If you’re buried in sales software and every demo sounds the same, you’re not alone. Choosing a B2B go-to-market (GTM) tool shouldn’t feel like deciphering a puzzle written by marketers. This guide is for sales leaders, founders, and anyone tired of buzzwords, who just wants a tool that actually helps close deals. We’ll cut through the noise, break down what features are worth your time, and look at how Prosp stacks up against giants like Outreach, HubSpot Sales, and Apollo.io.
What Actually Matters in a B2B GTM Tool
Let’s level set: “GTM tool” is a catch-all term. Most tools say they help you find leads, engage them, track progress, and close deals. But not every feature is worth chasing, and not every platform is built for how real sales teams work. Here’s what to focus on.
1. Data Quality and Coverage
- Why it matters: If your contact and company data is stale, incomplete, or flat-out wrong, the fanciest automation won’t save you.
- What to check:
- Breadth (company size, industry, geography)
- Depth (direct dials, verified emails, job titles, buying signals)
- How often is the data updated?
- Can you enrich your own CRM or just view data in their UI?
- What’s overrated: Claims about “AI-powered insights” often just mean the same old data with new labels.
Pro tip: Always test with a sample list. If you keep hitting dead ends, move on.
2. Workflow Automation That Doesn’t Annoy Prospects
- Why it matters: Good automation saves you from repetitive tasks. Bad automation turns your outbound into spam.
- What to check:
- Multi-channel sequences (email, calls, LinkedIn, SMS)
- Personalization options (can you add custom fields, snippets, or variables that matter?)
- Branching logic (if-then steps based on replies or actions)
- Throttle limits and safety settings (avoid burning domains)
- What’s overrated: Automation for automation’s sake. If it takes longer to build a sequence than to just send a few real emails, you’re missing the point.
3. CRM Integrations That Actually Work
- Why it matters: Your GTM tool shouldn’t become a data silo.
- What to check:
- Native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.
- Real-time sync (or at least daily)
- Two-way updates (changes in either system update the other)
- Field mapping and deduplication
- What’s overrated: “Zapier support” is not the same as a real integration.
Pro tip: Ask for specifics—does the integration support custom fields, or just basic contact sync?
4. Reporting That Tells You What’s Working
- Why it matters: You need to know which campaigns, reps, or segments are actually delivering results.
- What to check:
- Customizable dashboards (not just canned reports)
- Granular filters (by team, rep, campaign, segment)
- Attribution tracking (first touch, multi-touch)
- Export/data access (can you get your data back out?)
- What’s overrated: Pretty charts that hide the real numbers or make it hard to spot bottlenecks.
5. User Experience: Fast, Clean, No Nonsense
- Why it matters: If your team hates using the tool, adoption tanks and you’re back to spreadsheets.
- What to check:
- Clear navigation and fast loading times
- Minimal clicks to do core tasks
- Mobile support (if you care about on-the-go work)
- Support docs and onboarding guides that are actually useful
- What’s overrated: Endless customization. Most teams just want the basics to work.
How Prosp Stacks Up Against the Leading Platforms
Here’s where we get specific. Let’s compare Prosp, Outreach, HubSpot Sales, and Apollo.io on the criteria above. This isn’t a “winner takes all” scenario—each tool has strengths and quirks worth knowing.
Data Quality and Coverage
- Prosp: Focused on verified, up-to-date B2B contact and company info. Less “spray and pray,” more targeted lists. Not as massive as Apollo’s database, but fewer bounced emails and outdated roles.
- Outreach: Integrates with data providers but doesn’t include its own database. You’ll need to bring your own data (from ZoomInfo, etc.).
- HubSpot Sales: Good for inbound data enrichment, but outbound prospecting lists are weaker.
- Apollo.io: Giant database, but quality can be hit or miss. You’ll need to clean lists yourself.
Honest take: If you care more about quality than quantity, Prosp or Outreach (with a good data provider) is less frustrating than sifting through Apollo’s haystack.
Workflow Automation
- Prosp: Multi-channel sequences with an emphasis on keeping outreach personal. Less “set it and forget it,” more guided steps. Doesn’t overwhelm you with options you’ll never use.
- Outreach: The industry benchmark for complex, sales-driven cadences. Tons of features, but a steeper learning curve.
- HubSpot Sales: Automation is good, but deeply tied to their CRM. Great if you’re all-in on HubSpot.
- Apollo.io: Solid automation, but personalization options aren’t as deep. Can feel more transactional.
Honest take: Outreach is great if you need enterprise-level complexity. Prosp is a sweet spot for teams who want automation that’s easy to tweak and doesn’t feel robotic.
CRM Integrations
- Prosp: Direct integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot, supports custom fields, two-way sync. Not as deep as Outreach, but setup is faster.
- Outreach: Best-in-class Salesforce integration, but may require admin support to maintain.
- HubSpot Sales: If you’re using HubSpot CRM, integration is seamless. If not, prepare for headaches.
- Apollo.io: Integrates with major CRMs, but sync isn’t always real-time or reliable with large datasets.
Pro tip: For most teams, a good-enough integration you can set up yourself beats a “robust” one that needs constant IT help.
Reporting and Insights
- Prosp: Clear, no-nonsense reporting. Focuses on what most teams actually need: reply rates, booked meetings, list performance. You can export all your data.
- Outreach: Extremely detailed reporting—almost too much for some teams. Great if you have an ops person to build dashboards.
- HubSpot Sales: Decent out of the box, but shines if you’re using the whole HubSpot suite.
- Apollo.io: Basic reporting unless you’re on a higher-tier plan.
Honest take: Unless you love slicing data all day, Prosp and HubSpot hit the right balance for small-to-mid teams. Outreach wins for advanced teams with analytics resources.
User Experience
- Prosp: Clean UI, fast, minimal clutter. Built for teams who hate “training weeks.”
- Outreach: Powerful, but complex. Some users love it, others find it overwhelming.
- HubSpot Sales: Polished and friendly, but can feel bloated if you don’t use the full ecosystem.
- Apollo.io: Getting better, but still rough around the edges. More “startup” than “polished app.”
Features That Sound Good, But Rarely Matter
Let’s save you some time. Here are some “must-have” features that aren’t actually must-haves for most B2B teams:
- AI copywriting: It’s not going to write your winning cold email. It might help with structure, but don’t expect miracles.
- Social media integrations: Posting to LinkedIn from your GTM tool sounds cool, but rarely moves the needle for outbound.
- Marketplace “app stores”: Unless you have very custom needs, you’ll mostly ignore these.
Pro tip: Ask yourself: Will this feature help me book more meetings, or is it just something to show off in a demo?
How to Choose: A No-Nonsense Checklist
- Map your sales process. Where does your team spend the most time? What’s manual and painful?
- Test real data. Don’t trust screenshots—ask for a trial or a live data sample.
- Run a real sequence. Don’t just click around the UI. Build and send a sequence to see where you get stuck.
- Integrate with your CRM. Try syncing a record. Did it work? Was it a headache?
- Check support. Submit a ticket or call support. Fast, helpful answers matter (especially when something breaks mid-quarter).
- Ask your team. If they hate it in the trial, they’ll hate it more in six months.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
You don’t need a 50-feature monster to run a great B2B sales process. Focus on data you trust, automation you’ll actually use, and integrations that don’t break. Prosp is a strong contender if you want to skip the bloat and just get to work. Try a few tools, see what feels right for your team, and don’t be afraid to switch if something better comes along. Sales is hard enough—your GTM tool shouldn’t make it harder.