Too much manual data entry into Salesforce.
Pro tip: Ask your actual sales team. You’ll get better answers than from a vendor demo.
Step 2: List Out the Must-Have Features (And Ignore the Rest)
Every tool has a list of features a mile long. Most of them, you’ll never touch. Focus on what will really move the needle for your team.
For an email tool like Superhuman, must-haves might be: - Lightning-fast search and sending - Keyboard shortcuts/power-user features - Read receipts or tracking - Integrations with your CRM or calendar
For broader GTM tools (think Outreach, Salesloft, HubSpot, Apollo): - Automated sequences/cadences - Activity logging to CRM - Analytics that actually make sense - Easy onboarding (seriously, don’t underestimate this)
Ignore: - “AI-powered” features you don’t understand - Widgets you’ll disable in week two - Customization options you’ll never need
Step 3: Compare Pricing Honestly (Not Just List Price)
Sales software gets expensive fast—especially as your team grows. Don’t just look at the price per user on the website.
Ask these questions: - What’s the true cost per user, including add-ons you’ll actually need? - Is there a minimum seat count, or contract lock-in? - Are there hidden implementation or support fees? - How much does it cost if you double your team next year?
Pro tip: Some tools (like Superhuman) charge a flat per-user fee. Others get you with “premium” features. Always ask what’s not included in the base price.
Step 4: Test the Workflow—Not Just the Demos
A slick demo is one thing. Living with a tool every day is another. Set up a real-world test with a small group of your sales team.
Here’s what to do: - Run a two-week pilot with actual sales reps (not just managers or ops). - Have them do their real work: prospecting, emailing, updating CRM. - Ask for honest feedback: What’s faster? What’s more annoying?
What to watch for: - Does it actually make reps faster, or just feel fancier? - Does it play nicely with your existing stack (email, calendar, CRM)? - Are there weird glitches or lag? - Does it add steps “for compliance” or “data hygiene” that slow things down?
Red flag: If your team needs a week of training just to send an email, run.
Step 5: Check for Real Integrations (Not Just Buzzwords)
Superhuman pitches itself as the fastest, cleanest email experience, but what about integration? Other B2B GTM tools love to say they “seamlessly connect” to everything. In practice, “integration” often means “exports a CSV you have to upload daily.”
Test this yourself: - Can you update Salesforce/HubSpot directly from the tool, or is it a clunky workaround? - Do calendar invites, meetings, and follow-ups sync automatically? - Is there real-time data, or is it always out of date? - Does the integration break when you change something upstream (like a CRM field)?
Pro tip: Ask for a sandbox or trial environment so your ops team can try breaking things. You’ll learn fast what works.
Step 6: Don’t Get Distracted by “AI” or Shiny Widgets
Lots of GTM tools now pitch “AI-driven insights,” “next-gen analytics,” or “auto-magic data entry.” Most of this is marketing fluff.
Here’s what’s actually useful: - Auto-reminders for follow-ups - Smart suggestions based on actual activity (not just “AI” for the sake of it) - Real, actionable reporting (not just dashboards you’ll never open)
Skip: - “AI pipeline scoring” that’s a black box - Predictive anything that can’t be explained in plain English - Widgets that look cool but add clicks
Bottom line: If the feature doesn’t save your team time or make them money, skip it.
Step 7: Evaluate Support, Onboarding, and Community
You’ll need help—especially the first few months. Some vendors actually answer your questions. Some send you to a wiki or AI chatbot.
Questions to ask: - Is there live support (chat, phone, email) for your reps, or just “admins”? - How fast do they answer tickets? - Do they have documentation for your use case, not just generic stuff? - Is there a community or user group where you can swap tips? - Will they actually help with onboarding and data migration?
Superhuman’s onboarding is famously hands-on. For broader GTM tools, this varies a lot. If you’re left to figure it all out yourself, budget extra time (and Tylenol).
Step 8: Pressure-Test Security and Compliance (If You Have to)
If you’re in a regulated industry, security and compliance aren’t optional. But even if you’re not, you don’t want to explain a data breach to your boss.
Check the basics: - Is data encrypted in transit and at rest? - Can you control who sees what (role-based permissions)? - Does the tool offer SSO (single sign-on)? - Are there audit logs for activity?
Pro tip: If compliance is a dealbreaker for you (GDPR, SOC 2, etc.), ask for their documentation up front. Some vendors are still playing catch-up.
Step 9: Make a Decision Based on What Will Actually Change Behavior
This might be the most important step. The best tool is the one your sales team actually uses—not the one with the most features.
Gut-check questions: - Will this tool really make my reps faster, more focused, or better organized? - Will it reduce busywork, or just add another thing to update? - Is it easy enough that new hires can pick it up in a day or two? - Does it fit our workflow, or do we have to bend over backwards to make it work?
If you can’t answer “yes” to most of those, keep looking.
Summary: Don’t Overthink It—Pick Something Useful and Iterate
There’s no “perfect” sales tool. Focus on what matters: Does it make your team faster, more focused, and less frustrated? Ignore shiny features you’ll never use. Start small, test in the real world, and don’t be afraid to switch if something better comes along. Your team—and your budget—will thank you.