If you’ve been tasked with picking B2B go-to-market (GTM) software for your company, you know the options are dizzying—and the marketing hype is even worse. Most platforms promise to “revolutionize” your sales team or “10x” your pipeline. But when it’s your name on the line, you want tools that actually make life easier for your salespeople, keep your deals moving, and give you straight answers about what’s working (and what’s not).
This guide is for sales leaders, revenue ops pros, and anyone else who’s sick of sorting buzzwords from real features. I’ll break down what actually matters in B2B GTM software, what’s overhyped, and how Convin fits into the picture—warts and all.
What “Go to Market” Software Is (and Isn’t)
Let’s get clear: “Go to market” software is a catch-all term. Some vendors stretch it to mean everything from CRM, to marketing automation, to random AI widgets that write emails you’d never actually send.
For this article, I’m talking about software that directly helps B2B sales teams:
- Find, qualify, and engage prospects
- Track and move deals through the pipeline
- Analyze what’s really happening in sales conversations
- Coach reps and make your team better, not just busier
If your “GTM” tool doesn’t do at least a couple of these well, it’s probably not worth your time.
The Key Features That Actually Matter
Here’s what separates the useful from the useless in B2B GTM platforms.
1. Solid Conversation Intelligence (Not Just Call Recording)
What to look for: - Automatic recording and transcription of calls, meetings, and demos—no clunky manual steps - Searchable transcripts that make it easy to pull up past conversations - Real analysis: keyword tracking, sentiment, talk ratios, and competitor mentions - Privacy controls that don’t give legal a heart attack
Why it matters:
You can’t improve what you can’t hear. Sales managers need hard evidence of what’s happening on calls—not just rep “summaries.” Conversation intelligence that’s actually usable (not just a pile of recordings) is table stakes.
How Convin stacks up:
Convin’s conversation intelligence is strong. It auto-records calls, transcribes with decent accuracy, and lets you search transcripts by keyword or topic. The analysis isn’t as flashy as some bigger names, but you get actionable insights, not just noise. Privacy controls are there, but if you’re in a highly regulated industry, double-check their compliance posture.
What to ignore:
Platforms that only record calls but don’t transcribe or analyze them. Also, skip “AI-powered” features that just spit out generic summaries.
2. Real Pipeline Visibility and Deal Intelligence
What to look for: - Centralized, live-updating view of all deals in the pipeline - Deal “health” indicators based on real engagement, not just rep optimism - Easy drill-down into deal activity: emails, calls, meetings, next steps - Integrations with your CRM (so you’re not double-entering data)
Why it matters:
No more chasing reps for status updates or getting blindsided by deals going dark. Good GTM software serves up the truth—even if it’s uncomfortable.
How Convin stacks up:
Convin gives you pipeline visibility that ties directly to actual call data. You’ll see which deals are getting attention, which are stalling, and where risks are popping up. The CRM integration is there for Salesforce and a couple others, but if you’re using something niche, check compatibility first.
What to ignore:
“Deal intelligence” tools that only look at CRM fields. If the tool isn’t pulling in real communication data, it’s just rearranging the same old info.
3. Sales Coaching That Doesn’t Waste Time
What to look for: - Automated feedback on calls, with specifics (not just “good job” or “talked too much”) - Easy way to share best-practice calls or snippets with the team - Tracks which reps are improving and who needs help - Option for managers to leave comments or tag moments
Why it matters:
Real coaching is about making small, specific improvements over time. If your software just dumps a mountain of “insights” without context, it’s not really helping anyone get better.
How Convin stacks up:
Convin’s coaching features are practical. It highlights coachable moments, lets managers comment, and makes it easy to build a library of real (not staged) calls. The reporting is clear but not overwhelming. No “AI coach” hype here—just tools that help humans do their job.
What to ignore:
Any tool that tries to replace managers with AI or automates “coaching” with vague, un-actionable advice.
4. User Experience: Fast Setup, Easy Adoption
What to look for: - Setup that doesn’t require a six-week “implementation” project - Clear, modern interface—reps shouldn’t need a training manual - Low-maintenance: updates and bug fixes happen behind the scenes
Why it matters:
If your team hates using it, or if it takes a month to get up and running, you’ll never see the ROI.
How Convin stacks up:
Convin is refreshingly straightforward to get started with (especially compared to legacy players). Most teams are up and running in days, not weeks. The UI isn’t the prettiest on the market, but it’s clear and functional. If your reps use tools like Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams, they’ll pick it up fast.
What to ignore:
Vendors who act like a clunky onboarding process is a “feature.” If you need a dedicated project manager to go live, look elsewhere.
5. Integrations That Don’t Break (or Break Your Brain)
What to look for: - Out-of-the-box integrations with your core tools (CRM, calendar, video conferencing, email) - Simple setup—ideally, just a few clicks and you’re done - An open API, if you have custom workflows
Why it matters:
GTM software should fit into your tech stack, not force you to change everything else (or hire consultants).
How Convin stacks up:
Convin covers the common integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Workspace, Outlook, most major video call platforms). The API is there, but it’s not as deep as some enterprise-focused platforms. For most teams, this is more than enough.
What to ignore:
Promises of “integrates with anything”—without documentation or a real support team, this never ends well.
6. Reporting That Doesn’t Overwhelm
What to look for: - Pre-built dashboards with the metrics that actually matter: call outcomes, pipeline movement, rep activity - Flexible filters so you can drill down by team, date, or deal type - Exports to CSV or your BI tool—because sometimes you need your own analysis
Why it matters:
You want less time digging through reports, more time acting on what you find.
How Convin stacks up:
Convin’s dashboards are focused, not overwhelming. You get the basics plus a few deeper dives, but you’re not buried in charts. Exporting data is easy if you want to slice and dice elsewhere.
What to ignore:
Tools that brag about “hundreds of report options.” More isn’t better if you just end up with analysis paralysis.
Common Pitfalls (and Hype) to Watch Out For
- AI Everything: If the main selling point is “AI,” ask what it actually does for your workflow. Most so-called AI features are just fancy search or auto-summaries.
- One-Size-Fits-All: Enterprise tools often try to be everything for everyone. You’ll pay for features you never use, and your sales team will ignore it.
- Manual Data Entry: Any tool that makes reps update fields by hand is a non-starter. If it doesn’t automate, skip it.
Pro Tips for Choosing the Right GTM Software
- Start with your biggest pain point. Is it pipeline visibility? Rep coaching? Don’t buy a platform just because it looks cool—solve your real problem first.
- Test with real users, not just admins. If your front-line reps hate it, it’ll fail—no matter how good the demo looked.
- Don’t get distracted by features you’ll never use. Focus on the 3-4 things your team actually needs.
- Ask for a real trial, not a canned demo. You’ll quickly spot if the tool’s as easy as they say.
Keep It Simple—and Don’t Overthink It
The best B2B go to market software isn’t the one with the most bells and whistles. It’s the one your team actually uses, that gives you real visibility into your pipeline and helps your reps get better. Convin does a solid job at the fundamentals—especially for teams who want to get started fast and focus on call intelligence and coaching.
Pick what solves your real problems, get it running quickly, and improve as you go. Don’t let “future-proofing” or feature FOMO slow you down. In the end, the tool should make your life simpler, not more complicated. That’s the only “feature” that really matters.