If you’re shopping for a B2B go-to-market (GTM) platform, you already know the market is a mess of buzzwords, overlapping features, and half-baked promises. Whether you’re in sales, marketing, or ops, you don’t have time to waste on platforms that sound impressive but fall flat when you actually try to use them. This guide is for folks who want to cut through the hype and figure out what really matters—plus, how Empler actually performs compared to the market.
What Even Is a B2B GTM Platform?
Let’s start with the basics: a B2B GTM platform is supposed to help your sales, marketing, and customer teams work together to find, win, and keep business customers. “Supposed to” is doing a lot of work here. In reality, most tools claim to do everything, but only nail a few things.
A good GTM platform should:
- Help you target the right accounts and buyers
- Make it easier to run campaigns and sales plays
- Give you clear data on what’s working (and what’s not)
- Actually work with your other tools (not just claim to)
That’s the bar. Anything else is window dressing.
The Features That Actually Matter (And What You Can Ignore)
You’ll get a laundry list of features from every vendor. Here’s what deserves your attention—and what you can safely skip.
1. Account and Contact Data: Is It Any Good?
Why it matters: Your GTM platform is only as good as its data. If you’re targeting the wrong companies or have outdated contacts, you’re wasting everyone’s time.
What to look for: - Real-time updates (not just a quarterly database refresh) - Data enrichment (auto-filling missing info, not just dumping CSVs) - Firmographic and technographic filters (find your actual ICP, not just “companies with 500+ employees”)
Ignore: Claims about “millions of records” if those records are stale or inaccurate. Quality over quantity, always.
How Empler stacks up: Empler’s data coverage is solid for most B2B use cases, with live enrichment and decent technographic filters. It’s not perfect—if you’re after niche verticals or non-English markets, double-check before you buy. But for most North American B2B targets, it’s as reliable as the big names.
2. Orchestration: Can You Actually Run Campaigns End-to-End?
Why it matters: You want to move from “this is our ICP” to “let’s actually reach out, track, and close deals” without duct-taping five tools together.
What to look for: - Multi-channel execution (email, LinkedIn, phone—ideally all in one place) - Playbooks that sales and marketing can actually use (not just a “workflow builder” no one understands) - Easy collaboration between teams
Ignore: “AI-powered” sequences that are just mail merges with a new label.
How Empler stacks up: Empler lets you run email and LinkedIn plays from the platform, and its playbook templates are actually usable. The handoff between marketing and sales is smoother than most, but if you’re heavily reliant on phone outreach or want deep integration with paid channels, you might hit some friction.
3. Insights and Reporting: Does It Tell You What’s Working?
Why it matters: If you can’t see which channels, messages, or reps are producing results, you’re flying blind.
What to look for: - Out-of-the-box dashboards for pipeline, attribution, and engagement - Customizable reports without a PhD in SQL - Clear visibility into both team and individual performance
Ignore: “Predictive analytics” that are just black boxes spitting out random scores.
How Empler stacks up: Reporting is straightforward. You get pipeline, activity, and basic attribution dashboards without a bunch of setup. Power users might want deeper customization, but for most teams, it’s “good enough” out of the box. Don’t expect magic insights, but you’ll know what’s working.
4. Integrations: Will It Play Nice With Your Stack?
Why it matters: No one wants to manage double data entry or spend a week wiring up Zapier hacks.
What to look for: - Native integrations with your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) - Simple connections to marketing automation and outreach tools - Clear documentation and support (for when things break—because they will)
Ignore: “Open API” promises if your team doesn’t have the resources to build custom integrations.
How Empler stacks up: Empler covers Salesforce and HubSpot out of the box, with ongoing improvements to marketing automation connections. If you’re on a less common CRM or have legacy systems, check the docs before you commit. The integrations aren’t the deepest in the industry, but they usually “just work.”
5. User Experience: Can Regular Humans Use It?
Why it matters: A GTM platform is useless if your team dreads logging in.
What to look for: - Clean, intuitive interface (not a “feature buffet”) - Fast load times (especially for sales teams who live in the tool) - Responsive support (for when things get weird)
Ignore: Awards for “design” that don’t match your actual workflow.
How Empler stacks up: Empler’s UI is refreshingly simple. It’s fast, and onboarding is about as painless as you’ll find in this space. Some advanced features are a click or two deeper than you’d like, but most users pick it up quickly.
6. Pricing: Transparent, or a Maze of Fees?
Why it matters: You need to know what you’re paying for, and what’ll cost you extra.
What to look for: - Clear pricing tiers (no “request a quote for everything”) - What’s included (data, seats, features) - No surprise charges for “premium” support or integrations
Ignore: “Custom pricing” unless you’re a giant enterprise with very specific needs.
How Empler stacks up: Pricing is mostly transparent, with the main features included in standard packages. There are some add-ons (like advanced enrichment or extra seats), but you know what you’re getting upfront. If you’re used to negotiating with the big incumbents, you’ll appreciate the straight talk.
Pro Tips for Evaluating Any GTM Platform
- Don’t get dazzled by AI hype. Most platforms sprinkle “AI” everywhere, but few deliver anything beyond smarter filters or basic scoring.
- Test with your real data. See how the platform handles your actual accounts and contacts—not just a demo list.
- Check how easy it is to fix mistakes. Everyone screws up a campaign at some point. Make sure undoing or editing is simple.
- Ask your users. Let the folks who’ll actually use the tool poke around, not just your IT team or execs.
What You Can Ignore (Seriously)
- “Gamification” features most reps will turn off or ignore
- Social integrations that don’t tie into actual sales workflows
- Endless customization options you’ll never use
- Vendor “roadmaps” full of vaporware
Focus on what helps your team hit their numbers—not on shiny distractions.
The Bottom Line
A good B2B GTM platform should help your teams find and win business—without wasting time or budget. Empler gets the fundamentals right: solid data, smooth workflows, and decent integrations. It’s not the flashiest tool out there, but it does the job for most B2B teams who don’t want to babysit their software.
Keep your requirements simple, run a real-world test, and remember—no platform will fix a broken process. Start small, see what works, and don’t be afraid to switch if something better comes along. That’s how you stay ahead, hype-free.