So you’re in charge of picking a go-to-market (GTM) software for your B2B team. Maybe you’re drowning in options—each one promising to “accelerate growth” and “unlock customer value.” But what do those buzzwords actually mean? And what features do you really need, versus what vendors want you to think you need?
This guide’s for folks who want the truth: what actually matters in B2B GTM software, where the fluff is, and how Totango fits into the picture. Whether you’re a revenue leader, CS manager, or just the unlucky soul who got roped into evaluating tools, let’s cut to what counts.
What Makes B2B GTM Software Worth Your Time?
Before you even look at brands, get clear about what you’re trying to do:
- Centralize customer data — Stop hunting through emails, spreadsheets, CRMs, and Slack threads.
- Spot risks and opportunities — See who’s about to churn, who’s ready for an upsell, and who’s quietly slipping away.
- Automate the boring stuff — Nudge customers, assign tasks, trigger playbooks, and only bother your team with what needs a human touch.
- Measure what matters — Not just vanity dashboards, but actual KPIs that tie to revenue, retention, and customer health.
If a GTM tool can’t deliver on these, skip it. Let’s get into the specifics.
The Key Features That Actually Matter
Here’s what you want to look for—the features that make a difference in the trenches, not just on a sales deck.
1. Real Customer 360 (Not Just Another CRM)
What it is:
A full view of each customer—touchpoints, usage, support tickets, NPS, revenue, contract terms—all in one place.
Why it matters:
You can’t help (or sell to) customers you barely know. Fragmented data leads to dropped balls and missed revenue.
Watch out for:
A lot of tools claim “360 views” but just slap a few CRM fields together. You want a real, unified timeline that anyone can grasp in seconds.
How Totango does it:
Totango pulls from CRM, product, billing, support, and even custom data sources. Its Customer 360 isn’t pretty just for the sake of it—you can actually act on it (trigger tasks, set alerts, launch playbooks). It’s not perfect—sometimes data mapping takes effort—but it’s more robust than most.
2. Health Scoring You Can Actually Trust
What it is:
A system that tells you if a customer’s at risk or thriving, based on real signals—usage, support, renewals—not just “last touched” dates.
Why it matters:
If you’re guessing about customer health, you’re flying blind. Good health scores let you focus on accounts that need attention before it’s too late.
Watch out for:
Opaque scoring models (“our AI found a pattern!”) and setups that require a data scientist to tweak.
How Totango does it:
Totango’s health scoring is transparent and customizable. You set the rules—mix in usage metrics, survey results, whatever matters to your business. It’s not magic out of the box, but at least you’re not locked into a black box. Be ready to invest some time up front; the payoff is you’ll actually trust the scores.
3. Playbooks and Automation That Save Time (Not Create Busywork)
What it is:
Guided workflows for renewals, onboarding, upsells, and more—automated wherever possible.
Why it matters:
Consistency beats heroics. Playbooks make sure everyone’s following best practices, and automation handles the repetitive stuff—so your team isn’t stuck in spreadsheet hell.
Watch out for:
Automation that just adds steps, or “playbooks” that are really just checklists.
How Totango does it:
Totango’s playbooks are flexible: you get templates for common scenarios (onboarding, QBRs, renewals), but you can build your own. Automation can send emails, assign tasks, update health—all without manual intervention. It’s powerful, but don’t expect miracles; you’ll need to tailor things to your business, and some integrations take tinkering.
4. Integration Without Tears
What it is:
The ability to connect your GTM software to the rest of your stack—CRMs, product analytics, billing, support, and email—without hiring a team of consultants.
Why it matters:
If your GTM tool doesn’t play nice with others, you’re just creating more silos.
Watch out for:
Vendors who promise “out-of-the-box” integrations that turn out to be “out-of-budget” consulting projects.
How Totango does it:
Totango has pre-built connectors for the usual suspects (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Slack, Snowflake, etc.), and an API for the rest. The integrations aren’t foolproof—complex setups can take time—but for most mid-sized B2B teams, you can get core systems syncing without a headache.
5. Reporting That Doesn’t Hide the Ball
What it is:
Dashboards and reports that show you what’s really going on—retention trends, upsell pipeline, team performance, customer health—without needing a PhD.
Why it matters:
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. And if it takes a week to pull a report, you’ll just give up.
Watch out for:
Dashboards that look impressive but don’t answer real questions (“Which customers are most likely to churn next quarter?”).
How Totango does it:
Totango’s reporting is solid: you get out-of-the-box dashboards for common KPIs, and you can build custom views. It’s not a BI tool, but you won’t need to export everything to Excel. Some advanced filtering can be clunky, but for most users, it’s more than enough.
6. User Experience: Can Your Team Actually Use It?
What it is:
A clean, fast interface that your team won’t curse at.
Why it matters:
If your GTM tool is a pain, adoption will tank. Period.
Watch out for:
Cluttered screens, slow load times, and a million required fields.
How Totango does it:
Totango is generally well-designed—most users can get up to speed quickly. There are a lot of features, so some initial training helps, but you’re not fighting the UI every step of the way.
7. Scalability and Pricing That Don’t Bite Later
What it is:
A platform that grows with you—adding users, new segments, or even acquisitions—without blowing up your budget.
Why it matters:
Switching GTM software mid-stream is a pain. You want something that fits now, but won’t force you to migrate in a year.
Watch out for:
Per-user pricing that balloons, or “enterprise” features locked behind a paywall.
How Totango does it:
Totango offers tiered pricing, including a free plan for small teams (nice if you want to test drive). Pricing is mostly user-based, but core features are available on lower tiers. If you’re a fast-growing org, talk through your roadmap with their sales team—just so you’re not surprised later.
What’s Just Hype? What Can You Ignore?
Let’s be blunt: some “features” just pad the brochure.
- AI everything: Don’t buy into AI-powered features unless you know what problem they’re solving. If “AI” just means “guessing who might churn,” check if you can get the same result with your own rules.
- Social media integration: If your customers don’t live on Twitter or LinkedIn, skip it.
- Gamification: Your team’s not eight years old. Focus on real productivity boosters.
If a feature sounds vague or magical, ask for a demo that shows, step by step, how it solves your actual workflow problem.
Pro Tips for Evaluating Any GTM Software (Including Totango)
- Run a real-world pilot with a few customers—not just a sandbox. See how the tool handles your ugliest data.
- Involve end-users (CSMs, account managers, ops)—they’ll spot friction you won’t.
- Push for transparent pricing and find out what’s not included.
- Ask about support: Chat, phone, community—what’s actually available, and how fast is the response?
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t overcomplicate your tool stack. Start with the handful of features that’ll make your team’s life easier and your customers stickier. Totango covers the basics well, and gives you room to grow—just don’t expect it (or any tool) to fix broken processes by itself.
Pick a platform, get your team using it, and improve as you go. The best GTM software is the one your team actually uses. Everything else is just noise.