If you're shopping for a B2B go-to-market (GTM) platform, you know the sales tech landscape is crowded, confusing, and full of big promises. Whether you’re a founder, head of sales, or the poor soul tasked with “fixing outbound,” you don’t have time for fluff. This guide cuts through the noise and tells you what actually matters when picking a platform like Mailreach—and what you can safely ignore.
What Is a B2B GTM Platform, Really?
Let’s get clear: a B2B GTM platform is any tool that helps you find, reach, and (hopefully) close customers. Some are built for outbound email, some for multi-channel outreach, others for pipeline tracking or prospecting. Don’t get hung up on buzzwords. Focus on the basics: Does it help your team connect with real people and move deals forward?
1. Deliverability Tools That Actually Work
If your emails don’t land in the inbox, nothing else matters. It’s that simple.
Must-haves: - Inbox placement monitoring: Not just open rates—can you see if you’re in spam, promotions, or primary? - Warming features: Can it gradually ramp up new inboxes and keep them “warm” so you don’t get flagged as spam? - Spam score checkers: Does it spot problems in your content or headers before you hit send? - Domain reputation tracking: Are you alerted if your sending domain is in trouble?
What’s overhyped:
“AI deliverability” tools that claim to guarantee inboxing. Nobody can promise this. Look for transparency, not magic.
Pro tip:
Test the deliverability tools yourself before you buy. If you can’t get a real demo, that’s a red flag.
2. Sequencing and Personalization (Without the Gimmicks)
You want to send the right message to the right person at the right time. Sounds simple—almost no platform gets this perfect.
What to look for: - Flexible sequence builder: Can you easily create, edit, and branch sequences? Or does it feel like wrestling a spreadsheet? - Merge fields and dynamic content: Is it easy to personalize subject lines, intros, or CTAs at scale, or are you stuck with “Hi {FirstName}”? - Multi-channel steps: If you want to add LinkedIn, calls, or SMS, can you do that? Or is it email-only?
What’s usually a waste:
Over-the-top “AI copywriting” features. These can spit out generic lines, but they rarely save time unless you spend more time editing them than it would take to write your own.
3. Lead and Account Management (Keep It Simple)
A GTM platform should help you organize leads and accounts, not drown you in admin work.
Essentials: - Easy import/export: Can you quickly add leads from CSV, CRM, or scraping tools? Can you get your data out if you switch? - Segmentation: Can you filter and group leads by company size, industry, or whatever matters to you? - Activity tracking: Do you get a clear, at-a-glance view of what’s happening with each lead or account?
Skip this:
“360-degree customer views” that pull in every tweet and LinkedIn post. It sounds cool, but it’s usually clutter you’ll ignore.
4. Integrations That Actually Save Time
If your GTM tool can’t play nicely with your CRM, calendar, or enrichment tools, you’ll spend more time copying and pasting than selling.
What you want: - Native CRM integrations: Especially with Salesforce, HubSpot, or Pipedrive. Zapier is a nice backup, but direct is better. - Calendar integration: For booking meetings without 12 back-and-forth emails. - Data enrichment: Can you pull in fresh info on companies and leads, or is it manual? - Webhooks/API access: For the nerds: can your devs connect it to other systems without a headache?
Don’t stress about:
“App store” integrations with hundreds of random tools you’ll never use. Focus on your core stack.
5. Reporting That’s Actually Useful
You shouldn’t need to export everything to Excel just to answer basic questions.
Look for: - Clear dashboards: Open rates, reply rates, meetings booked—without endless clicks. - Customizable reports: Can you slice data by rep, sequence, time frame, or campaign? - Export options: Can you get your data out without begging support?
Beware:
Overly “advanced analytics” that require hours of setup or a data science degree. If you can’t understand it, your team won’t use it.
6. Compliance and Security (Don’t Get Burned)
GDPR, CCPA, spam laws—you can’t afford to ignore them. If you’re sending B2B email, you need to cover your bases.
Key questions: - Data storage: Where is your data stored? (Europe, US, etc.) - Consent management: Can you manage unsubscribes and suppression lists easily? - User permissions: Can you control who gets access to what? - Audit logs: Is there a record of who did what, in case something goes sideways?
Watch out for:
Platforms with sketchy privacy policies or no real compliance info. If they can’t answer your questions, walk away.
7. Usability: Your Team Will Thank You
A feature-packed tool is useless if nobody can figure out how to use it.
Check for: - Clean interface: Can new users get started without a two-hour onboarding call? - Help and documentation: Are there clear guides and videos, or is support just a chatbot with attitude? - Mobile access: Not critical for everyone, but nice if your team is often on the go.
Red flag:
If you need a consultant just to customize a sequence, you’re overcomplicating things.
8. Pricing That Makes Sense
Some GTM platforms nickel-and-dime you for every extra seat, mailbox, or feature. Others are “all-in-one” but come with a price tag that only makes sense for a 50-person sales team.
Advice: - Transparent pricing: Is it clear what you pay for, or are there surprise costs? - Scalable plans: Can you start small and grow, or is the entry price out of reach? - Trial or money-back: Can you try before you buy? Don’t trust a demo alone.
Ignore:
Fancy calculators that bury the real cost. Get a clear quote for your actual use case.
9. Support That Doesn’t Disappear After You Buy
You’ll have questions. Things will break. Will anyone answer your emails?
Look for: - Real support channels: Live chat, email, or phone—ideally more than a ticket form. - Fast response times: Are there published SLAs? Will you wait a week for a reply? - Active roadmap: Is the platform improving, with regular updates and bug fixes?
Red flag:
If the only way to get help is a community forum, expect to fend for yourself.
Features That Sound Good But Rarely Matter
Not everything vendors pitch is worth your time. Here are a few “nice to haves” that are rarely dealbreakers:
- Built-in email verification: Helpful, but you can use a separate tool if needed.
- “AI-powered” lead scoring: Usually just basic filters dressed up with buzzwords.
- Gamification/badges: Fun for a week, then ignored.
- Chrome extensions: Can be convenient, but don’t base your whole decision on one.
Keep It Simple (and Don’t Overthink It)
You don’t need a tool that does everything. You need one that does the right things, reliably, with as little fuss as possible. Start with deliverability, sequencing, and integrations—get those right, and you’ll be ahead of most teams. Don’t drown in features you’ll never use.
Pick a platform you can actually use, try it out with real leads, and be ready to switch if it doesn’t deliver. The best GTM stack is the one that helps you start more real conversations, not just check more boxes.
Keep it simple. Iterate. Don’t buy the hype.