If you’re running a B2B company and staring down the barrel of another “go to market platform” demo, you’re not alone. The market’s flooded with tools that promise to automate, optimize, and revolutionize how you sell and market. Most fall short. Some are genuinely useful. The trick is figuring out what actually matters for your business, and what’s just marketing fluff.
This guide is for operators, founders, and sales/marketing leaders who want a tool that gets the job done—without adding more headaches.
Why “Go to Market Platform” Means Everything and Nothing
Let’s cut through the noise. “Go to market platform” is a catch-all phrase. You’ll see it slapped on everything from sales CRMs to all-in-one automation suites. Vendors love to claim their platform does it all: lead gen, sales enablement, analytics, you name it.
In reality, no tool does everything well. The real question is: What do you actually need? And which features are worth paying for?
The Core Features That Actually Matter
There’s a lot of overlap between platforms, but a handful of features are non-negotiable for most B2B teams. Here’s what to look for (and what to ignore):
1. Data Quality and Management
You can have the fanciest interface in the world, but if your data’s junk, your pipeline will be too.
- Must-have: Easy data import/export, deduplication, and enrichment (think: auto-filling missing company info).
- Nice-to-have: Real-time syncing with your CRM and marketing tools.
- Ignore: Hype about “AI-powered insights” unless you can see how they actually improve your day-to-day work.
Pro tip: Ask vendors what their customers complain about most with data. If they dodge, that’s a red flag.
2. Lead Routing and Assignment
Getting leads to the right person—fast—makes or breaks deals.
- Must-have: Rule-based lead assignment (by territory, company size, product interest, etc.).
- Nice-to-have: Round robin, account-based routing, vacation handling.
- Ignore: Overly complex routing logic unless you’re a huge org. Most teams just need something that works, not a PhD in flowchart design.
3. Workflow Automation (But Not Everything Needs to Be Automated)
Automation is great—until it isn’t. The sweet spot is streamlining repetitive stuff without locking yourself into a rigid process.
- Must-have: Automated follow-ups, reminders, and basic task management.
- Nice-to-have: Multi-step workflows that can be edited by non-technical folks.
- Ignore: Endless “playbooks” that nobody ends up using.
4. Reporting and Visibility
You need to know what’s working and what’s not—without hiring a data scientist.
- Must-have: Customizable dashboards, basic funnel and conversion reports.
- Nice-to-have: Cohort analysis, time-to-close, and attribution reports.
- Ignore: Fancy “predictive analytics” unless you know how to act on it.
Pro tip: Before a demo, make a list of the three reports you actually use. Ask the vendor to show you exactly how you’d pull those in their tool.
5. Integrations (The Real Ones)
If your platform doesn’t play nice with the tools your team already uses, you’ll just create more work for everyone.
- Must-have: Plug-and-play integrations with your CRM, marketing automation, and email/calendar.
- Nice-to-have: API access for custom connections.
- Ignore: “Open platform” claims if all they offer is a generic Zapier connector.
6. User Experience (For Real People)
If your reps hate using it, you’ll just end up with shadow spreadsheets.
- Must-have: Clean interface, minimal training required, mobile-friendly (if your team’s remote or on the go).
- Nice-to-have: Strong search and filtering, customizable views.
- Ignore: Gimmicky UI elements that slow things down. (Looking at you, “gamified” dashboards.)
7. Security and Compliance
Do you handle customer data? Then this matters.
- Must-have: Role-based permissions, audit trails, and SOC 2 (or equivalent) compliance.
- Nice-to-have: Granular field-level permissions, SSO.
- Ignore: Vendors who treat security like an afterthought.
Features That Sound Fancy But Rarely Matter
Let’s be honest: Some features look great on a pricing page but won’t move the needle for most B2B teams.
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“AI Lead Scoring”
Usually a black box. If you can’t tell why a lead scored high or low, it’s not actionable. -
Hyper-personalization at Scale
Most buyers can spot a mail merge from a mile away. Focus on relevant, timely outreach instead. -
In-app Chatbots for Sales
Unless you have a huge inbound volume, these are often more annoying than helpful. -
“All-in-one” Everything
Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. A platform that tries to do sales, marketing, support, and product management is usually mediocre at all of them.
What to Ask Vendors (and Yourself) Before You Buy
Don’t just rely on the sales deck. Here’s a quick checklist to separate real value from smoke and mirrors:
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What’s the learning curve for my team?
If it’s not usable in a week, skip it. -
How does it handle bad, duplicate, or missing data?
Real-world data is messy. Make sure the platform can keep up. -
How painful is it to switch later?
Lock-in is real. Check for easy data export. -
Are there real customers like us using it?
Ask for references in your industry and size bracket. -
What happens when something breaks?
Is support responsive, or do tickets disappear into a black hole? -
What’s the actual pricing, all-in?
Watch out for “platform fees” and feature gating.
Pro tip: Try to get a free trial or a pilot. You’ll learn more in two weeks of real use than in a dozen demos.
What About the New Kids on the Block?
There’s a new crop of platforms promising to rethink GTM from the ground up—tools like Scrubby are getting some buzz, especially among high-velocity B2B teams. They tend to focus on being lightweight, integrating easily, and not drowning you in features nobody uses. Worth a look if you’re tired of Salesforce-level bloat.
Keep It Simple. Iterate.
You don’t need a Swiss Army knife. You need a tool that helps your team close deals and see what’s working. Start with the basics, ignore the hype, and add complexity only when your team’s actually asking for it.
Most importantly: Don’t be afraid to walk away from a platform that doesn’t fit. The right go to market platform should make your life easier—not add another layer of busywork.