If you’re in B2B sales or marketing, you’ve probably heard promises from go-to-market (GTM) platforms that sound too good to be true. “Unify your data! Automate everything! Never miss a lead!” The reality is, most platforms—Matchkraft included—have their strengths and headaches. This guide is for anyone tired of buzzwords and just wants to know: what features actually matter in a B2B GTM platform, and what’s just marketing fluff?
Whether you’re vetting platforms for a startup or a big team, this list will help you see past the shiny dashboards to what will really make or break your workflow.
Why B2B GTM Platforms Even Matter
Let’s keep it simple: GTM platforms exist to help you find the right prospects, engage them, and (hopefully) turn them into paying customers. They promise to stitch together data, automate outreach, and keep your team on the same page. When they work, they save time and boost revenue. When they don’t, they’re just another expensive login screen.
The Features That Actually Matter
Here’s what you should look for—and what to ignore—when evaluating a platform like Matchkraft:
1. Solid Data Quality and Integrations
If you’re not getting good data, nothing else matters. Period.
- Data Accuracy and Freshness: Does the platform pull from reliable sources? Are company profiles and contacts up to date, or will your team waste time calling bounced emails?
- Integrations with Your Existing Stack: Look for native integrations with your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), email, and marketing tools. If you’re stuck exporting CSVs every week, you’ll hate your life.
- APIs and Flexibility: Bonus points for open APIs or Zapier support. You’ll want some wiggle room as your stack evolves.
Pro tip: Ask for a data sample before you buy. Compare it to what you already have—odds are, there’s overlap and some gaps.
2. Account and Lead Scoring That Makes Sense
A lot of platforms brag about “AI-powered” scoring. Most of it is just basic algorithms with fancy names.
- Customizable Scoring: Can you set your own rules for what makes a lead “hot”? Or are you stuck with their black box logic?
- Transparency: Can you see why a lead got a high score, or is it a mystery?
- Actionability: If a score changes, does it trigger an alert or workflow, or does it just sit there?
Skip platforms that won’t let you tweak scoring, or that hide the logic behind their models. You’ll just end up ignoring the scores.
3. Easy-to-Use Segmentation and Targeting
If you can’t slice and dice your audience quickly, you’re flying blind.
- Firmographic and Technographic Filters: Can you filter by company size, industry, tech stack, funding round, etc.?
- Dynamic Lists: Can you set up segments that update automatically as new data comes in?
- ABM Support: If you’re running account-based campaigns, does the platform make it easy to build and manage named account lists?
This is where a lot of platforms overpromise. If building a segment takes 10 clicks and a PhD, move on.
4. Outreach Automation That Doesn’t Annoy Your Prospects
Automation is great—until your prospects start getting weird, robotic emails.
- Multi-Channel Outreach: Does it support email, LinkedIn, phone, and even direct mail? Or are you stuck in one channel?
- Personalization Options: Can you go beyond “Hi {First Name}”? Look for tools that let you reference recent news, shared connections, or company events.
- Cadence Controls: Can you set delays, pauses, or time windows for outreach, or is it a firehose?
Ignore claims about “AI writing the perfect email.” It’s not there yet. Focus on how easy it is to personalize at scale.
5. Clear Reporting and Real Insights
Dashboards are pretty, but what do they actually tell you?
- Pipeline Visibility: Can you see where leads are coming from and how they’re moving through your funnel?
- Attribution Tracking: Does the platform help you figure out which campaigns actually drive revenue, or just show vanity metrics?
- Custom Reports: Can you build your own reports without waiting for support or paying extra?
Beware of platforms that show you charts but won’t let you dig into the underlying data. If you can’t get answers to your “why,” you’re just guessing.
6. Collaboration Features That Don’t Suck
Sales and marketing need to work together. The platform should help, not get in the way.
- Shared Workspaces: Can teams share lists, notes, or campaign plans?
- Task Assignments and Notifications: Does it help you hand off leads or track follow-ups, or is it every rep for themselves?
- User Permissions: Can you control who sees what, or is everyone swimming in the same pool?
If your team keeps reverting to spreadsheets or Slack to collaborate, the platform’s not doing its job.
7. Reasonable Set-Up and Honest Support
No one wants to spend six months “onboarding.”
- Fast Onboarding: Can you get up and running in a week or two, or is it a huge project?
- Real Customer Support: Do you get a real person who knows the product, or just a chatbot and knowledge base?
- Transparent Pricing: Is everything included, or are there surprise fees for integrations, data, or support?
Ask for references from current users. If people are happy to talk, that’s a good sign. If the company dodges the question, be wary.
What You Can Ignore (or At Least Be Skeptical About)
Not every feature is worth your time. Here’s what you can usually skip:
- AI Everything: If every other sentence is about “AI-driven” features, but they can’t show real results, it’s just marketing.
- Social Listening and Intent Data: Sometimes useful, but often vague or laggy. Don’t pay extra unless you have a clear use case.
- Infinite Customization: More options sound nice, but most teams just want the basics to work well.
- Awards, Badges, and Analyst Reports: These look good on a website but don’t mean much for your day-to-day.
A Quick Reality Check
No platform does it all. Even the best B2B GTM tools require some manual work, process tweaks, and—let’s be honest—fixes to your own data and playbooks. The key is to pick a platform that makes the essentials easy, doesn’t trap your data, and doesn’t nickel-and-dime you with hidden costs.
Keep It Simple, Test, and Iterate
If you remember one thing: focus on the features that actually solve your team’s problems. Start with a test run, get feedback from the folks who’ll use it every day, and don’t be afraid to walk away if it’s not working. The best GTM setup is the one your team actually uses—and that helps you spend less time wrestling with software, and more time closing deals.