MarketStar Blog | Sales

AI’s Role in Shaping B2B Enterprise Buying in 2026

The way enterprise buyers make decisions in 2026 has changed drastically from just a year ago. What once began with a search query or referral is now increasingly shaped by AEO and AI-driven discovery—long before sales enters the picture.

In fact, Gartner predicts traditional search engine volume will drop 25% by 2026 as users move to AI chatbots and virtual agents. This means discoverability depends less on ranking and more on showing up in the answers buyers consult first.

This shift is giving rise to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—the new standard for how brand value, expertise, and credibility show up in AI-generated responses. For revenue leaders, this raises a simple question: how is our value represented in the AI systems that influence discovery, comparison, and shortlisting—before a buyer even speaks to sales?

The world of outsourced sales is evolving fast and for revenue leaders, this shift is both exciting and overdue. What used to be a model built on activity volume and headcount is now giving way to something far more strategic partners — who bring AI, analytics, enablement, and governance together to run sales as a connected, outcome‑driven system. The category itself is expanding, too. The Everest Group estimates that the outsourced sales services market grew 9-11% in 2023–24 to reach USD 15.6–16.1 billion, a clear signal that enterprises are using partners as a strategic lever, not a stop‑gap.

The same Everest Group assessment highlights this new reality, noting how leading providers are expanding beyond execution and into areas such as GTM strategy, AI‑enabled orchestration, and risk‑sharing commercial models. 

But more importantly, their findings reveal something every CRO, CMO, RevOps leader, and procurement team should know—outsourced sales is no longer a lift‑and‑shift function. It’s a growth system.

Below, we break down the five key drivers shaping this new system and what you can do to stay competitive in this changing landscape

Why the Enterprise Shift Requires a New Sales Motion

Scaling from SMB into enterprise isn’t a “bigger version” of the same motion — it’s a fundamentally different operating system. Enterprise buying cycles involve more stakeholders, longer timelines, higher stakes, and outcome-driven scrutiny that SMB motions aren’t built to support. The way teams qualify, engage, demonstrate value, and align internally must evolve. 

The Real Difference Between Scaling and Stalling

Sales tools dont drive growth. Execution does.

The Procurement Function Is Evolving—And the Stakes Are Rising

More vendors. More compliance complexity. Fewer internal resources.

Procurement teams are expected to do more, move faster, and deliver value (prove ROI)—without a playbook for how to scale strategically. But when processes are fragmented and ownership is unclear, momentum breaks down. What should be seamless becomes slow. What should drive efficiency creates drag.

That’s why more procurement leaders are moving beyond reactive coordination—and turning to strategic outsourcing to streamline execution, reduce lift, and turn procurement into a driver of scalable growth.

In the hyper-competitive world of AdTech, the race to capture advertiser revenue isn’t just a growth goal—it’s a survival strategy. With budgets under pressure, channels multiplying, and privacy standards reshaping how data is used, the mandate for decision-makers is clear: scale, and scale fast.

The Great Divide: AdTech Expectations vs. Reality 

Advertiser churn is climbing. Campaigns are stalling. Internal teams are stretched thin.  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has officially moved past the buzzword phase in sales. Across the EMEA region, tech companies are not just talking about AI—they’re implementing it, testing its limits, and figuring out where it fits in the ever-evolving buyer journey. But while the excitement is real, so are the challenges. In this article, we break down what’s actually working, what’s overhyped, and what it means for tech sales teams operating in complex, multilingual, and fast-moving markets.

Key Takeaways

• Building a strong sales process can help your team convert leads into paying customers

• The Aberdeen Group found that best-in-class companies are 67% more likely to have a formal sales enablement strategy in place

• Investing in sales enablement can help your team identify the most effective strategies and tools to improve sales performance 

• The future-proofed sales team will be composed of experienced human salespeople and AI-assisted technologies 

• Sales teams must be able to adapt to changing customer needs and trends to remain successful 

In today’s fast-paced business world, companies need a sales team that can adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.

The future of sales is no exception.

With new technologies and changing customer behaviors, companies must stay ahead of the curve and future-proof their sales teams.

This article will explore the challenges that sales teams face and provide actionable tips to future-proof your sales team. We will also address the role of technology in sales and the importance of aligning your sales strategy with your business objectives.

And lastly, we will also discuss how MarketStar can help your sales team stay on top of the game and thrive in a constantly changing digital world.

The Importance of a Sales Team for an Organization

A strong sales team is vital for an organization's success, as they play a key role in driving revenue, building customer relationships, shaping the company’s image, and providing valuable insights into the market and customer needs. 

A study by the McKinsey Global Institute found that sales productivity can increase by as much as 14% with the use of sales force automation (SFA) technology. 

Sales teams are responsible for identifying, cultivating, and closing deals with potential customers, directly impacting revenue and growth. 

The sales team is also responsible for building and maintaining relationships with existing customers, which can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing. 

Additionally, the sales team is often the first point of contact between the company and its potential customers, which means they play a key role in shaping the customer’s perception of the company and its products or services. 

A strong sales team can also provide valuable insights into customer needs and preferences, which can fuel product development and marketing strategies. 

Furthermore, the sales team’s performance can also be a vital indicator of the company’s overall health and growth prospects. 

A high-performing sales team can drive revenue growth and help the company achieve its goals and objectives. 

On the other hand, a struggling sales team can signal problems with the company’s products or services, market positioning, or sales strategy.

Challenges that Sales Teams Face

Sales teams are under immense pressure to perform. 

They constantly seek new ways to improve their numbers and hit their targets. However, this pressure can sometimes lead to sales teams making mistakes. 

There are several challenges that sales teams face that can prevent them from being successful. These challenges include:

• Lack of leads and customer engagement

• Long sales cycles

• Missed quotas and low win rates 

• Not having a clear sales strategy 

• Not understanding their customers 

• Not having the right sales tools 

• Keeping up with changing technologies 

• Sales onboarding and training

If your sales team struggles to meet its goals, it could be due to one or more of these challenges. But don’t despair – there are ways MarketStar can help your business overcome these challenges and get your sales team back on track.

The Changing Landscape of Sales

The sales landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years, driven by technological advances and changes in customer behavior. 

Some key changes in the sales landscape include digital transformation, increased automation, remote selling, shift to inbound sales, emphasis on customer experience, increased focus on data and analytics, and increased use of AI and machine learning. 

These changes in the sales landscape are driving companies to rethink their strategies, processes, and technology stack to stay competitive. Let’s discuss how to future-proof your sales organization amidst these changes. 

8 Effective Ways to Future-Proofing Your Sales Team

Future-proofing your sales team involves preparing them to adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape. Here are a few key strategies that can help you future-proof your sales team: 

1. Embrace Digital Transformation

This can include investing in sales pipeline management tools and platforms to manage leads, track customer interactions, and close deals. This will help your sales team work more efficiently and effectively. 

2. Automate Repetitive Tasks

Automation can help your sales team save time and focus on more strategic tasks. This can include using CRM software, marketing automation platforms, and AI-powered sales assistants. 

According to a Salesforce study, companies with a well-defined sales process and using a CRM system see a 25% increase in sales productivity.

3. Embrace Remote Selling

Remote selling will likely become more common in the future, and your sales team should be equipped to operate effectively in a remote environment. 

4. Shift to Inbound Sales

Inbound sales, which focuses on attracting customers through content and building relationships, will likely become more popular. Your sales team should be equipped to adapt to this approach. 

5. Prioritize Customer Experience

As customers become more empowered, sales teams must prioritise providing a positive and personalized customer experience to drive repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing.

6. Invest in Data and Analytics

Sales teams will need to become proficient in using data and analytics to gain insights into customer behavior, identify trends, and make more informed decisions. 

7. Invest in Sales Enablement

Investing in sales enablement can help your sales team stay up to date with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. This can include training and development programs, mentoring, and coaching. 

8. Embrace AI and Machine Learning

AI and machine learning can help sales teams in lead generation, customer segmentation, and predictive analytics thereby enhancing the sales process.

How MarketStar Can Help You Future-Proof Your Sales Team

MarketStar helps businesses future-proof their sales teams. Here’s how. 

We offer sales solutions and services that include – sales enablement, digital transformation, inbound sales, outbound sales, feet-on-the-street, pipeline management, and operations. 

• The sales enablement service can help businesses identify the most effective strategies and tools to improve sales performance. 

• Digital transformation helps businesses adopt new technologies to improve sales processes and customer engagement.

• Our inbound sales service can help businesses attract and engage potential customers through various inbound marketing techniques such as SEO, PPC, Social Media, and Content Marketing. 

• Outbound sales service helps businesses reach out to potential customers through various outbound marketing techniques such as email, telemarketing, and direct mail. 

• The pipeline management service can help businesses manage their sales pipeline effectively to improve conversion rates and increase revenue. 

• The sales operations service can help businesses with sales process design, CRM implementation, and performance analysis. 

These are some of the services MarketStar offers; we can help businesses improve their sales performance by providing expert guidance and support in areas such as lead generation, sales strategy, and technology adoption. 

Get Started with MarketStar, today!

In conclusion, MarketStar can help businesses future-proof their sales teams by providing various services. 

If your sales team is facing challenges such as generating leads, meeting quotas or staying current with changing technologies, consider reaching out to MarketStar today to help future-proof your sales team and drive success for your business.

Key Takeaways

• Businesses can successfully slash their sales expenditures by switching to AI based platforms.

• AI-based sales platforms like Nytro.ai can drastically improve sales readiness and thereby enhance sales pipelines.  

• Nytro.ai helps outsourced sales by integrating CRM platforms and thus optimizing productivity. 

Introduction

Data is no longer just a resource that can be collected and analyzed. It is a building block for creating standalone platforms that automatically harness information and automate queries-based processes. Artificial intelligence is a vast sector that utilizes this power of data to perceive, synthesize and infer information.

AI finds application in any sector that simulates human intelligence, including technology or business. Businesses can use AI to smoothen their sales processes by predicting customer behavior and automating repetitive tasks.

In this article, we explore how AI-based platforms like Nytro.ai have made sales teams more efficient, especially in making data-driven decisions.

How Has AI Revolutionized Sales? (Problems and How AI Addresses Them)

Perceived Growth in Revenue: 44% of businesses using AI in sales report a cost reduction. With a 50% rise in sales leads, AI enables businesses to identify the most effective actions to generate and qualify genuine leads.

AI can automate sales forecasting and boost sales enablement by determining the likelihood of prospects making buying decisions. As sales enablers, these data-driven processes can provide sales teams with essential tools to help them sell smarter. AI can also eliminate uncertainty and thus prevent deals from going cold. 

Precision in Sales: AI-based sales platforms using machine learning algorithms to devise optimal price optimization strategies that can evaluate precise data and analyze them.

By calculating the price elasticities of the products, the sales and marketing departments can determine the optimal demand for that product and the price. AI can drastically improve the B2B pricing strategies in their development and implementation instead of relying on trial and error.

A Window of Opportunities: Sales teams using AI can transform how Sales Qualified Leads perform, especially in the post-pandemic period. Together with AI-based CRM platforms, AI can boost win rates by opening new channels for cross-selling and upselling.

Moreover, they also help determine how Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) can fine-tune selling strategies. AI-powered CRM platforms can reduce sales costs by 11-20% by using customer data to qualify sales, thus saving valuable time and effort. Additionally, businesses can employ these platforms to restructure their product inventory and thus minimize inventory shortages.

Greater Emphasis on Content Marketing Strategies: AI-based sales efforts can accelerate sales cycles by personalizing content strategies. Issues like inefficient lead prioritization and the inability to personalize sales approach can imply a drastic fall in sales leads.

AI-based platforms can automate the process by maintaining a constant inflow of personalized content like testimonial videos. Customers prefer to continue purchasing a product when sales teams hold genuine discussions using 24*7 chatbots or personalized content to customers’ social feeds.

To summarize, AI-powered platforms validate your sales data with high-performing sales teams and identify the points of conflict. Bid adieu to traditional sales techniques and welcome a system that leverages cutting-edge technology to track your sales team’s success. 

Introducing Nytro.ai

Are you still struggling to make sense of organizational data and wondering how you can derive valuable insights from them?

With Nytro.ai, sales teams can manage their sales pipeline from a single platform, allowing them to focus on the most important deals and opportunities. As an invaluable tool for sales teams, Nytro.ai can provide personalized training, pitch recommendations, and customer insights. By leveraging AI in these areas, sales teams can increase efficiency, effectiveness, and overall success.

It provides access to advanced analytics and insights that provide real-time assistance during customer interactions, suggesting the following steps and providing relevant product information. 

Quirks and Features

Nytro.ai employs a user-friendly interface that offers a range of tools to help sales teams analyze customer interactions and provide insights into customer preferences and behavior patterns. The three most important benefits that Nytro.ai delivers are as follows:

• Sales Training: Sales teams must identify knowledge gaps and develop personalized training programs. Nytro.ai can analyze sales reps’ performance data to identify areas that need improvement and provide targeted training materials to address those gaps.

• Sales Pitch Training: Nytro.ai can analyze data on successful sales pitches to identify common patterns and use that data to develop personalized pitch recommendations. Its data-driven algorithm can also provide real-time feedback during pitch practice sessions, enabling reps to refine their delivery and messaging.

• Conversational Intelligence: Ntro.ai helps analyze customer interactions and provides insights into customer preferences and behavior patterns. This can help sales representatives tailor their communication style and approach to each customer, increasing the chances of a successful sale.

Nytro.ai offers two leading sales-based solutions that a business can utilize – Sales onboarding and Sales Readiness. A sales onboarding platform increases the chance of sales representatives landing with better sales pitches that can guarantee positive leads. The sales readiness platform helps sales representatives engage with their customers better by improving their presentation skills. 

How Does Nytro-ai Function?

Informed Insights on Training Sales Teams: Nytro.ai’s industry-leading AI technologies adopt these styles to provide valuable input.

• Accumulates and analyzes primary data corresponding to your sales prospect. 

• Boosts motivation, confidence and ability when training sales teams  

• Blends personality into sales: information distribution across channels

• Focus on information that matters, asking the right questions.

Who Is It For?

Sales development representatives willing to derive valuable insights from data

AI-driven Assistance for Outsourced Sales: Struggling to manage your outsourced sales team? Nytro.ai modernizes the traditional rep-training with machine learning through

• AI-powered sales pitching that highlights rep-readiness  

• Prioritizing sales tasks and opportunities 

• Integration with CRM and other sales tools   

• Lower turnover costs with targeted training and data-driven assessments

Who Is It For?

Functional heads of businesses who want to maximize the value of outsourced teams

Pitch Intelligence: Know what works and what doesn’t with Nytro.ai’s Pitch Intelligence program which can help

• Upgrade your sales pitches through a personalized or storytelling approach to engage prospects

• Resonate with potential customers and close more deals

• Automate onboarding, retention and rep readiness

• Allow machine learning to automate the process at a higher accuracy rate

 Who Is It For?

Mid to Large B2B companies with a sales team > 10

Bottom Line

Sales enablement platforms like Nytro.ai guarantee better collaboration between AI-powered tools and sales representatives. At a current adoption rate of 35%, AI-powered tools like Nytro.ai can fuel lead generation in sales, thereby driving business growth.   

Are you still wondering whether Nytro.ai can help your sales teams stay ahead of the competition?  

Contact us today!