If you’re trying to wrangle a B2B sales process in 2024, you’ve probably already hit the wall with half-baked spreadsheets, a graveyard of old CRMs, and endless Slack threads. You want something that actually helps you move deals forward—not another dashboard to ignore. This review is for founders, sales leads, and anyone tired of wrestling with tools that make things harder, not easier.
Let’s get into how Folk stacks up as a B2B GTM (go-to-market) tool, what it actually does, where it helps, and where it might drive you nuts.
What is Folk, Really?
Folk bills itself as a “collaborative CRM” for modern sales teams. Think of it as a lightweight platform for tracking contacts, conversations, and deals—without the kitchen sink. It’s not trying to be Salesforce. Instead, Folk aims for the sweet spot between a spreadsheet and a full-blown CRM, with a focus on simplicity and team visibility.
Who’s it for? - Small to medium B2B sales teams (2-50 users, give or take) - Startups building out their first sales process - Agencies or consultancies managing client pipelines - Anyone who wants shared contact management without CRM bloat
If you live and die by custom fields, automated lead scoring, or deep integrations with legacy systems, Folk probably isn’t for you. If you’re sick of overkill and want something your team will actually use, read on.
Key Features: The Good, The Useful, and The Meh
Let’s break down what you get, what works, and what’s oversold.
1. Clean, Contact-Centric Interface
- Contacts are the core. Everything in Folk revolves around people and companies. You import contacts, organize them into groups (think pipelines, segments, or simple lists).
- No clutter. The UI is clean and doesn’t bombard you with endless tabs or fields.
- Bulk actions are easy. Emailing, tagging, updating statuses—it’s a couple of clicks, not a procedural headache.
Pro tip: If you’re moving from a spreadsheet, you’ll feel right at home. But if your team needs highly structured, multi-step workflows, you might bump into limits.
2. Pipeline and Workflow Tools
- Customizable pipelines. You can set up Kanban-style boards for deals or outreach sequences, move contacts through stages, and assign owners.
- Simple reminders. Folk nudges you to follow up—nothing fancy, but it helps you avoid letting leads go cold.
- Notes and activity tracking. You can log calls, emails, and notes right on the contact page.
What’s missing? No built-in phone dialer, and automation is basic. If you want complex, rules-based workflows, Folk isn’t there yet.
3. Email Integration
- Gmail and Outlook sync. Folk pulls in your conversations, so you have context on who talked to whom and when.
- Bulk emailing (with templates). Handy for outreach or updates, but don’t expect the granularity of a dedicated email marketing tool.
- Tracking opens and clicks. Good enough for basic outreach, but if you want deep analytics, you’ll need something else.
Heads up: Folk’s email features are built for quick campaigns, not for nurturing leads over months with automated drips.
4. Collaboration and Permissions
- Shared everything. Your whole team sees the same data—no more “where’s that email?” mysteries.
- User permissions. You can lock down sensitive lists or contacts, but it’s not as granular as enterprise CRMs.
If you’re worried about privacy: Folk is fine for most SMBs, but you might want tighter controls if you’re in a heavily regulated sector.
5. Integrations and API
- Zapier-friendly. Folk hooks into Zapier, so you can connect with tools like Slack, Google Sheets, and more. There’s also a basic API for custom connections.
- No deep integrations. Don’t expect seamless two-way sync with every SaaS tool under the sun.
Bottom line: If you need your CRM to talk to 12 other apps and trigger a dozen automations, Folk will feel limited.
Real-World Workflow: How Folk Fits into Sales
Let’s walk through what it’s like to actually use Folk in a B2B sales process.
1. Import and Clean Your Contacts
- Import via CSV or Google Contacts. Folk tries to dedupe and clean up as you go—but you’ll want to check its work.
- Tag and group contacts by pipeline stage, industry, or whatever makes sense for your process.
Watch out: If your data is messy, Folk doesn’t have magic cleaning wands. Garbage in, garbage out.
2. Build a Simple Pipeline
- Set up your sales stages: Lead → Discovery → Proposal → Closed, or whatever fits.
- Drag contacts from one stage to the next. Add notes and assign team members as deals progress.
Pro tip: Keep your pipeline simple. Folk shines when you don’t overcomplicate things.
3. Track Conversations and Next Steps
- Connect your email to see conversation history.
- Add reminders to follow up or schedule meetings.
- Capture quick notes after calls—nothing fancy, just enough to jog your memory later.
What Folk does well: Keeps you focused on the next action, not endless data entry.
4. Collaborate with Your Team
- Everything is shared by default, which cuts down on “who owns this?” confusion.
- Use tags to segment lists (e.g., priority leads, warm intros, VIPs).
Potential friction: If you have competing sales teams or sensitive deals, Folk’s open model might feel too exposed.
5. Send Outreach and Track Results
- Use Folk’s bulk email for simple campaigns (e.g., product updates, intro outreach).
- Track replies and clicks. If you need A/B testing or advanced targeting, look elsewhere.
For serious volume or complex campaigns: Folk’s email is a nice add-on, not a replacement for Mailchimp or Outreach.
Where Folk Delivers (and Where It Doesn’t)
What Works Well
- Low learning curve. Folks (no pun intended) pick it up fast.
- Eliminates spreadsheet chaos. No more version control hell or lost notes.
- Good for fast-moving teams. Everything’s visible, and you’re not buried in legacy features.
What’s Annoying
- Limited automation. If you want to set up multi-step nurture flows, you’ll outgrow Folk quickly.
- Basic reporting. There are some stats, but don’t expect dashboards worthy of a board meeting.
- Data hygiene is on you. Folk won’t magically fix your messy contact lists.
What to Ignore
- Buzzwords about “AI” or “next-gen GTM.” Folk is refreshingly straightforward, but don’t buy into claims that it’s reinventing sales tech.
- Enterprise features. If you’re managing hundreds of reps or need territory management, this isn’t your tool.
Pricing: Straightforward, but Not Bargain-Basement
Folk charges per user, per month. It’s not as cheap as a spreadsheet, but way less than Salesforce. No nickel-and-diming for “premium” features—what you see is what you get.
Best value: If you’re a small team that wants to get organized fast without a six-month onboarding nightmare.
The Bottom Line: Is Folk Right for You?
Folk is a breath of fresh air if you’re tired of bloated CRMs and want something practical for keeping your B2B sales process on the rails. It isn’t for everyone—power users and large enterprises will hit limits fast—but for SMB sales teams, it does what it says on the tin.
My advice: Don’t get lost chasing features you won’t use. If you want a simple, team-friendly way to actually do sales (not just track it), give Folk a spin. Start small, keep your process lean, and tweak as you learn. That’s usually the real “secret” to sales anyway.