If you spend any time in B2B sales or marketing, you’ve probably waded through a swamp of “GTM platforms” all promising to fix your pipeline woes. But most teams don’t need a Swiss Army knife with fifty attachments—they need a decent screwdriver. This guide is for anyone tired of fluffy feature lists and wants to know what actually matters in a B2B go-to-market (GTM) tool—plus, how Folk stacks up if you’re considering a switch.
Let’s get right to it.
Why Picking the Right B2B GTM Tool Actually Matters
A good GTM tool should pull its weight: tracking relationships, keeping your team on the same page, and helping you close deals. But too many tools do everything except the basics well. You end up with a bloated CRM no one wants to use, or a tool that’s so “flexible” it never works the way you need.
Here’s what you should actually look for. No buzzwords—just features that move the needle.
1. Contact Management That Doesn’t Suck
Every GTM tool claims you’ll “never lose a lead again.” Reality: Most CRMs just shove contacts into a black hole. You need something that:
- Lets you import from everywhere. CSVs, contact lists, LinkedIn—whatever. If you can’t get your data in easily, you won’t use it.
- Makes it easy to organize. Tags, groups, or folders—whatever works for your brain. You should be able to slice and dice your list without a PhD in database design.
- Keeps things current. Outdated info wastes everyone’s time.
How Folk does: Folk actually nails the basics here. You can pull in contacts from Google, LinkedIn, CSV, and even enrich them automatically. The interface is clean—think spreadsheet, not labyrinth. Organize contacts with tags, groups, or filters without jumping through hoops. It’s not trying to be Salesforce, and that’s a plus for most teams.
Watch out for: Any tool that locks your data in or makes exporting a pain. That’s a sign they want to keep you, not help you.
2. Collaboration Without Overkill
Most B2B sales aren’t solo efforts. You need to work with marketing, CS, and maybe even the CEO on big deals. But if your tool turns every update into a notification storm, people will tune out.
Look for:
- Shared workspaces. Everyone sees the same info, but you can control who edits what.
- Notes and activity history. So you don’t all call the same prospect twice.
- Simple task assignment. No need for a full-on project manager—just “follow up with Acme Corp by Friday.”
How Folk does: Folk’s shared workspaces are straightforward. You can comment on contacts, leave notes, or @ teammates. Assign tasks or reminders, but it never feels like you’re filling out a timesheet. There’s a timeline view so you can see what’s happened without digging.
Honest take: If your team is huge or needs approvals and custom workflows, Folk may feel basic. But for most SMBs and lean B2B teams, this is about the right level of collaboration—no bloat.
3. Email and Outreach: Integrated, Not Bolted-On
If you’re flipping between your GTM tool and your inbox all day, you’re wasting time. The best tools:
- Sync with your email. Gmail, Outlook, whatever you use.
- Track opens and replies. So you know what’s working.
- Template support. For those “just checking in” emails you send 100 times a week.
- Bulk actions. But beware: mass emailing can get you flagged as spam if you’re not careful.
How Folk does: Folk integrates directly with Gmail and Outlook, lets you send emails from inside the tool, and tracks opens/clicks. You can build templates and personalize at scale. It’s not as advanced as full-blown sales engagement platforms, but for most B2B teams, it’s plenty—and you avoid the “yet another tool” problem.
What’s missing: If you want phone dialers, SMS, or multi-channel cadences, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Folk focuses on email.
4. Pipeline Tracking That’s Actually Useful
A lot of GTM tools overload you with pipeline features—custom fields, AI scoring, Kanban boards with 20 stages. Most teams just need to know: what’s in play, what’s won, and what needs attention.
Look for:
- Visual pipelines. Drag and drop, clear stages, no clutter.
- Easy updates. If you need to click five times to move a deal, you’ll stop updating.
- Customizable fields. But not so many that you need a consultant to set it up.
How Folk does: Folk’s pipeline view is simple and visual. You can set up stages, move deals with a drag, and add custom fields if you want—but you don’t have to. You can link contacts to deals, see recent activity, and filter by owner or status.
Reality check: Folk isn’t built for huge, multi-product enterprise sales with tons of dependencies. But for most B2B teams, it’s refreshingly uncluttered.
5. Reporting That Makes Sense
Nobody wants to spend hours building reports. You want:
- At-a-glance dashboards. See pipeline health, recent activity, and top deals.
- Download/export options. Sometimes you just need a spreadsheet for the board.
- Basic filters. By owner, stage, or tag.
How Folk does: Folk gives you simple reporting: see how many deals are in each stage, who’s working on what, and recent activity. You can export data easily if you need to run deeper analysis elsewhere.
Pro tip: If you need advanced forecasting, weighted pipelines, or detailed attribution, you’ll need to supplement Folk with a BI tool or spreadsheet.
6. Integration With The Rest Of Your Stack
You shouldn’t have to copy-paste data between tools. Look for:
- Zapier/Make support. Connect to other apps without coding.
- API access. So your devs can hook in if needed.
- Calendar/email sync. No-brainer.
How Folk does: Folk offers Zapier and Make integrations, plus a public API. It syncs with Google Calendar and your email. The integrations aren’t endless, but the main bases are covered.
What to ignore: Integrations you’ll never use. If you’re not running elaborate marketing automation, don’t get hung up on those features.
7. Ease of Use (This Is Non-Negotiable)
A tool that’s hard to use is a tool nobody uses. Period.
- Clean interface. No one wants to read a manual.
- Fast onboarding. You shouldn’t need training sessions.
- Helpful support. When you get stuck, you want quick answers.
How Folk does: Folk is genuinely easy to pick up. Most users can get started in an afternoon. The UI’s modern and doesn’t look like it was built in 2005. Support is responsive and friendly.
What to watch for: If your team is deeply attached to a legacy CRM, any change will bring friction. But Folk’s learning curve is low, which eases the pain.
8. Price (And Hidden Gotchas)
Let’s be real: most tools don’t save you money if no one uses them. Look for:
- Transparent pricing. No “call us for enterprise” nonsense unless you’re, well, an enterprise.
- No surprise fees. Watch for limits on contacts, emails, or integrations.
- Free trial. So you can test before you commit.
How Folk does: Folk’s pricing is straightforward and posted on their site. Plans are based on users and features, not on how many contacts you have. There’s a free trial, and you can get started without a credit card.
Honest view: Folk isn’t the cheapest if you need a ton of advanced features, but you’re not paying for things you won’t use. That’s a fair trade for most teams.
What You Can Ignore (No Matter What the Sales Rep Says)
- AI Magic: Most “AI-powered” features in GTM tools are glorified autocomplete or scoring. If you’re not seeing real value, ignore it.
- Over-customization: Unless you’re a 500-person sales org, you don’t need custom objects, dozens of workflows, or endless automations.
- Gamification: If badges and leaderboards motivate your team, great. For most, it’s a distraction.
TL;DR—Keep It Simple, Iterate As You Go
Don’t chase every shiny feature. Start with a tool that covers the basics—contact management, collaboration, email, pipeline, and reporting—and see how it fits your team’s real-world habits. Folk gets these fundamentals right, without drowning you in options you’ll never use.
Test tools in the wild, not just in demos. Get your team’s honest feedback. And remember: The best GTM tool is the one your team actually uses, not the one with the longest feature list. Keep it simple, tweak as you grow, and don’t let software slow you down.