Digital Polymath

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...

The traditional sales playbook is experiencing its most significant disruption in decades. As Chief Sales Officers (CSOs) navigate an increasingly volatile economy marked by uncertainty, evolving buyer behaviors, and rapid technological advancement, the old paradigm of rigid annual planning is proving inadequate. The question is no longer whether sales organizations need to adapt, but how quickly they can transform their strategies to remain competitive. The Latest Research Tells a Stark Story Recent market research by Gartner reveals the depth of challenges facing sales leadership today. Perhaps most striking is that 87 percent of sellers report their leadership fails to accurately identify which skills are required for success. That's a damning indictment of the disconnect between sales strategy and execution. This skills gap becomes even more concerning when considering that only 13 percent of CSOs are viewed by senior executives as AI-savvy, despite artificial intelligence beco...

The role of the Chief Sales Officer (CSO) has never been more dynamic, yet a recent Gartner survey casts a stark light on the challenges facing B2B sales leadership. The latest research findings reveal a compelling narrative: less than half of CSOs reported that their organizations successfully met several strategic goals in 2024. It's a profound indicator of the seismic shifts occurring within the business technology sector and the urgent need for a recalibrated approach to sales strategy and execution. As an independent advisory consultant, I see this as a critical juncture, demanding introspection and proactive adaptation to evolving market development goals. Current State of Enterprise Sales Organizations The Gartner survey gathered insights from 243 CSOs and senior sales leaders, painting a comprehensive picture of the current state of frontline sales organizations. The core of the struggle, as identified by Gartner, lies in the inability of CSOs to adjust strategic plans in r...

Today, Chief Sales Officers (CSOs) in the B2B business technology sector face imminent growth challenges and opportunities. The recent Gartner research studies have shed light on critical trends and insights that will shape the future of all organizations. The Changing Face of B2B Sales The business world is undergoing a profound transformation, and sales organizations are at the forefront of this change. CSOs must grapple with shifting customer expectations, technological advancements, and economic uncertainties. The ability to adapt and innovate has never been more crucial. One of the most striking revelations from the Gartner survey is that only 11 percent of sales organizations can successfully drive commercial success while executing a transformation. The majority of sales teams struggle to maintain high performance while implementing new strategies or technologies, highlighting a critical need for improvement across the industry. Key Trends Shaping the Sales Profession Generativ...

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...

The rapid advancement of Generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping the B2B marketing, sales, and service functions. I've observed the transformative potential of GenAI in these areas, but also the initial challenges organizations face in realizing its full value. The latest Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study on GenAI adoption in B2B marketing, sales, and service functions reveals some striking insights into the current state of implementation and its perceived potential. The research highlights both the enthusiasm for GenAI's transformative power and the hesitation many executive leaders feel about their current go-to-market (GTM) strategies. One of the most notable findings is that 90 percent of surveyed leaders believe GenAI will be important or fundamental to marketing, sales, and service processes within the next three years. This overwhelming consensus underscores the perceived significance of GenAI in reshaping these critical business functions. However, despite this optimism,...

Are you prepared to compete in the GenAI-powered, omnichannel future? For senior leaders steering their teams through today's turbulent economy, a harrowing question looms: Are we doing everything required to master B2B sales excellence before Generative AI (GenAI) disrupts our strategies? New research from McKinsey reveals sobering realities about the modern sales capabilities separating global organizations. GenAI breakthroughs have created profound changes to how B2B companies must engage buyers through hyper-personalized and intelligent customer experiences. Make no mistake, this disruption demands thoughtful planning and bold actions to transform people, processes, and technologies. McKinsey's latest global B2B Go-to-Market (GTM) survey provides valuable insights into the inevitable change. They reveal five key tactics outperforming companies are leveraging together for significant market share gains: Deploying Advanced Sales Technology Tools Delivering Hyper-Personalized...

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...

I’m now anticipating a radical reset of the legacy IT vendor go-to-market mindset for B2B SaaS. Why? A recent survey by Gartner found that 60 percent of  buyers involved in decisions to renew or expand “as-a-service” agreements regret nearly every purchase they make. The Evolving Landscape of Procurement In the world of B2B SaaS procurement, the traditional dynamics between buyers and IT vendors are undergoing a significant transformation. Today, buyers are no longer passive recipients of sales pitches. They conduct SaaS solution assessment through self-directed online research. It’s why vendors need a unified approach that combines Buyer Enablement and Sales Enablement — an approach that recognizes the intrinsic connection between these two critical go-to-market skill sets . The Power of Buyer Enablement Buyer Enablement, while often overlooked, has become an essential part of the modern business technology buying process. Teams of buyers now demand empowerment in their purchasing...

What is a Technology-Enabled B2B Buyer's Journey, and why does it matter? Gartner has identified the top technologies that Business-to-Business (B2B) Sales and Marketing leaders can adopt to boost buyer engagement. The technologies on this list prioritize buyers’ value of real time collaboration, provide them with the help required to influence consensus, and allow them to use digital tools for purchase guidance. "While our research indicates buyers have a preference for a rep-free purchase experience, they also report that their interactions with sellers are the most valuable parts of the buying process," said Dan Gottlieb, senior director analyst at Gartner . The Top-Rated Buyer Engagement Solutions The B2B buyer's willingness to work with sellers via technology presents a compelling opportunity to experiment with new ways to engage digitally. The top technologies that sales and marketing leaders can use to boost buyer engagement include: AI-Sales Email : Gartner pr...

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...

Within the highly competitive business technology marketing and sales arena, the unique skill of a superior commercial storyteller is essential. Those leaders who can quickly weave together a customer-centered narrative are in high demand. In fact, 83 percent of chief communication officers (CCOs) have reported that their C-Suite influence is growing, according to the latest comprehensive market study by Gartner. Their survey of Business Communication leaders in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and UK markets found corporate communication team influence has grown as organizations become more interdependent. Leading Internal and External Communications CCOs also largely reported that their influence is greater than other function heads’ at their organizations, with 75 percent saying they have slightly or much more influence than their non-communications counterparts. Only 5 percent said they have less influence.  “Companies are placing a larger emphasis on stakeholder communicatio...

There was a time when vendor marketing executives could choose to focus their attention on branding and related advertising campaigns. From the company's sales leadership perspective, if that eventually resulted in generating new business opportunities, that was a welcomed bonus. But as time went on, the bar of expectations was raised and marketers were asked to more closely support meaningful new sales growth. Now it's already commonplace. More marketing leaders are expected to directly influence the acquisition of new customers and associated sales revenue. Besides, they're given the challenge of optimizing their marketing efforts to ensure that they fulfill the customer's fundamental need for helpful information and guidance, during the buyer's journey. Exploring the Marketing Impact on Growth Meanwhile, industry analysts that support the technology sector are researching and analyzing the relative performance of these marketing activities. To gain a dee...

 “ How do we sell our complex solutions to increasingly demanding customers in order to meet rising organizational growth goals? ” -- That's the question that Gartner considered in its recent market study that explored the key challenges they hear most often from chief sales officer (CSO) clients. Gartner's latest research demonstrates the IT industry buying reality. As business-to-business (B2B) buying behavior continues to change, the traditional IT vendor go-to-market approach will fail to meet expectations. Therefore, Garner analysts now believe that for CSOs to deliver constant revenue growth, they can’t simply improve their traditional selling skills from a bygone era. They have to evolve and adapt into multiskilled generalists that demonstrate their business and technology acumen. Deep Analysis of The B2B Buyer's Journey Meanwhile, as IT vendor content marketing capabilities grow, they produce more information resources than ever before. Yet, buyers ar...