If you’re tired of bloated sales tech and endless vendor hype, you’re not alone. Choosing a B2B go-to-market platform should make your life easier, not drown you in features you’ll never use. Whether you’re running sales, rev ops, or customer success, this guide cuts through the noise to show you which features actually matter, what’s just hype, and how Dock fits into the picture.
Why B2B Go-To-Market Platforms Exist (and Who Actually Needs One)
Let’s be honest: most teams stitch together their sales process with a mess of docs, decks, spreadsheets, and endless email threads. Eventually, it breaks. Maybe you outgrow Google Drive, or maybe prospects start ghosting because they can’t find anything you sent. That’s when a go-to-market (GTM) platform starts to make sense.
But not everyone needs one. If you close deals over a single call, skip the fancy tools. But if you’re juggling multiple stakeholders, long sales cycles, and a SaaS product with a learning curve, a GTM platform can actually save your sanity.
What Actually Matters: Key Features to Look For
Here’s what separates a useful GTM platform from a shiny, overhyped waste of budget:
1. Centralized Deal Rooms
Why it matters:
B2B sales is a team sport. Your buyer is never just one person—and neither is your team. You need a single spot to house all the stuff that moves the deal forward: proposals, implementation plans, mutual action plans, and more.
What to look for:
- One link for all deal content—no more lost email threads.
- Easy sharing with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Permissions controls (simple, not overengineered).
What to ignore:
- Overly complex “workflow automation” features that take weeks to set up.
- Heavyweight approvals and multi-level hierarchies unless you’re a Fortune 100.
Dock’s take:
Dock nails this. Their workspaces are dead simple to spin up, and you can tailor them for each deal. Whether you’re sharing onboarding docs or pricing, it all lives in one place.
2. Collaboration, Not Just File Sharing
Why it matters:
Sales content is useless if no one reads it. You want buyers to interact—leave comments, ask questions, and actually use what you send.
What to look for:
- Secure, web-based workspaces (no logins required for your buyers).
- Real commenting and task assignment—so you don’t have to chase people down.
- Version control, so everyone’s on the same page.
What to ignore:
- “Chatbots” and AI that just get in the way.
- Overblown integrations that promise to “unify your stack” but just create more busywork.
Dock’s take:
Dock keeps it practical: buyers and sellers can both comment, check off tasks, and update timelines. No one needs a login just to see a doc.
3. Mutual Action Plans (MAPs) That Don’t Suck
Why it matters:
MAPs (sometimes called “close plans” or “project plans”) are the unsung heroes of complex deals. They lay out who does what by when—so deals don’t die in legal or procurement black holes.
What to look for:
- Easy-to-edit task lists with owners and due dates.
- Visibility for both sides (seller and buyer).
- Lightweight enough that people actually use them.
What to ignore:
- Rigid, Gantt-chart monstrosities better suited for construction projects.
- “Gamified” progress bars—real business users don’t need digital confetti.
Dock’s take:
Dock’s MAPs are actually usable. Both you and your buyer can update them in real time, and they’re integrated into the same workspace as everything else.
4. Content Tracking and Buyer Insights
Why it matters:
You want to know who’s actually engaging with your content—not just who says they are. Tracking views, downloads, and shares gives you real signals to work with.
What to look for:
- Page-level analytics (who viewed, for how long).
- Notifications when your link gets shared internally.
- No creepy tracking that scares off buyers.
What to ignore:
- Heatmaps and “AI engagement scores” that don’t translate to real actions.
- Analytics so granular you need a PhD to interpret them.
Dock’s take:
Dock gives you enough data to spot real buying signals—like who’s looping in legal or finance—without crossing the line into Big Brother territory.
5. Ease of Use (for Everyone)
Why it matters:
If your GTM tool’s a pain, nobody will use it. This goes for both your team and your buyers.
What to look for:
- Set up a workspace in minutes, not hours.
- Intuitive interface—no training videos required.
- Works on desktop and mobile.
What to ignore:
- Feature bloat and endless configuration options.
- Anything requiring buyer logins or special software.
Dock’s take:
Dock’s quick-start templates and clean design mean you can get going fast. Buyers don’t need to jump through hoops to access what they need.
6. Integration With Your Existing Tools (But Don’t Overdo It)
Why it matters:
You want your GTM platform to play nice with your CRM, email, and maybe Slack—but you don’t need it to be the center of your universe.
What to look for:
- CRM integration (push/pull deal data, auto-create workspaces).
- Simple embed options for presentations, docs, and videos.
- Zapier or similar support if you have unique workflows.
What to ignore:
- Promises to “replace your CRM” (never happens).
- Fancy APIs you’ll never use.
Dock’s take:
Dock integrates with Salesforce and HubSpot, and you can embed all kinds of content. If you want a full-on API, Dock may not be your jam—but for 99% of teams, it’s enough.
7. Security and Compliance
Why it matters:
If you’re sharing contracts, pricing, or PII, you need to keep it safe. Basic stuff, but often overlooked.
What to look for:
- SOC 2 compliance, SSO, and granular permissions.
- Ability to revoke access if someone leaves the company.
- Audit logs for peace of mind.
What to ignore:
- Military-grade encryption marketing fluff.
- Endless “security certifications” that don’t apply to your industry.
Dock’s take:
Dock covers the essentials: SOC 2, SSO, and you control who sees what.
What’s Mostly Hype (and Not Worth Your Time)
Let’s call out a few things vendors love to hype up that rarely matter:
- AI content generation: Most of these features churn out generic decks you’ll just rewrite anyway.
- Predictive forecasting: Your CRM is the place for this, not your GTM workspace.
- Hyper-customization: If you need to hire a consultant to use it, skip it.
- “All-in-one” claims: A platform that tries to do everything usually does nothing well.
Stick to tools that solve real problems and skip the rest.
How Dock Stacks Up
A lot of platforms try to be everything to everyone. Dock keeps it straightforward: shared workspaces for deals, real collaboration, MAPs, and enough tracking to be useful. The learning curve is short, and the buyer experience is clean. You’re not getting a feature Frankenstein—just the essentials done well.
Dock isn’t the only player in town, but it’s one of the few that balances power and simplicity without getting in your way. If you need deep workflow automation or want to build your own processes from scratch, it might not be for you. But for most B2B teams, it covers what matters without the fluff.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t get paralyzed by the endless features in the GTM platform market. Start with the basics: make it easy for buyers to buy, for your team to collaborate, and for everyone to see what’s next. Try out a platform like Dock, see what actually sticks, and adjust as you go. Your future self will thank you for skipping the B.S.