If you’re tasked with finding B2B go-to-market (GTM) software, you know the drill: Every vendor promises the world, but most of it’s just noise. Whether you’re a revenue leader, ops pro, or founder, you don’t have time for another overhyped demo or a tool that looks pretty but fizzles after onboarding.
Let’s get down to what actually matters, what you can ignore, and how a platform like Spiky lines up against the must-haves. If you want the real checklist (not the one sales reps push), you’re in the right place.
Why Most GTM Software Promises Too Much
Before we even get to features, let’s set expectations. There’s no silver bullet. No system automates your way out of unclear positioning or a weak ICP. What good software does is help you:
- Focus on the right accounts and signals
- Coordinate sales and marketing (instead of finger-pointing)
- Give you actionable data without drowning you in dashboards
Anything beyond that? Probably fluff, unless you’ve got a very specific workflow or compliance need.
The Features That Actually Matter (And Why)
Here’s the shortlist of features that’ll save you headaches, wasted budget, and endless “alignment” meetings.
1. Solid Data Quality and Enrichment
You can have every automation in the world, but if your contact and account data is junk, nothing else works.
What to look for: - Automatic enrichment from reliable sources (not just scraping LinkedIn) - Real-time updates (not quarterly dumps) - Deduplication and merging that doesn’t create Franken-records
What to ignore: - Tools boasting about “millions of contacts” but can’t prove accuracy or recency.
How Spiky stacks up:
Spiky pulls from verified, up-to-date sources and uses machine learning to flag outdated or suspect records. It also does automatic deduplication—no more endless merging by hand.
2. Account-Based Everything (But Make It Usable)
ABM is the buzzword, but most platforms make it so complicated you need a PhD to set up an account list.
What to look for: - Simple ways to define and update ICP (ideal customer profile) criteria - Segmentation tools that don’t require SQL skills - Ability to quickly adjust targeting as your market evolves
What to ignore: - “AI-driven” ICP suggestions that just regurgitate your current top 20 accounts
How Spiky stacks up:
Spiky lets you define ICP with plain-language filters and update segments on the fly. No arcane logic or hidden settings. If your sales team can use a spreadsheet, they can use this.
3. Intent and Engagement Signals That Aren’t Vaporware
Intent data is everywhere, but most of it is either black-box magic or just website visits in disguise.
What to look for: - Clear explanation of where signals come from (public sources? partner data? your own site?) - Signals tied directly to accounts and contacts, not just anonymous traffic - Ability to tune alerts so reps aren’t overwhelmed by noise
What to ignore: - Vague “surge” scores with no way to trace what’s actually happening
How Spiky stacks up:
Spiky surfaces intent signals from multiple sources and shows you the actual activity behind them—so you can see if a spike in research is real, or just someone in your office testing the site. You can set thresholds and get notified only when it matters.
4. Workflow Automation That’s Actually Flexible
You want automation to save time, not box your team into a rigid process.
What to look for: - Triggers and actions you can customize (think: assign leads, send alerts, update fields) - Easy to change as your process changes—no dev required - Open API or native integrations with your stack
What to ignore: - Systems that force you into their “best practices” with no way out
How Spiky stacks up:
Spiky gives you drag-and-drop workflow building. If you want to update Salesforce, send a Slack, and create a task in Asana when an account hits a certain score, you can do it. And you can change it later—without filing a ticket.
5. Reporting That Doesn’t Require a Data Analyst
Dashboards shouldn’t be a part-time job. You need answers, not endless bar charts.
What to look for: - Out-of-the-box reports that actually make sense (pipeline, conversion, campaign impact) - Customizable views for sales, marketing, and execs—without a learning curve - Ability to export or connect to BI tools if you ever need deeper dives
What to ignore: - “Advanced analytics” that just mean more tabs, not more clarity
How Spiky stacks up:
Spiky’s reporting is focused on what most teams actually track—pipeline movement, campaign ROI, and account engagement. It’s easy to slice by segment or rep. If you want to export raw data, you can do that too.
6. Integrations That Don’t Make You Want to Scream
A GTM tool that doesn’t play nicely with your CRM, marketing automation, and sales tools is dead weight.
What to look for: - Native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft, etc. - Webhooks or open API for when you need something custom - Bi-directional sync (not just “push”)
What to ignore: - Promises of “coming soon” integrations—if it’s not live, assume it won’t happen
How Spiky stacks up:
Spiky connects natively to the big players and supports open APIs for the weird one-offs. Syncing is two-way, so changes flow both directions. You won’t be stuck with another silo.
7. User Experience That Doesn’t Suck
No one wants to train for weeks or chase down support for every setting change.
What to look for: - Clean, intuitive UI—if you need a manual, it’s too complicated - Simple onboarding and helpful in-app guidance - Responsive support (ideally with real humans)
What to ignore: - Feature bloat that turns daily tasks into a maze
How Spiky stacks up:
Spiky’s UI is straightforward, with tooltips and a knowledge base built in. Most teams are up and running in a day or two. And if you get stuck, there’s live chat with people who’ve actually used the product.
What Doesn’t Matter (Much)
Here’s what you can safely ignore—or at least, don’t make these deal-breakers:
- Fancy AI buzzwords: Unless they’re driving clear, repeatable results, don’t pay extra.
- “All-in-one” suites: Jack-of-all-trades platforms usually do a mediocre job at everything.
- Custom branding: Nice, but not worth an upcharge. Focus on function over form.
Pro Tips for Choosing (and Actually Using) GTM Software
- Start with your real problems. List your top GTM headaches. Match features to those—not the other way around.
- Insist on a real trial. If you can’t test it with your data, move on.
- Get buy-in from the people who’ll use it daily. C-suite demos mean nothing if reps hate it.
- Plan to iterate. No software is “done” after day one. Check in after 30, 60, 90 days and adjust.
Keep It Simple, Ship It, See What Breaks
There’s no perfect GTM stack—and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. Focus on the handful of features that’ll actually move the needle for your team. Get started, watch what works (and what doesn’t), and tweak as you go.
If you want a tool that skips the fluff and handles the real work, Spiky is worth a look. But whichever way you go, keep your process lean and your eye on the results—not the shiny objects.