If there was one clear message from the 2025 Forrester B2B Summit, it’s that B2B buying behavior is shifting fast. Go-to-market (GTM) teams need to evolve just as quickly to succeed, according to Tina Katic-Michalos, Sr. director of demand generation & marketing ops, TaskUs.
As a presenter and attendee at the event, she highlights her top takeaways about the future of B2B selling and what GTM leaders can use to align, optimize and drive growth in this new era of AI.
1. Buying groups have become buying networks
Marketers are not just selling to accounts anymore. They’re dealing with an entire ecosystem.
According to a Forrester research, “On average, 13 people within an organization are involved in the buying decision, with 89% of purchases involving two or more departments.” Layer in external voices (analysts, influencers, AI research tools, consultants, brokers), and you’re no longer navigating a sales funnel but a buying network.
So, what do GTM teams need to do?
Stop thinking in terms of “accounts” and start thinking in terms of networks.
To drive real impact, marketers need a stakeholder-centric engagement strategy. That means understanding who is involved in the buying decision, what signals they’re showing and how they prefer to engage.
For example, instead of blasting the same message to an entire company, map the buying group. Build relationships with the individuals who matter — end users, technical evaluators, execs, procurement finance— and recognize that each has their own priorities, pain points and decision-making power.
To orchestrate this well, marketing, sales and product teams must collaborate better. Everyone has a role to play. And when done right, the results can be powerful.
Don’t also underestimate your sales development representatives (SDRs). They’re not just booking meetings. They’re threading the pieces together: tailored outreach, marketing momentum and meaningful conversations with key stakeholders.
B2B buying isn’t linear and rarely driven by one person alone. Win the network, and you win the deal.
2. Sales & marketing alignment needs to go way deeper
The classic “handoff” model is obsolete. Marketing can’t just play at the top of the funnel while sales picks up the leads. Today’s buyers move fluidly across channels and touchpoints, expecting a seamless experience from first click to contract.
This means marketing and sales must unify around opportunities and not just leads. Shift from MQLs to pipeline momentum.
This disconnect was a common topic at the Summit: Marketing teams are generating more leads, but sales teams aren’t following up. Sales is frustrated by poor-quality leads, while marketing is frustrated by the lack of conversion. The result? Friction, lost context and missed opportunities.
It’s time to rethink the playbook:
- Move to opportunity-based marketing, where the focus is on generating pipeline, not just volume.
- Outsource lead qualification if needed and get better signals before handing leads to sales.
- Let sales focus on buyers who are ready now, not chasing every download or form fill.
- Have regular, strategic conversations between marketers and account owners to further engage with influencers and grow the total addressable market (TAM) while helping Sales clear the way to engage with decision makers.
3. Generational shifts are defining the buyer journey
Digital natives — Millennials and Gen Z — are stepping into decision-making roles, and they’re bringing a whole new playbook with them. They want self-service research, transparent pricing, peer validation and AI tools to guide their choices. No sales call required (at least not at first).
Meanwhile, Gen X and Boomers still lean on expert consults, trusted relationships and more traditional engagement.
This makes for a buyer journey with two distinct tracks.
The Split B2B Buyer Journey
GTM teams must design for both journeys. Invest in ungated, educational content, enabling AI-driven discovery, and create a marketing-led experience for the front half of the journey. And it doesn’t stop there.
Digital natives expect tech-enabled experiences and a smooth handoff to human interaction. When that transition feels clunky — i.e., when buyers have to repeat themselves, hit a poorly trained AI SDR or get dumped into a rigid sales funnel — they feel the disconnect.
The goal is seamlessness — not silos — and no matter what the buyer preference is, human interaction is essential.
4. AI is reshaping everything — inside and out
90% of buyers now use (or plan to use) AI tools as part of their purchasing process, according to a Forrester report.
Externally, AI is guiding research, comparisons and decision-making. Internally, it’s streamlining GTM processes, enhancing personalization and helping teams scale insights and outreach faster than ever before.
But AI only works when it works for people.
Today’s AI-powered GTM motions can move faster — but not always better. Poorly executed AI SDRs and clunky automation often leave buyers frustrated, confused or stuck in loops. That’s why the real advantage lies in a balanced approach where AI agents help reduce manual work and deliver buyer insights in real time.
Then, humans step in for more complex, nuanced situations. This helps build trust and ensure the journey feels genuine. At TaskUs, our teams use AI to make every touchpoint more informed, more relevant and more impactful. Technology empowers them to connect with customers in a deeper, more human way.
Final thoughts: Connect, learn, evolve
The GTM landscape has fundamentally changed. It’s networked, AI-powered, multi-generational and in constant motion.
Yes, it’s complex. But it’s also full of opportunity for teams that are ready to adapt, align and lead with purpose.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Want to connect with our GTM experts and explore how we can help you scale smarter and design adaptive growth strategies?
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