If you’re in charge of picking a go-to-market (GTM) platform for your B2B team, you know the drill: every vendor promises a “single pane of glass” and “seamless alignment.” Meanwhile, your team just wants software that actually helps them sell and market better—without becoming a six-month IT project or another thing nobody uses.
This guide is for sales, marketing, and ops leaders who want to cut through the noise and pick a GTM platform that actually works. Let’s get real about what features matter, which ones are a waste of money, and how you can avoid buyer’s remorse.
What Is a GTM Platform, and Why Should You Care?
A go-to-market platform is basically a hub where marketing, sales, and (sometimes) customer success teams manage their outreach, track results, and (hopefully) work together. These tools promise smoother handoffs from marketing to sales, pipeline visibility, and maybe even a few automations to make life easier.
But here’s the catch: most platforms try to do everything, and end up doing a lot of things poorly. You’re not looking for a magic bullet. You want something that fits your team’s real workflow, not a wishlist dreamed up in a boardroom.
1. Integration with Your Existing Stack (Don’t Skip This)
If you only take one thing from this article, let it be this: your GTM platform must play nice with the tools you already use. If it doesn’t, you’ll waste months trying to duct-tape things together, and your reps will ignore it.
What to look for: - Native integrations with your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), marketing automation, calendar/email, and data enrichment tools. - Flexible APIs and webhooks for the edge cases. - No extra costs or hidden fees for integrations—some vendors nickel-and-dime you here. - Real-world proof: Ask for references from customers who use the same stack as you.
Ignore: Vendors who brag about “open platforms” but can’t show working integrations or require expensive middleware.
Pro Tip: Do a basic integration test in the trial phase. Don’t just take their word for it.
2. User Experience and Adoption (Don’t Underestimate This)
A GTM platform is only as good as the adoption it gets. If it’s slow, clunky, or requires endless training, your team will quietly go back to spreadsheets and email.
What to look for: - Clean, intuitive interface. If you need a two-day training just to log in, that’s a red flag. - Role-based views. Sales, marketing, and ops care about different things—make sure the platform reflects that. - Mobile access. For field teams or execs who check dashboards on the go.
Ignore: Flashy dashboards that look good in a demo but bury the actual work behind five clicks.
Pro Tip: Let real users—not just managers—test the platform. Watch how they use it. If they get frustrated, believe them.
3. Lead and Account Management That Makes Sense
You want to know: Who’s in your pipeline? Where did they come from? What’s been done so far? Good GTM platforms make this dead simple.
What to look for: - Account-based views. Especially for B2B, you need to see the whole buying committee, not just individual leads. - Customizable fields and stages that match your process (not the vendor’s idea of a “best practice”). - Easy enrichment and deduplication so you’re not chasing ghosts or outdated contacts. - Activity tracking that’s automatic—not reliant on reps manually logging every call.
Ignore: “AI-powered” lead scoring that’s a black box and can’t be explained or tweaked.
Pro Tip: Ask the vendor to show you how they’d handle your weirdest, messiest lead routing scenario. If they can’t, keep looking.
4. Workflow Automation That Actually Works
You want automation that saves time, not automation that creates more work fixing mistakes. The best GTM platforms help you follow up, route leads, and keep things moving—without making you a workflow engineer.
What to look for: - Pre-built automations for common tasks (assigning leads, reminders, etc.). - Clear audit trails so you know what automated actions happened and why. - Easy-to-edit workflows—no need to call in IT for every tweak. - Human override options. Sometimes, you just need to break the rules.
Ignore: “Automate everything” pitches. Full automation is a fantasy. Focus on what really needs to be hands-off.
Pro Tip: Map out your most annoying manual process, and see if the platform can automate it without a headache.
5. Reporting and Analytics You’ll Actually Use
It’s easy to get lost in endless dashboards. The reports you want are the ones that help you spot problems and make decisions—fast.
What to look for: - Pipeline and conversion tracking that’s accurate and up-to-date. - Customizable reports. If you can’t tweak the dashboard, you’ll end up exporting to Excel anyway. - Attribution tracking so you know what actually moved the needle. - Scheduled reports and alerts—nobody has time to log in and hunt for numbers every morning.
Ignore: “Predictive insights” or “AI analytics” unless they can show you what that actually means in your context.
Pro Tip: Ask your team what reports they really use. If the platform can’t deliver those, it’s not the right fit.
6. Collaboration Tools (But Don’t Overdo It)
Some platforms try to replace Slack, email, or your project management tool. That’s usually a waste of time—your team won’t switch just for one product.
What to look for: - Comments and notes tied to accounts or deals, so context stays with the record. - Basic tagging or assignment for team handoffs. - Integrations with your real collaboration tools (Slack, Teams, etc.).
Ignore: Features like chat, wikis, or task boards unless your team actually wants to consolidate. Most don’t.
Pro Tip: The best collaboration is about less friction, not more features.
7. Security and Compliance (Don’t Assume, Always Check)
B2B sales means customer data. You need to know the platform meets your security and compliance needs—especially if you’re in regulated industries.
What to look for: - SOC 2, GDPR, and other relevant certifications. - Role-based permissions so people only see what they need. - Data export and deletion options—getting your data out should be easy. - Clear documentation on how data is stored and handled.
Ignore: Vague promises about “enterprise-grade security” without specifics.
Pro Tip: Run the platform by your IT or security lead before you buy. Don’t find out about gaps after the contract’s signed.
8. Honest Pricing and Real Support
It’s easy to get excited about a slick demo, but pricing and support often make or break the experience.
What to look for: - Transparent pricing—watch out for “platform fees” or charges for basic integrations. - Support response times (not just “24/7 chat” promises). - A clear onboarding process—not just a link to a help center.
Ignore: Vendors who won’t give you a straight answer on total cost of ownership.
Pro Tip: Look up real customer reviews, not just the polished testimonials on the vendor’s site.
A Quick Note on “All-in-One” vs. “Best-of-Breed”
Some platforms, like SecondBody, promise a more focused suite of features, rather than trying to be everything to everyone. Don’t assume you need every bell and whistle—often, a lighter, more focused platform fits better, is easier to roll out, and gets used more.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
You don’t need a perfect GTM platform, just one that fits your team’s real-life workflow and connects with what you already use. Pick the features that matter most, ignore the rest, and don’t be afraid to start simple and add on as you go. The best tool is the one your team actually likes—and uses—day in and day out.