If you’re running a B2B go-to-market (GTM) operation, you’ve probably heard a lot about “analytics platforms” that promise to fix everything except your espresso machine. Truth is, most dashboards are either too simple (“here’s your web traffic, good luck”) or overwhelming piles of data that don’t mean much.
This guide is for folks who want to use Aptiv Analytics to actually track what matters and improve their B2B GTM strategy—without getting lost in charts or buzzwords. I’ll walk you through setting things up, what’s worth measuring, how to spot signals in the noise, and plain advice on what to skip.
1. Get Clear on What You’re Actually Trying to Track
Before you open up Aptiv or any tool, you need to know what you’re trying to improve. “GTM strategy” is a big umbrella; you’ll get nowhere if you try to track everything.
Focus on a few core questions: - Are we attracting the right leads? - Where are deals stalling or dying? - Are our campaigns actually making a difference? - Which channels pull their weight, and which are a waste?
Pro tip: Write these down. Seriously. If you can’t say what you want in one sentence, stop and clarify. Aptiv will give you all the data you ask for—so ask for the right stuff.
2. Set Up Aptiv Analytics (Without Getting Lost)
Aptiv is built for B2B teams, so the setup isn’t rocket science, but you’ll want to spend an hour doing it right.
Here’s what to do:
- Connect your data sources. Plug in your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), marketing automation, and any ad platforms you use. Aptiv is flexible, but don’t add sources you don’t actually use—clutter just makes things harder to interpret.
- Map your funnel stages. Don’t just use the defaults. Customize your funnel stages to match your real-world sales process. If your “MQL” and “SQL” definitions are fuzzy, now’s the time to tighten them up.
- Set up user roles and permissions. Decide who can see what. There’s no point in giving everyone full access—let sales see their pipeline, marketing see their campaigns, and keep admin rights tight.
What to skip: Avoid the “just sync everything” temptation. Pull in what you’ll actually look at. Also, skip integrations with tools nobody on your team uses (looking at you, legacy webinar platforms).
3. Build Dashboards That Answer Real GTM Questions
It’s easy to end up with dashboards that look impressive but don’t answer anything useful. Focus on dashboards that help you decide what to do next.
Start with three core dashboards:
- Pipeline Health:
- Track deals by stage, deal aging, and conversion rates between stages.
- Highlight stuck deals and where leads fall out.
- Campaign Performance:
- Show lead sources, cost per lead, and which campaigns actually produce pipeline (not just clicks).
- Channel ROI:
- Compare channels (email, ads, events, referrals) by pipeline generated—not just MQLs.
- Cut the channels that don’t lead to revenue, even if they look good on vanity metrics.
Tips for sanity: - Use filters to drill down by segment, region, or rep—don’t try to cram everything onto one page. - Set up alerts for real problems (big drop in lead quality, pipeline stalling), not just activity.
What doesn’t work: Dashboards with every metric under the sun. If you need a manual to read your own dashboard, you’ve gone too far.
4. Dig Into the Metrics That Actually Matter
Aptiv gives you a ton of options, but most B2B teams get real mileage out of these:
- Lead-to-opportunity conversion: Are you spending a lot to get leads no one wants to talk to?
- Opportunity-to-close rate: Where are deals falling off? Are certain stages black holes?
- Deal velocity: How long does it take to move from one stage to the next?
- Campaign-sourced pipeline: Which campaigns actually lead to meetings or revenue?
- Channel cost per pipeline dollar: Are you burning money on channels that don’t convert?
Ignore these (unless you have a specific reason): - Social shares and likes (unless you sell social software) - Click-through rates without downstream results - Time-on-site (unless you’re optimizing for content, not pipeline)
Aptiv lets you customize metrics and even create calculated fields. Just don’t get too clever—clarity beats complexity every time.
5. Use Aptiv Analytics to Actually Improve Your GTM (Instead of Just Staring at Charts)
This is where most teams drop the ball. Data is only useful if you’re ready to act on it. Here’s how to turn insights into action:
- Spot bottlenecks. If deals die at the proposal stage, talk to sales or product—maybe the deck is confusing or pricing’s off.
- Double down or cut. If a campaign or channel is driving pipeline at a good cost, go all-in. If not, cut ruthlessly. Don’t fall for “brand awareness” excuses unless you’ve got the budget to burn.
- Test and measure. Try a new sequence, tweak messaging, or add a new lead source. Set a time frame, track results in Aptiv, and see if the needle moves.
- Share what matters. Don’t email weekly reports full of noise. Share one or two insights with real recommendations for marketing, sales, or execs.
What to ignore: Don’t fixate on making the numbers “look good.” It’s easy to chase vanity metrics or tweak definitions to hit targets. Focus on actual improvement, not statistical gymnastics.
6. Pitfalls to Watch For (and How to Dodge Them)
Even the best analytics tool can lead you astray if you’re not careful. Here’s where folks get tripped up:
- Analysis paralysis. More data doesn’t mean better decisions. Pick a few KPIs and stick with them.
- Chasing perfection. Don’t waste weeks perfecting your dashboard. Get something useful up, then iterate.
- Blaming the tool. If the data doesn’t match your gut, double-check your process, not just the software. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Forgetting context. Numbers don’t explain why something happened. Use Aptiv for signals, then go talk to your team or customers for the story behind the data.
7. Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need a PhD in data science to use Aptiv Analytics well. Start with clear questions, track the metrics that matter, and actually do something with what you learn. Skip the show-off dashboards and focus on the decisions that move your GTM forward.
If something’s not working, tweak it. If you find a winner, scale it up. Don’t chase every new metric or fad—stick with what helps your sales and marketing teams win more deals, and ignore the rest.
Bottom line: Start small, stay focused, and keep improving. That’s how you use analytics to actually get better, not just busier.