Looking for new B2B GTM (go-to-market) software can feel like shopping for a car in a dealership full of over-eager salespeople—everyone’s promising the moon, but you just want something that’ll reliably get you from A to B. If your job involves sales, marketing, ops, or product, you need tools that actually help you reach your targets, not just more dashboards and buzzwords.
Here’s a straight-shooting guide to the features that matter most in B2B GTM software, what you can safely ignore, and how Tome stacks up if you’re considering it for your team.
Who Actually Needs B2B GTM Software?
Let’s be clear: Not every business needs a kitchen-sink GTM stack. But if you’re selling into businesses (not consumers), have a longer sales cycle, or deal with multiple stakeholders, then the right GTM software can make or break your quarter.
You’ll benefit most if you: - Run multi-touch campaigns (email, LinkedIn, webinars, calls) - Have distributed sales/marketing teams - Need to coordinate with product or customer success - Rely on data to spot what’s working and what’s not
If you’re at a small startup with a handful of customers, you might be fine with spreadsheets and your CRM. But as you scale, manual work gets out of hand fast.
The Features That Actually Matter
Here’s what you should focus on when evaluating B2B GTM software. Don’t get distracted by flashy AI widgets or yet another “insights” dashboard.
1. Unified, Accurate Data (Don’t Let Garbage In)
Why it matters:
If your GTM software can’t pull in accurate, up-to-date data from your CRM, marketing tools, and customer platforms, everything else falls apart. Bad data = bad decisions.
What to look for: - Solid integrations with your main systems (Salesforce, HubSpot, email, ad platforms) - Real-time or near-real-time data sync (hours, not days) - Easy ways to “see behind the curtain”—can you check where the data’s coming from and how fresh it is?
What to ignore:
Wild promises about “AI-powered insights” if you can’t first trust the underlying data.
How Tome handles it:
Tome pulls data directly from the systems you already use, with straightforward connectors. You can trace sources and see when data was last updated. It’s not magic, but it’s reliable—and you won’t be left wondering where that number came from.
2. Usability: Fast, Understandable, and Not a Chore
Why it matters:
If you need hours of training to run a report or launch a campaign, you’ll never get the full value. Your team should want to use it, not dread it.
What to look for: - Clean, uncluttered UI (if you’re lost in menus, that’s a red flag) - Short learning curve (think days; not weeks) - Built-in templates for common GTM motions (like campaign briefs, sales playbooks, or QBRs)
What to ignore:
Customizability that requires a part-time admin or weeks of consulting. Bells and whistles you’ll never use.
How Tome handles it:
Tome’s interface is simple. You can spin up a campaign or presentation in minutes, and most users pick it up without a manual. There’s enough flexibility to personalize, but the defaults work out of the box.
3. Alignment: Can Sales, Marketing, and Product Work Together Here?
Why it matters:
B2B GTM is a team sport. If your GTM software only helps sales, or just marketing, you’ll end up with siloed plans and finger-pointing.
What to look for: - Shared workspaces or docs visible to all teams - Real collaboration (not just “comment” features tacked on) - Easy hand-offs between teams—can sales build on marketing’s work, and vice versa?
What to ignore:
“Collaboration” that means emailing PowerPoints back and forth or fighting over edit access.
How Tome handles it:
Tome is built for cross-team workflows. You can create and share interactive docs, track updates, and assign tasks without leaving the platform. No more digging through email threads to find the “final” version.
4. Reporting and Tracking: Show What’s Working (and Kill What Isn’t)
Why it matters:
You need to know which campaigns, segments, or sales plays actually deliver. Pretty charts are nice, but actionable reporting is better.
What to look for: - Clear, customizable reporting—can you filter by region, segment, or rep? - Ability to tie GTM activity to real outcomes (pipeline, revenue, retention) - Simple exports or sharing—nobody wants to chase PDFs
What to ignore:
Reports that bury the lead with endless vanity metrics (“engagement score,” “influence points,” etc.) if you can’t connect them to business results.
How Tome handles it:
Tome’s reporting is refreshingly straightforward. You can see which tactics drive engagement and revenue, and slice the data by whatever matters to your team. No need to beg ops for a custom report.
5. Flexibility Without the Bloat
Why it matters:
Your GTM process will change. The best software lets you tweak workflows, add fields, or try new approaches—without making you start over or call in consultants.
What to look for: - Modular design (add or hide features as you need them) - Easy to test new campaigns, channels, or messaging - Option to scale up (or down) without a ton of rework
What to ignore:
Platforms that try to be everything to everyone usually end up clunky. Avoid “one-size-fits-all” or “all-in-one” pitches unless you’ve seen it work for a business like yours.
How Tome handles it:
Tome lets you adjust playbooks, templates, and data views on the fly. You won’t get boxed in—and you won’t have to live with half-finished features you never use.
6. Security and Permissions (Non-Negotiable for B2B)
Why it matters:
If you’re managing customer data, you need to lock things down. Accidental leaks or “oops” edits are a headache at best, a compliance violation at worst.
What to look for: - Granular permission controls (who can see, edit, share) - SSO and support for your company’s security standards - Clear audit trails—can you see who changed what, and when?
What to ignore:
Hand-wavy “enterprise grade security” claims without details or documentation.
How Tome handles it:
Tome supports role-based access, SSO, and logs activity. You get peace of mind, and nobody has to play IT cop.
Features You Don’t Need (No Matter What the Sales Rep Says)
- AI for the sake of AI: If you can’t explain what the “AI” actually does, it’s probably just lipstick on a pig.
- Infinite customization: Most teams use 20% of the features, 80% of the time. Prioritize ease of use over “limitless possibilities.”
- “Social” features: Unless your sales team is desperate for a Slack clone, skip the chat rooms and emoji reactions.
- Complex onboarding programs: If getting started takes more than a week, that’s a problem, not a feature.
Honest Pros and Cons: Tome in the Real World
No software is perfect, and it’s worth knowing what you’re really getting with Tome.
What Works:
- Fast onboarding: Most teams are up and running in days, not weeks.
- Solid cross-team workflows: Marketing, sales, and product can finally work in the same place.
- No-nonsense reporting: Focuses on the stuff that matters (pipeline, revenue, engagement).
What Could Be Better:
- Not a full CRM: Tome isn’t trying to replace Salesforce or HubSpot. It’s a layer on top, not a full database.
- Limited deep customization: If you want to build a 50-step, hyper-specific workflow, you might hit the limits.
- Still maturing integrations: The basics are there, but if you rely on niche tools, double-check the integrations list.
How to Pick GTM Software Without Regret
- List your real needs first. What’s the actual pain? Is it reporting, campaign management, cross-team hand-offs?
- Demo with real data. Ask for a trial using your team’s workflows—not some canned marketing example.
- Ask about adoption. How fast are other teams up and running? What did they stop using after switching?
- Check integrations. Your GTM software is only as good as its connections to your CRM, marketing, and data tools.
- Don’t overbuy. More features usually mean more headaches. Start with the basics, then add as you grow.
Keep It Simple—And Don’t Be Afraid to Iterate
Most teams don’t need a Swiss Army knife—they need a tool that does the basics well, helps teams work together, and doesn’t become a second job to manage. Start simple, focus on what matters, and tweak as you go. That’s how you actually win with B2B GTM software—whether you pick Tome or not.