Digital Polymath

B2B tech vendors have built their go-to-market motion around a familiar figure: the technical influencer who evaluates architecture, reads the spec sheet, and green-lights the proof of concept. That playbook is now colliding with a structural shift inside the buyer's own organization. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 2026 global survey of 300 Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) reveals that this function has become one of the most consequential AI decision centers in the enterprise. However, there's a common execution gap. It's about who has the talent to act on the AI budget. B2B CMOs are further behind than their consumer counterparts on the capability that determines Applied-AI ROI. Why Applied-AI Practitioner Talent Matters Nearly all CMOs, 96 percent, told BCG that AI is driving end to end transformation of their function, yet only about a third have moved beyond isolated pilots into genuine agent-led workflows. That gap between stated ambition and operational reality is ...

Senior executives instinctively understand that brand matters. Yet a striking number of vendors behave as if brand measurement is optional, tech brand strategy is a communications expense, and proof of the value is someone else's job. The result is a self-reinforcing trap that Gartner has now given a name to. The latest research from Gartner frames the problem with unusual precision. Eight out of ten vendors are caught in what Gartner calls a " brand doom loop ." They under-invest in brand measurement, lose confidence in what limited data they have, and consequently attract even less executive funding. Rinse. Repeat. The cycle is structural, not accidental, and it has direct consequences for revenue growth. Key Global Market Findings Gartner surveyed 426 senior marketing leaders, finding that 84 percent of companies are stuck in this brand doom loop, unable to demonstrate the brand's contribution to growth. The underlying mechanism is straightforward: without credible...

Is Your B2B GTM Strategy Ready for 2030? Explore the Three Evolutionary AI Phases. As we navigate the latest market trends, B2B sales and marketing leaders face a pivotal moment with artificial intelligence (AI) tools. While Generative AI (GenAI) has dominated headlines and go-to-market (GTM) budget discussions, most organizations remain trapped in the "productivity paradox" — obsessively focused on efficiency gains while missing the transformative potential that lies ahead. The current state of GenAI adoption in sales and marketing tells a revealing story. According to recent Gartner research, CMOs are primarily chasing productivity and cost reduction benefits from GenAI, with customer experience enhancement following as a secondary use case priority. This short-term thinking, while delivering immediate wins through the elimination of manual tasks, risks commoditizing AI capabilities. Without strategic differentiation, B2B brands will inevitably converge on identical AI-ena...

In an era where data-driven decision-making reigns supreme, it's surprising to find that many Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) still struggle to quantify and communicate the value of their own and their team's efforts. A recent Gartner survey has shed light on this persistent challenge, revealing that only 52 percent of senior marketing leaders successfully prove marketing's value and receive credit for its contributions to business outcomes. This statistic is both alarming and enlightening, as it underscores a critical disconnect between marketing leadership and the organization's C-suite. One of the most striking findings is the identification of CFOs (40 percent) and CEOs (39 percent) as the executives most skeptical about marketing's value within their organizations. This skepticism is further compounded by the fact that 47 percent of CMOs reported that marketing is still viewed as an expense rather than an investment, according to an earlier Gartner survey in 20...

Change is constant in the business technology arena. In an era where innovation evolves at breakneck speed, Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands out as a transformative force reshaping various commercial processes. One of the most significant impacts of Generative AI (GenAI) is in the software technology sector, particularly in how it influences the behavior of today's software buyers and the procurement process. The 2024 Buyer Behavior Report by G2 provides an in-depth analysis of these changes, revealing critical insights into spending expectations, buyer trust, and the evolving dynamics of software procurement. The New Landscape of Software Procurement The software procurement landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by the rapid adoption and integration of AI technologies. According to the report, 52 percent of software buyers expect their spending on software and technology to increase in the upcoming year, with AI playing a pivotal role in these budget expansions. This...

The rapid pace of advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies over the past decade has been astonishing. From beating humans at complex strategy games like Go to churning out remarkably human-like conversational text, AI abilities are approaching a stage where machine cognition looks increasingly comparable to our own. Generative AI Takes Center Stage Generative AI (GenAI) represents the leading edge of this advance, with models like DALL-E for image generation and GPT for natural language tasks exhibiting creativity, insight, and judgment conspicuously reminiscent of human practitioner competencies. GenAI offers transformational potential across industries, but few stand to benefit more profoundly than B2B sales teams aiming to improve productivity, gain insights, and boost revenue growth. As a B2B management consultant focused on business technology strategy, I’ve been closely tracking GenAI's capabilities as they relate to enhancing enterprise performance. A new in...

B2B sales and marketing are being transformed by the adoption of new technologies that help to communicate value. Gartner has identified seven technology disruptions that will impact sales organizations. These disruptions will drive significant go-to-market changes, as well as in the way businesses approach sales development and build customer relationships. Are you and your organization prepared for these disruptions? B2B Sales Process Change Management The first disruption identified by Gartner is the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in sales. AI can analyze large amounts of data quickly and accurately, allowing sales teams to identify key trends and insights that can inform their strategies. Most important, AI can also be used to automate routine workflow tasks, freeing up time for salespeople to focus on more high-value activities. Another disruption is the rise of customer experience (CX) as a key differentiator for businesses.  Companies that prioritize CX are m...