AI for GTM Leaders: How to Navigate the Adoption Curve Without Getting Left Behind

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AI for GTM Leaders: How to Navigate the Adoption Curve Without Getting Left Behind

AI in go-to-market (GTM) is at an inflection point. Some teams are using it to drive efficiency in demand gen, outbound, and retention, while others are still figuring out where it fits. The difference? The companies getting AI right are seeing lower CAC, faster sales cycles, and a more predictable pipeline.

But AI adoption isn’t plug-and-play. It’s easy to throw money at AI tools and see little to no impact. Many teams automate the wrong things, integrate AI in a way that disrupts workflows, or expect it to magically fix broken processes. AI is a multiplier, not a silver bullet.

Conversations with AI leaders have helped shape a framework for evaluating AI tools, identifying common mistakes, and assessing team readiness.

The GTM AI adoption curve: where do you stand?

AI adoption in GTM isn’t random. It follows a predictable curve, just like any major technology shift. And where you sit on this curve says a lot about your competitive advantage (or disadvantage) heading into the rest of 2025.

Here’s how it breaks down:

1. Innovators (5%)
   Building proprietary AI models or deeply embedding AI into every workflow. Think OpenAI-level experimentation but for GTM.
2. Early adopters (15%)
   Using AI strategically for outbound, lead qualification, and predictive analytics. These teams have figured out how to make AI drive real revenue impact.
3. Early majority (35%)
   Experimenting with AI tools, but haven’t fully integrated them into processes. Maybe some reps use AI for email personalization, but there’s no standardized AI-driven workflow.
4. Late majority (35%)
   Hesitant, waiting for proven use cases before investing. They’re watching competitors adopt AI but haven’t committed yet.
5. Laggards (10%)
   Still running the 2018 playbook, avoiding AI altogether, and relying on traditional GTM processes. At risk of getting left behind.

Where you sit on this curve matters. The companies moving up fastest are the ones embedding AI into core GTM motions, without over-automating or sacrificing personalization.

A practical framework for evaluating AI in sales and marketing

AI is everywhere in GTM right now, but not all AI solutions are created equal. Too many teams rush into adoption without clear evaluation criteria, leading to wasted budgets, underwhelming results, and a lot of “this AI thing isn’t working” frustration.

If you’re thinking about adding AI to your GTM stack, here’s how to evaluate tools the right way.

1. ROI alignment

Will AI actually improve your GTM metrics? AI shouldn’t just “automate tasks,” it should drive measurable business impact. Before investing, ask:

• Will AI reduce CAC (customer acquisition cost)?
• Can it shorten sales cycles?
• Will it increase pipeline efficiency (e.g. better lead scoring, higher conversion rates)?
• Does it improve customer retention and expansion?

2. Data availability and quality

Garbage in, garbage out. AI is only as good as the data its trained on. If your CRM is full of outdated contacts or your marketing automation tools are cluttered with low-intent activity, AI will amplify those problems, not solve them. Before rolling out AI, check:

• Do we have clean, structured data in our CRM and marketing automation tools?
• Are we providing AI with real intent signals, or just noisy activity data?
• How will AI handle data gaps, biases, or inaccuracies?

3. Human and AI collaboration

Is this a true copilot or just automation? AI should help reps focus on high-value activities, not just automate low-value tasks. Ask:

• Will AI help SDRs and AEs spend more time on meaningful conversations?
• Can AI optimize, but not fully automate, content personalization?
• Does AI provide actionable insights, or just add more noise?

4. Integration and scalability

Plenty of AI tools promise instant ROI but fall flat because they don’t integrate with your GTM stack. Before pulling the trigger on an AI tool, check:

• Does it connect seamlessly with our CRM, marketing automation, and sales enablement stack?
• Can it scale with our team and data, or will it require ongoing heavy-lift implementation?

A scorecard for AI readiness in GTM

Before adopting AI, GTM teams should be able to answer key questions about ROI, data readiness, and integration compatibility.

The “Minimum Viable AI” (MVA) approach

Instead of rolling out AI across an entire GTM motion, start with the lowest-risk, highest-impact AI applications first. This is similar to the MVP approach in product development.

1. Start small – AI-driven lead scoring or email optimization, rather than fully automating outreach.
2. Measure and refine – Track AI’s impact on response rates, deal progression, and sales cycle time.
3. Expand what works – Scale AI initiatives that drive actual revenue impact.

AI isn’t a “nice-to-have” anymore, it’s table stakes for GTM teams looking to stay competitive. But adopting AI the wrong way can do more harm than good.

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👂 More for your eardrums

Cassie Young is a General Partner at Primary Venture Partners, a $1B AUM early-stage venture capital firm in New York that has backed category-defining companies such as Chief, Alma, K Health, Latch, Alloy, Dandy and Vestwell.

Before joining Primary, Cassie was Chief Customer and Commercial Officer for Marigold (formerly known as CM Group), an Insight Partners roll-up of marketing technology software including Sailthru, Campaign Monitor, Delivra, Emma, Vuture and Liveclicker; Cassie assumed that role when Marigold acquired Sailthru, where she was Chief Revenue Officer. Prior to Sailthru, Cassie served as VP Marketing & Analytics at Gerson Lehrman Group (“GLG”) and as VP Marketing & Growth for Savored (acquired by Groupon).

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See more top GTM jobs on the GTMfund Job Board.

If you’re looking to scale your sales and marketing teams with top talent, we couldn’t recommend our partner Pursuit more. We work closely together to be able to provide the top go-to-market talent for companies on a non-retainer basis.

See more top GTM jobs on the GTMfund Job Board.

If you’re looking to scale your sales and marketing teams with top talent, we couldn’t recommend our partner Pursuit more. We work closely together to be able to provide the top go-to-market talent for companies on a non-retainer basis.

🗓️ GTM industry events

Upcoming go-to-market events you won’t want to miss:

• The GTM Workshop for AI Founders – a GTMfund event: March 25, 2025 (San Francisco, CA) – private registration (email for details)
• GTMfund Dinner: March 25, 2025 (San Francisco, CA) – private registration
• More GTMfund events TBA
• Spryng by Wynter: March 24-26, 2025 (Austin, TX)
• Pavilion CMO Summit: April 17, 2025 (Atlanta, GA)
• SaaStr Annual: May 13-15 (San Francisco, CA)
• Web Summit: May 27-30, 2025 (Vancouver, CAN)
• Pavilion CRO Summit: June 3, 2025 (Denver, CO)
• Pavilion GTM Summit: September 23-25, 2025 (Dallas, TX)

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This newsletter was entirely written and edited by Sophie Buonassisi and Scott Barker (not AI!).