By 2028, the landscape of B2B marketing and sales will be fundamentally altered, with traditional tactics such as demand generation and outbound prospecting becoming nearly unrecognizable or obsolete. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the buyer’s journey, shifting control away from vendors and placing it firmly in the hands of the buyers themselves. The time to adapt is now – or risk falling behind.
A Stark Reality for GTM Professionals
As someone who has spent years in the world of technology marketing, the subject of go-to-market (GTM) strategies has always been a passion of mine. However, what follows is not a typical optimistic analysis. This piece is filled with uncomfortable truths, based on extensive research and data analysis. While it might be tempting to dismiss these predictions, doing so now could leave you unprepared for the seismic changes underway in the industry.
AI-Powered Buyers: A New Era
For decades, B2B GTM strategies have been built on persuasion-based tactics: content marketing, consultative sales, and vendor-led buyer education. However, by 2028, these strategies will be largely obsolete. The driving force behind this change is AI, which is fundamentally altering how both buyers and vendors approach the sales process.
AI is a game-changer because it empowers buyers to take control of their own purchasing journey. Buyers are now using AI to avoid the traditional marketing and sales methods they perceive as outdated and inefficient. They want to bypass vendor-led content, avoid data mining, and steer clear of pervasive marketing tactics.
AI-driven tools such as search engines, knowledge aggregators, and procurement bots are already eliminating the need for vendor-led sales prospecting and performance marketing. This shift is already in motion and is accelerating at an unprecedented pace.
The Shift from Vendor-Controlled to Buyer-Centric AI Models
Historically, B2B marketing has relied on a vendor-driven model to capture attention, generate demand, and convert leads into sales. But the rise of AI means buyers no longer need vendors to guide them. Buyers are using AI-powered “buyer bots” to screen vendors, assess product-market fit, validate competitive claims, and even estimate pricing before engaging with a sales team.
This shift is not just a minor tweak; it’s an existential threat to the traditional persuasion-based GTM model. As buyers take control, the balance of power in B2B sales is being fundamentally reshaped.
Which GTM Tactics Will Fade by 2028?
Several key components of traditional GTM strategies are set to shrink or disappear entirely:
- Marketing Functions That Will Fade:
- Demand Generation: AI will allow buyers to bypass gated content and conduct their own research. Traditional lead nurturing tactics will become irrelevant as AI handles vendor discovery and shortlisting.
- Influencer Marketing: AI will increasingly favour peer-driven recommendations over influencer endorsements, as it becomes adept at detecting bias in content.
- SEO and Content Creation: Traditional SEO tactics will become obsolete as AI tools focus on delivering high-trust content and bypass vendor websites in favour of summarised, AI-curated information.
- Targeted Ads: AI-powered ad blockers will neutralise retargeting efforts, while buyers will discover solutions organically through AI-assisted search.
- Sales Functions That Will Disappear:
- Outbound Sales: AI-driven procurement assistants will pre-screen vendors and handle much of the lead qualification, eliminating the need for Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) and Business Development Representatives (BDRs).
- Discovery and Demos: Buyers will use AI to self-configure product trials and comparisons, bypassing human-led demos and discovery calls.
- Solution Selling: AI will provide buyers with automated vendor comparisons, reducing the need for consultative sales approaches.
- Customer Success Roles at Risk:
- Onboarding and Training: AI-powered adaptive learning systems will enable customers to onboard themselves, eliminating the need for human-led training.
- Basic Customer Support: AI-driven chatbots and troubleshooting assistants will handle most customer inquiries, significantly reducing the demand for tier 1 and tier 2 support.
What Roles Will Thrive in the New AI-Driven GTM Landscape?
While many traditional GTM roles will diminish, others will become more crucial:
- AI-Driven GTM Strategy and Market Intelligence: Companies will need experts who understand AI-driven buyer behaviour to optimise revenue motions and strategy.
- Causal-Driven Marketing and Sales Execution: AI will demand marketing and sales teams to prove their impact with clear, causal links to business outcomes, replacing correlation-based tactics.
- Community and Peer-Validated Selling: Buyers will increasingly trust peer insights over vendor messaging, and AI will facilitate buyer-led communities.
- Customer Experience and Reputation Management: High-trust content and reputation will be vital, as AI-driven tools curate the most relevant vendor information for buyers.
- Risk-Based Pricing Models: As AI identifies misaligned incentives, vendors will be pushed toward performance-based pricing and fiduciary commitments.
The Shift from Persuasion to Proof in GTM
The most significant change in GTM will be the transition from persuasion-based to proof-based strategies. AI will dictate the way businesses demonstrate their value, forcing companies to align with buyer expectations around transparency and proof of impact. By 2028, B2B buyers will have full control over the vendor selection process, and companies that fail to adjust will risk becoming irrelevant.
Those whose strategies still rely on lead capture, outbound prospecting, or traditional persuasion will find themselves quickly outpaced. The future will belong to organisations that can prove their worth, earn trust through AI-driven transparency, and structure their GTM around clear, causal business outcomes.
A Looming Restructuring of B2B GTM
The anticipated shifts in GTM will be profound, with significant implications for employment. Research suggests that B2B marketing jobs will decline by up to 55%, particularly in demand generation, influencer marketing, and outbound performance marketing. Sales roles face even steeper declines, with an estimated 90% of current positions becoming obsolete. The B2B GTM structure will consolidate under a Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), with the CMO role shrinking significantly.
Conversely, roles in GTM strategy, reputation management, market intelligence, and causal analytics will see growth of around 25-30%, as organisations shift towards a proof-based GTM model where only AI-literate, strategic roles thrive.
Conclusion: The Time to Adapt Is Now
The restructuring of B2B GTM is happening at a rapid pace, and those who fail to adjust risk being left behind. The future belongs to businesses that understand how AI is reshaping buyer behaviour and are willing to pivot towards a proof-driven, AI-powered model. This transition isn’t just about technology — it’s about rethinking how we approach marketing, sales, and customer success in a world where AI is the new gatekeeper.
The time for action is now. Embrace the change, or be left in the dust.
Source;https://martech.org/the-hard-truth-about-what-ai-will-do-to-gtm/
