If you’re running a B2B team, you know the go-to-market (GTM) process is messy. Tools promise to “transform your pipeline” but end up adding complexity or just… sitting there. This guide is for sales leaders, revenue ops, and founders who want real, practical features that actually help get products to market faster. We’re breaking down what matters (and what doesn’t) about Spoke, a platform that’s gotten a lot of buzz but deserves a closer look.
What is Spoke, Really?
First, a quick reality check. Spoke isn’t some magic AI genie that closes deals for you. At its core, it’s a tool that helps B2B teams centralize customer conversations, sales assets, and playbooks in one place. The idea is to remove the friction between teams and make sure everyone works from the same playbook—literally and figuratively.
But as with any tool, it’s only as good as the problems it actually solves. So let’s dig into the features that matter (and which ones to skip).
1. Centralized Customer Knowledge: Stop Losing Context
What Works
- Shared Workspaces: Spoke lets you create shared workspaces for accounts, deals, or customer segments. Notes, emails, call transcripts, and docs all live together, so no more digging through Slack, email, and Notion just to remember what was discussed last quarter.
- Auto-Capture & Sync: Connect your calendar and email, and Spoke pulls in meetings and relevant threads. It’s not perfect, but it does save time.
- Search That Doesn’t Stink: Their search actually surfaces what you need—a rare thing. You can filter by deal stage, contact, or even keywords from call notes.
What Doesn’t
- Data Entry Still Exists: You’ll still need to nudge your team to add context or connect new tools. No platform is fully hands-off.
- Integrations Can Be Fussy: Out-of-the-box integrations work with the biggest platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Workspace), but anything custom or legacy will need some elbow grease.
Pro Tip: Don’t try to boil the ocean. Start with one or two key accounts and build habits before rolling Spoke out across your whole team.
2. Playbooks That Actually Get Used
What Works
- In-Context Guidance: Spoke’s playbooks surface right where reps are working—on deals themselves. No more digging in Google Drive or asking “Where’s that pricing objection email template?”
- Version Control: Updates to messaging or assets flow to everyone instantly. No more outdated decks floating around.
- Feedback Loops: Team members can comment directly on playbooks, so you can see what’s actually helpful and what needs work.
What Doesn’t
- Playbook Creep: It’s tempting to document everything. Resist. Reps ignore playbooks that are too long or too rigid.
- Adoption Depends on Culture: Tools don’t fix bad habits. If your team isn’t bought in, playbooks will gather dust no matter how slick the UI.
Pro Tip: Keep playbooks short—think checklists, not novels. Test what works in the field and update ruthlessly.
3. Sales Asset Management: No More “Where’s That Slide?”
What Works
- Asset Library: Store pitch decks, case studies, and one-pagers in a central spot. It’s searchable, so even your least organized teammate can find the latest version.
- Usage Analytics: See what gets opened, used, or ignored. If nobody’s sending that 10-page whitepaper, maybe it’s time to retire it.
- Easy Sharing: One-click links for external sharing, with permissions baked in. No more “Can you send me that PDF?” emails.
What Doesn’t
- No Magic Tagging: You still have to tag and organize assets yourself. Spoke tries to auto-categorize, but results are hit-or-miss.
- Overkill for Small Teams: If you only have a handful of assets, a simple Google Drive folder may do the job.
Pro Tip: Do a quarterly clean-up. Old assets pile up fast and clutter the library, making it harder to find what works.
4. Real-Time Collaboration: Get Aligned Without More Meetings
What Works
- Commenting & Notifications: Leave comments on deals, assets, or playbooks. It cuts down on endless Slack threads and “quick sync” calls.
- @Mentions: Tag teammates to bring them into deals or docs right when you need them.
- Internal-Only Threads: Keep internal discussions separate from anything you might want to share with prospects.
What Doesn’t
- Notification Overload: Like every tool, too many pings can get ignored. You’ll have to set some team norms.
- Still Not a CRM: Spoke isn’t a full CRM. If you try to use it as one, you’ll end up frustrated.
Pro Tip: Use comments for decisions and handoffs, not chit-chat. If it’s not actionable, don’t clutter the thread.
5. Integrations & Automation: Cuts Down on Busywork—Mostly
What Works
- Calendar & Email Sync: Meetings, emails, and notes pull into Spoke automatically. It’s not set-and-forget, but it gets you 80% there.
- CRM Integrations: Push updates to Salesforce or HubSpot, so reps aren’t double-entering data.
- Open API: If you’ve got the resources, you can set up custom integrations.
What Doesn’t
- Limited Workflow Automation: Spoke isn’t Zapier. Automation is mostly around syncing, not deep workflow triggers.
- Setup Takes Time: Integrations are only as good as your data hygiene. Garbage in, garbage out.
Pro Tip: Assign someone (not everyone) as the Spoke “owner” to keep integrations humming and avoid data chaos.
6. Reporting & Insights: Enough to Spot Trends, Not Overwhelm
What Works
- Deal Progress Dashboards: See which deals are moving, stuck, or at risk—without drowning in metrics.
- Playbook & Asset Performance: Get real-world feedback on what’s working and what’s being ignored.
- Custom Filters: Slice and dice data by team, owner, or segment.
What Doesn’t
- Not a BI Tool: If you want to build complex dashboards or slice data six ways from Sunday, Spoke will frustrate you.
- Some Lag on Sync: Reports can lag by a few hours, so it’s not for minute-by-minute pipeline updates.
Pro Tip: Use reports to spot bottlenecks, not to micromanage. Focus on one or two key metrics.
What to Ignore (for Now)
- AI Summaries: Spoke, like most platforms, is dabbling in AI. The summaries of calls and deals are getting better, but don’t trust them blindly. Double-check key details.
- “Smart Recommendations”: Any tool that claims to “predict” your next best action is mostly guessing. Use your gut—and your team’s experience—first.
- Over-Customization: You can tweak a lot, but don’t fall down the rabbit hole. Start simple.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Spoke’s best features help you centralize knowledge, keep assets findable, and make playbooks actually usable. But no tool will save a broken process or a siloed team. Start small, focus on what your reps actually use, and don’t be afraid to ignore the bells and whistles. The fastest way to a better go-to-market isn’t a new platform—it’s making sure your team can find what they need, when they need it, and can actually act on it. Keep it simple, and improve as you go.