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 ...

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,...

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...

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...

 “ 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...

The goal of many organizations is to become more customer-centric, so it should come as no surprise that marketing is being tasked to generate substantive digital growth via meaningful innovation. Moreover, creating improved customer experiences tops the list of corporate goals for marketing-driven innovation efforts. The possibilities for enhancing the B2B customer experience are vast, but the path to progress is problematic. Let's explore the available evidence. According to the latest research insights from Gartner, marketers need to focus more on the few high-potential ideas that can really show value for the customer and the rest of the business. They must also raise the profile of the marketing organization as a key innovation partner. Marketing Innovation Investments Some Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) have embraced the challenge and are committing financial resources and staff headcount to help drive successful 'digital growth' initiatives. Marketing budge...

Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) have a choice, embrace the future or cling to the past. To succeed today, they must abandon mass-media thinking and resist the urge to squander their budgets on trivial advertising or paid media. To compete, they must build teams of practitioners who can create content, not merely outsource work to agencies and contractors. The notion of engaging a Digital GTM Polymath is really compelling. You can harness the actionable wisdom of a worldly individual who acknowledges the near-term challenges and opportunities and has the strategic vision to anticipate the broader future. Here's the path to progress. Everyone can transform and evolve. I've authored a detailed market assessment with my recommendations - Learn more