Consolidating GTM Tools: What to Cut & How

How do you decide which tools to get rid of during a tech stack audit? Join our panelists, Mikhiel Tareen, Co-Founder at Seam AI, Marshall Hamilton, Director of Business Systems Operations at Sprout Social, and Conrad J. Millen, Sr. Director of Marketing Operations at Rippling, as they discuss their criteria for choosing vendors and how AI will impact tool consolidation in the future.

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“One more tool isn’t going to fix your pipeline problem.” - Mikhiel Tareen

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The time has come to consolidate your GTM infrastructure. There’s just one problem… you inherited your entire tool stack. You don’t know how it all fits together or which workflows might break when you start pulling out software. Don’t worry, we got you. Here’s some expert advice on how to decide which vendors to cut and why AI will have a big impact on your consolidation.
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Criteria for deciding what vendors to cut
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“If you’re going to break something, break it at a small scale.” - Conrad J. Millen

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5 years ago, GTM teams bought a new tool for every requirement. To successfully consolidate your stack today, you need to understand which tools solve real problems, drive your revenue teams forward, and are truly business-critical. 

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Start by answering these key questions:  

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• Are your users actually using the tool? 
• Can you calculate an ROI for this software? 
• Is the tool truly driving pipeline, revenue, or efficiency across the business? 
• Are there dependencies in place? What will you break if you remove this software?
• How is your relationship with the vendor? Have they been supportive partners?

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You may also want to reevaluate your best-in-breed software strategy. When you have 20 different tools all trying to sync with Salesforce, your tech stack can become unmanageable at scale. Consider consolidating under a handful of vendors for better, faster data normalization.

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The impact of AI on tool consolidation

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“Automation is having a revitalized moment.” - Marshall Hamilton

In a way, employees who use AI are upskilling. AI is perfect for taking over repetitive, mundane tasks and freeing up your employees’ day for more creative and strategic work. They can build their own automations and use technology to complete programmatic tasks, like normalizing data faster.

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However, be careful when using AI to automate processes and workflows. If you build a lot of bespoke automation into your systems, you make the software too sticky. It’ll be hard to remove from your stack once it no longer serves your GTM needs. 

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AI can help you set up, structure, and normalize your data pipeline into a single data repository with just a few clicks. It brings down barriers and reduces the technical requirements and workloads on your team, allowing your GTM org to move faster. 

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AI won’t replace all of the tools in your stack but it could help you avoid purchasing more tools in the future. It’s not autonomous yet, it’s still just a helper, but it can give your RevOps team a few hours of their time back each week so they can focus on driving more revenue. Start demystifying AI at your company so your people understand how to leverage it effectively.

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Invest in the right tools

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Today’s companies aren’t working with massive budgets that allow them to try out dozens of new tools. You need to understand your market options and invest in the right stack for your business. Don’t be afraid to lean on AI in order to get the most out of your GTM infrastructure. 

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