Stop Asking, “Where Do We Start with AI?” Start Here Instead …
Every boardroom wants an AI strategy right now. And that urgency? It’s valid. AI is reshaping how businesses operate, compete, and grow. But amid all the hype, one question keeps surfacing that’s actually steering companies in the wrong direction:
“Where should we start with AI?”
At first glance, this seems like a strategic question. In reality, it’s a tactical one. Starting with AI for AI’s sake—without rethinking your entire go-to-market (GTM) model—is like installing a turbo engine in a car with square wheels. You’re accelerating inefficiencies instead of driving transformation.
The better question?
“How do we reimagine our GTM strategy for a customer-driven, AI-powered world?”
This shift in mindset is what separates companies that experiment with AI from those that transform through it.
💡 The Big Idea: You Don’t Have a Tech Problem—You Have a Thinking Problem
Most GTM models today were built in a different era—when sales was linear, buyers had fewer options, and technology played a supporting role. Fast-forward to now, and that model is cracking under pressure:
Buyers are more independent and digital-first
Sales cycles are non-linear and multi-threaded
GTM teams are bloated with disconnected tools and manual workflows
AI is being added as a patch, not a redesign
The truth? If your GTM approach isn’t built for insight-driven, real-time, buyer-personalized engagement, AI won’t fix it—it’ll only highlight the gaps faster.
🔄 Rethink These 3 Core GTM Assumptions
To build a future-ready GTM motion, start by challenging these outdated ideas:
1. Linear Funnels Still Work
Reality: Buyers don’t follow a straight line from awareness to close. They loop, stall, re-enter, and self-educate.
What to Do Instead:
Map your GTM around customer intent signals, not internal stages
Use AI to detect patterns and predict the next best action rather than pushing them through a fixed journey
Shift from funnel metrics to engagement quality and velocity
2. More Activities = More Revenue
Reality: Activity-based selling encourages busywork, not outcomes.
What to Do Instead:
Focus on impact-driving activities: multithreaded outreach, executive engagement, value co-creation
Use AI to eliminate low-value tasks (e.g., manual research, CRM updates)
Redefine sales productivity as time spent with high-value accounts and insights delivered per interaction
3. AI Belongs in Tools, Not Strategy
Reality: AI isn’t just a feature. It should reshape how your team sells and why you prioritize what you do.
What to Do Instead:
Let business outcomes define your AI use cases, not the other way around
Rethink GTM motions—like territory design, content delivery, opportunity scoring—with AI embedded as a strategic enabler
Align GTM leadership around a shared goal: using AI to make every seller more strategic, relevant, and customer-centric
✅ Take Action: 4 Strategic Moves You Can Make This Quarter
Run a GTM Audit: Identify outdated workflows, tools, or processes that exist “because we’ve always done it this way.”
Define 3 Core Outcomes You Want AI to Impact: Think about more qualified pipeline, faster deal cycles, and deeper account penetration.
Create a Cross-Functional GTM Task Force: Bring in sales, marketing, ops, product, and enablement. Align on a shared AI-enabled GTM vision.
Choose One Motion to Rebuild from Scratch with AI in Mind: Example—Reimagine how reps prepare for executive meetings using AI-curated account intel and custom messaging.
🔚 Final Thought
The companies winning with AI aren’t asking where to start with tools. They’re asking how to build a more intelligent, responsive, and outcome-driven GTM machine from the ground up.
Don’t just automate old habits. Use this moment to rethink what your customers actually need—and how your sellers can deliver that, faster and better than ever before.
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