If you’re running a revenue team—sales, marketing, RevOps, or any combo of the three—you don’t have time to babysit software. You want real answers: What should a go-to-market (GTM) platform actually do? What’s worth paying for, and what’s just noise? If you’re looking to cut through the hype and pick a B2B GTM solution that won’t make your team groan, this guide’s for you.
Why GTM Software Actually Matters—If You Pick Right
GTM software is supposed to help your team find, win, and keep customers. That means less time wrestling with spreadsheets and more time closing deals. But the reality: Most platforms promise the moon, half-deliver, and bury you in dashboards you’ll never use.
The trick is knowing what features are genuinely useful, which are just shiny extras, and what’s best ignored.
1. Real, Actionable Data—Not Just Pretty Charts
What to look for: - Unified customer view: Your team should see history, engagement, and deal status in one place. No tab-hopping. - Live data sync: Updates in Salesforce, HubSpot, or wherever should show up instantly. If you’re waiting hours, forget it. - Customizable dashboards (that don’t require a PhD): Everyone should be able to see what matters to them, not just what the vendor thinks is important.
Watch out for:
Vendors love to brag about “AI-powered insights.” Most of the time, that means colored graphs and stale recommendations. Ask for a demo showing how an actual rep or manager uses those insights to take action. If it takes more than 3 clicks to get to the point, the feature’s probably just for show.
2. Seamless CRM Integration—Not a Silo
What to look for: - Bidirectional sync: Updates should flow both ways. If you close a deal in the GTM tool, it should update your CRM, and vice versa. - Minimal admin setup: You shouldn’t need an IT degree to connect your CRM. - Field mapping that makes sense: Custom fields, picklists, and deal stages should sync without creating duplicates or breaking things.
Ignore:
Any tool that makes you export/import CSVs as a “workaround.” It’s 2024. If the integration isn’t smooth, keep looking.
3. Pipeline Management That’s Actually Manageable
What to look for: - Drag-and-drop deal stages: Moving deals should be as easy as moving tiles on a board. - Clear, simple filters: Find deals by rep, region, value, or stage with a couple of clicks. - Forecasting that isn’t fantasy: The platform should show what’s likely to close, with real reasons behind the numbers—not just multiplying average deal size by number of deals.
Pro tip:
Ask for examples of how the tool helps reps and managers flag stuck deals or spot gaps. If the only answer is “run a report,” you’re in for more manual work.
4. Collaboration Tools That Don’t Annoy Everyone
What to look for: - Comments and tagging: Let reps and managers leave notes or tag teammates directly on deals. - Task assignments: Assign follow-ups, reminders, or approvals—without needing a separate tool. - Notifications you can control: Alerts for what matters (deal moved, task due), not non-stop pings.
Skip:
“Social feed” features that act like a fake LinkedIn inside your GTM tool. No one needs more distractions.
5. Flexible Reporting—For Humans, Not Robots
What to look for: - Pre-built reports for common questions: Pipeline health, win rates, activity tracking. - Custom report builder (that’s not a nightmare): You should be able to answer “How are we trending by segment?” without emailing support. - Easy export to Excel or Google Sheets: Sometimes you just want to crunch numbers your own way.
Red flag:
If the reporting tool requires a “certified expert” to build anything custom, expect slow answers and mounting frustration.
6. Simple, Fair Pricing—No Gotchas
What to look for: - Transparent pricing: You should know what you’ll pay each month. No hidden “integration fees” or required add-ons. - No seat minimums: Some tools force you to buy more seats than you need. Avoid them unless you like wasting budget. - Free trial or pilot period: Try before you buy, ideally with your own data.
Honest take:
If a vendor hides their pricing behind a “contact sales” button, expect sticker shock—or at least a long negotiation.
7. Real, Responsive Support
What to look for: - Live chat or quick email response: Not just a knowledge base and a prayer. - Onboarding help: Someone walks you through setup with your data, not generic sample accounts. - Clear documentation: You shouldn’t have to watch a 45-minute video to figure out basic stuff.
Bonus:
Check user forums or review sites for stories about support. If everyone’s complaining about slow answers or disappearing reps, take note.
8. Workflow Automation That’s Actually Useful
What to look for: - Automate routine tasks: Scheduling follow-ups, updating stages, sending reminders. - No-code workflow builder: If you need IT for every tweak, it’s not saving you time. - Integrations with your real tools: Slack, email, calendar, not just whatever the vendor built.
Reality check:
Don’t get sucked into “automation” that just adds complexity. Start with a couple of simple automations that save you time every week.
9. Security and Compliance—Without the Headache
What to look for: - Single sign-on (SSO): Easy, secure logins. - Role-based access: Control who sees and edits what. - Standard certifications: SOC 2, GDPR, etc. If you’re in a regulated industry, double-check.
Don’t stress:
Unless you’re handling ultra-sensitive data, you shouldn’t need a dedicated security review for every vendor. Just make sure the basics are covered.
10. A Vendor You Can Actually Trust
How to tell: - Clear roadmap: Are they improving the product, or just pitching the same features they had last year? - References from teams like yours: Not just big brands—look for real, practical feedback. - Transparency about limitations: If they admit what the tool doesn’t do, that’s a good sign.
Example:
Laserfocus is one platform that’s built specifically for revenue teams, not just sales or marketing in isolation. It’s worth checking what they do (and don’t do) before getting dazzled by bigger, more complicated platforms.
What Doesn’t Matter—Ignore These
- “Gamification”: You’re not running a Candy Crush leaderboard. Focus on helping reps do their job, not chasing badges.
- Vague “AI” promises: Unless you see it in action improving your process, it’s just marketing.
- Too many integrations: More isn’t better. You want deep integration with a few critical systems, not shallow connections to everything under the sun.
The Bottom Line: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
Don’t let anyone tell you there’s a perfect GTM platform. There isn’t. Focus on features your team will actually use, skip the fluff, and start with a simple workflow. You can always add complexity later if you really need it, but you can’t buy back lost time or burned-out reps. Try before you buy, trust your team’s feedback, and don’t be afraid to walk away from anything that feels overbuilt.
Pick a tool that makes your day-to-day easier, not harder. That’s what really drives revenue.