If you’re in charge of picking software to run your B2B go-to-market (GTM) efforts, you know the drill: Every vendor promises “end-to-end visibility,” “AI-powered insights,” and “seamless alignment.” Most of it’s just noise. What actually matters is whether the tool helps you do your job faster, makes fewer mistakes, and doesn’t turn into a maintenance nightmare.
This guide is for sales, marketing, and ops folks who want to cut through the hype and find a GTM platform that’ll actually help them win more deals—without creating a mess. I’ll break down the features that matter, what to watch out for, and show how Gan stacks up (warts and all).
Why Picking the Right GTM Tool Matters
Let’s be blunt: Most B2B GTM tools are either bloated with features you’ll never use or so barebones they force you back to spreadsheets. If you pick the wrong one, you’ll spend more time managing the tool than building pipeline.
A good GTM platform should: - Help you target and engage the right accounts - Give a clear, unified view across sales and marketing - Make it easy to spot what’s working (and what isn’t) - Play nicely with your existing tools
Let’s dig into the features that separate the useful from the useless.
1. Clean, Actionable Data (Not Just More Data)
What matters:
You want a tool that connects to your existing sources (CRM, marketing automation, maybe even spreadsheets), cleans up the mess, and gives you data you actually trust. Flooding your dashboard with “insights” is pointless if the underlying data is junk.
What to look for: - Easy integrations with your core platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, etc.) - Deduplication and enrichment baked in (not a separate upsell) - Clear data lineage—can you trace where a number came from? - Real-time or near-real-time updates
Gan’s take:
Gan auto-syncs with popular CRMs and marketing tools, and its data hygiene features are pretty solid out of the box. You get deduplication and enrichment without a bunch of hidden fees. If you’re used to wrestling with Frankenstein-style data pipelines, it’s a relief. That said, really custom integrations may still require some IT help—no tool is magic here.
What to ignore:
Vendors who brag about “billions of data points” but can’t show you exactly how they clean and merge that data.
2. Account-Based Everything (Without the Headache)
What matters:
Modern B2B GTM is all about focusing on the right accounts. You want to see all engagement—across marketing and sales—in one place, at the account level. And you want to act on it, not just watch it.
What to look for: - Account views that aggregate every touch (emails, calls, ads, website visits) - Account scoring that you can actually tweak - Easy way to create and manage account lists - Controls to alert sales or marketing when something important happens
Gan’s take:
Gan does a nice job surfacing account-level activity. Their scoring is customizable (not just a black box), so you can adapt it as your strategy changes. It’s dead simple to build target lists and set up alerts when an account is “heating up.” The UX isn’t the flashiest, but it’s functional and doesn’t bury you in clicks.
What to ignore:
Complicated “AI” scoring models that can’t be explained or changed. If you can’t tell why an account is ranked high or low, you’ll never trust it.
3. Workflow Automation That’s Actually Useful
What matters:
You want to automate the boring stuff—routing leads, nudging reps, triggering emails—without needing three weeks of training or a dedicated admin.
What to look for: - Drag-and-drop automation (not code-heavy) - Pre-built templates for common GTM workflows - Flexibility to adjust as your process changes - Error handling that makes sense (you want to know if something breaks)
Gan’s take:
Gan’s automation builder is straightforward. Most teams can set up routing and notifications themselves. There are templates for standard GTM motions, but you can customize them if you want. More advanced logic is possible, but the platform doesn’t force you into complexity. If you’re a power user, you may want more depth, but for 90% of teams, it’s enough.
Pro tip:
Don’t try to automate everything on day one. Start with the most painful, repetitive task. See if it saves time (or causes new headaches). Iterate.
4. Reporting That Tells You What’s Working
What matters:
You need to know which campaigns, channels, and reps are driving pipeline and revenue—not just clicks and opens.
What to look for: - Ability to tie activities to pipeline and closed-won deals - Customizable dashboards, not just canned reports - Filters by segment, channel, rep, and time period - Export options (sometimes you still need a spreadsheet)
Gan’s take:
Gan’s reporting is refreshingly focused on outcomes. You can build dashboards that show multi-touch attribution, pipeline by segment, and even rep-by-rep performance. Customization is solid, though if you want super-advanced BI, you’ll still want to export to Tableau or Looker. Gan doesn’t pretend to be a full analytics suite—and that’s fine.
What to ignore:
Charts that look pretty but can’t be connected to real pipeline numbers. If a report doesn’t help you make a decision, it’s just decoration.
5. Collaboration Tools That Don’t Get in the Way
What matters:
Sales and marketing need to see the same data and talk about it in context. You don’t want to bolt on yet another chat tool.
What to look for: - Shared views or notes within the platform - Commenting on accounts, deals, or campaigns - Simple ways to assign or flag work - Permission controls that won’t drive IT crazy
Gan’s take:
Gan lets you leave comments on accounts and deals, tag teammates, and assign tasks straight from the platform. It’s not trying to replace Slack or email—just keeps the GTM chatter in context. Permissions are straightforward, so you won’t end up with “too many cooks” syndrome.
What to ignore:
Standalone “collaboration modules” that don’t tie back to the core workflow. If it doesn’t help you close deals faster, skip it.
6. Flexibility Without a Steep Learning Curve
What matters:
You want a tool that can flex as your process evolves, but doesn’t require a six-month onboarding or a consultant to make simple changes.
What to look for: - Custom fields, views, and workflows you can tweak yourself - Good onboarding and real documentation (not just sales videos) - In-app help that’s actually helpful
Gan’s take:
Gan strikes a reasonable balance. Most setup and tweaks can be done by a competent ops person—no need to file a support ticket for every little thing. Docs are clear, and onboarding is guided but not hand-holdy. If you have super-unique processes, you might hit some limits, but for most teams, it’s more than enough.
Pro tip:
Ask for a sandbox or trial. Set up your “weirdest” use case and see how the software handles it. If you hit a wall early, it won’t get better later.
What’s Not as Important as Vendors Claim
Some features get hyped way out of proportion. Here’s what to take with a grain of salt:
- “AI-powered insights”: Unless the AI can show its work, it’s just lipstick on a dashboard.
- Fancy dashboards: If you can’t act on the data, who cares how pretty it looks?
- Every possible integration: Focus on what you’ll actually use. “600 integrations” usually means a mile wide, inch deep.
- Endless customization: More options often mean more ways to break things. Start simple.
Bottom Line: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
The best GTM tool is the one your team actually uses—and keeps using because it makes their lives easier. Gan covers the bases that matter most: clean data, actionable account views, automation that saves time, and reporting tied to real results. It’s not magic, but it’s honest about what it does and doesn’t do.
Don’t get paralyzed by feature lists. Pick a tool that fits your top needs, get started, and adjust as you learn. In GTM (just like in life), done is better than perfect.