Best of LinkedIn: Go-to-Market CW 48/ 49

00:00:00: This episode is provided by Thomas Allgaier and Frennis based on the most relevant LinkedIn posts about go-to-market in calendar weeks, forty-eight and forty-nine.

00:00:09: Frennis is a B to B market research company helping enterprises gain the customer competitive and positioning insights needed to drive GTM success.

00:00:18: Welcome back.

00:00:18: You know, for the past few deep dives, it feels like we've been talking a lot about shiny new tools in B to B.

00:00:23: We have.

00:00:24: But this week, the conversation, it's really shifted.

00:00:28: The noise about all these individual AI experiments is sort of fading out.

00:00:32: And what's

00:00:32: taking its place?

00:00:33: Leaders are finally getting down to brass tacks.

00:00:36: They're asking, what is our operating model?

00:00:38: That is exactly the signal we pulled from LinkedIn this week.

00:00:41: It feels like B to B leaders are done just, you know, experimenting.

00:00:43: They're aggressively engineering their revenue future.

00:00:46: So this deep dive is really our shortcut to understanding those key trends.

00:00:51: We're seeing them cluster around AI maturity, discipline, system design, and I think the human elements you need for growth in twenty twenty six.

00:00:59: Let's unpack it.

00:01:00: The future architecture of GTM.

00:01:02: OK,

00:01:02: so where do we start?

00:01:03: We have to start with AI maturity.

00:01:05: Yeah.

00:01:05: It's defining the whole structure of the GTM team now.

00:01:08: AI is moving from this chaotic, let's try everything phase to truly governed operations.

00:01:15: Okay.

00:01:16: A perfect example of this came from James King over at Idean.

00:01:19: They didn't just let their teams run wild with new tech.

00:01:22: They set up a structured rev AI accelerator program.

00:01:25: And the result of that structure was huge.

00:01:27: I saw that a forty percent boost in wind rates.

00:01:29: Forty

00:01:29: percent.

00:01:30: Right.

00:01:31: And that boost suggests the real advantage of governance isn't just efficiency.

00:01:35: It's about eliminating the biggest drag, which is just wasted time.

00:01:38: So by having a framework?

00:01:40: Exactly.

00:01:40: By creating that framework, they made sure the AI was only focused on high intent really well qualified prospects.

00:01:47: The structure cut out the noise so the AI could just amplify the signal.

00:01:50: And

00:01:50: you can see that strategic shift in the job market too.

00:01:52: We saw some data shared by Jesse Landry and Brian Martin.

00:01:55: Oh

00:01:56: yeah, the GPM engineer role.

00:01:57: The

00:01:57: surge is incredible.

00:01:59: Job openings are up a massive two hundred and five percent year over year and the comp.

00:02:04: I mean, the median is hitting a hundred and sixty K.

00:02:06: Wow.

00:02:07: This isn't some admin role anymore.

00:02:08: It's an architect.

00:02:10: That salary is huge.

00:02:12: It makes you wonder, is that a permanent shift or just that temporary scarcity premium you get with a new hot title?

00:02:17: That's

00:02:18: a good question.

00:02:19: I think submit n and Benjamin Reed had a really clarifying take on this.

00:02:23: They basically said the real GTM engineer isn't defined by the tools they know, you know, like clay or n eight n. Right.

00:02:30: The ones who survive are the systems thinkers.

00:02:33: the automation architects.

00:02:34: If a tool just vanished tomorrow, the system thinker could rebuild the logic from scratch because they get the discipline.

00:02:41: And

00:02:41: the technology itself is defining that discipline now.

00:02:44: I saw a fascinating observation from Jonathan Moss.

00:02:47: He said most teams are still stuck just automating old cloud-era workflows.

00:02:52: Speeding up manual tasks, basically.

00:02:53: Exactly.

00:02:54: What he calls Gen AI native GTM.

00:02:56: But the real competitive edge, the thing that separates the leaders.

00:03:00: Okay.

00:03:00: that's moving Trude's Agentec Native GTM.

00:03:02: Okay,

00:03:03: break that down, Agentec Native.

00:03:04: Well, if Gen AI is like a powerful assistant typing one email faster, Agentec Native GTM is like the team lead who wakes up, sets the strategy and delegates the execution autonomously.

00:03:15: So it's AI agents running entire workflows?

00:03:18: Yes.

00:03:19: With persistent memory, multi-agent orchestration, it's totally rebuilding the revenue architecture.

00:03:25: And we are seeing that get embedded everywhere.

00:03:28: Jonathan MK pointed out Google's integrated AI stack like Gemini in Workspace.

00:03:33: That's a perfect example, right?

00:03:35: It is.

00:03:35: It embeds intelligence that just follows you.

00:03:38: You've got notebook LM for account intel, meeting leverage for summaries.

00:03:41: The context is just there.

00:03:44: And that demand for smarter, faster intelligence is changing core marketing strategies.

00:03:49: I mean, look at SEO.

00:03:51: Spencer Perrick shared some really compelling data on the pivot from SEO to AEO.

00:03:56: Answer engine optimization, right?

00:03:59: The data showed forty seven percent of companies plan to increase their AEO investment

00:04:03: in SEO

00:04:04: on the eleven percent plan to increase spending there.

00:04:06: That's a huge tell.

00:04:07: it shows the goal isn't just to rank anymore.

00:04:09: It's about providing the best most direct answer for whatever AI is doing the searching

00:04:14: precisely.

00:04:15: Which brings us to our next theme.

00:04:17: because if intelligence is the goal then the quality of the data we're feeding these systems is Well, it's everything.

00:04:22: operational discipline.

00:04:24: Yep sewer Dale's post was A pretty sobering reminder that clean, reliable data is still the absolute foundation for growth.

00:04:32: He argued bad audience data is just crushing GTM performance.

00:04:36: Crushing is the right word.

00:04:37: I mean, if your BDRs are wasting time on thirty to fifty percent non-ICP accounts.

00:04:42: And marketing's burning hundreds of thousands on paid media hitting the wrong people.

00:04:46: Then

00:04:46: that data debt just poisons every single decision and automation you try to build on top of it.

00:04:51: You can't automate garbage.

00:04:52: You can't.

00:04:53: And that kind of debt, it requires system level reform.

00:04:56: That's why you see leaders like Dowwester and Juan Ignacio Elias talking about the GTM operating system, the GTMOS.

00:05:04: It's not just a pile of tools.

00:05:05: No, it's a unified system, an architecture that aligns strategy, marketing, sales, all of it using one shared data language.

00:05:12: Assad Haroon pointed out that misalignment usually starts right at the top.

00:05:15: You need the CEO, CMO and CRO speaking the same language.

00:05:19: I think the hardest part of designing that system is perfecting the handoffs.

00:05:23: those moments of friction.

00:05:24: That's why I love Jeanine Sue's analogy, the seven second play.

00:05:28: Nick save an idea.

00:05:29: Yeah, she says you have to break down every single GTM handoff, the signal, the routing, the sales acceptance, and just perfect those tiny crucial moments.

00:05:39: The analogy is brilliant.

00:05:41: It shows that even a massive tech investment can be completely derailed by a one-second human error in the handoff.

00:05:47: Which is so critical when you find out that what, seventy-three percent of B to B leads might not be sales ready at the moment they convolt.

00:05:53: Exactly.

00:05:53: You need a perfect system to nurture and route those leads.

00:05:57: And Jeremy Grendelian made the perfect point here.

00:05:59: He said, manual lead gen dies the second you stop working, but a real GTM engine.

00:06:04: It

00:06:04: scales exponentially.

00:06:05: Right.

00:06:06: The focus has to shift from short-term hustle to building these durable compounding systems.

00:06:11: But to make that shift, you need confidence at the leadership level.

00:06:14: Joel Harrison highlighted this, this confidence crisis.

00:06:17: Only nine percent of B to B leaders are highly confident they'll hit their twenty-twenty-six growth targets.

00:06:23: Only nine percent.

00:06:24: If the leaders don't believe it, how can they drive that system's change?

00:06:27: Scott Travis said weak leadership just acts as this silent drag on everything.

00:06:31: which makes strong enablement and clear alignment even more important.

00:06:35: They're force multipliers.

00:06:36: Absolutely.

00:06:37: And that lack of clarity, it almost always shows up in poor execution, especially around the actual message.

00:06:44: A key takeaway from Justin Rue was that relevance beats superficial personalization every single time.

00:06:50: Every time.

00:06:50: It's so true.

00:06:52: Teams obsess over crafting some clever first line.

00:06:56: The superficial part.

00:06:57: Right.

00:06:57: When the offer itself should be so relevant based on deep data that the person would feel foolish to ignore it.

00:07:04: GTM engineering isn't about clever banter.

00:07:06: It's about making the value prop undeniable.

00:07:09: So if relevance is the goal, then clear communication is the multiplier.

00:07:13: Noemi-J emphasized that copywriting is probably the simplest, highest-leveraged skill a GTM engineer can improve.

00:07:20: To increase their earning potential, yeah.

00:07:21: AI can help draft and iterate, but it can't replace that deep human understanding of positioning and narrative that actually gets a prospect interested.

00:07:29: And

00:07:29: this focus on quality is so important because of this thing Ash and Anne warned about.

00:07:33: Pipeline theater.

00:07:34: Pipeline

00:07:35: theater.

00:07:35: You know, high activity, big pipeline numbers, all driven by sheer volume.

00:07:40: But the conversion rate to close one is just abysmal.

00:07:44: It looks great on a slide, but it generates zero cash.

00:07:47: That's the definition of an unsustainable system.

00:07:50: It is.

00:07:50: And Jamie Walsh had the perfect contrast.

00:07:52: He said GTM should be treated like a lab, not a factory line.

00:07:56: You can only scale truth.

00:07:57: Meaning any strategy you automate has to be grounded in evidence first.

00:08:01: Exactly.

00:08:01: Grounded in customer validation, if you automate pipeline theater, you just get more expensive, faster moving theater.

00:08:08: The lesson there is just so clear.

00:08:09: You have to validate the human interaction before you even think about scaling the system.

00:08:14: Clay's success story, which Christian Bress and Eric Lay were talking about, is a great example.

00:08:18: Hitting

00:08:19: one hundred M at ARR.

00:08:20: By investing in community and creativity and by turning GTM engineering into a real career path, they scaled a validated approach.

00:08:28: And that idea of customization is key.

00:08:41: And this has to extend post sale too.

00:08:43: Noah Danon noted that AI is completely re-architecting customer success.

00:08:48: The new North Star is speed to value.

00:08:51: Post sales has to prove the product's worth with visible automation and shared plans, not just relationship management.

00:08:58: And speaking of architecture.

00:08:59: The most advanced GTM systems are the ones that extend beyond the company's own walls.

00:09:04: Which brings us to our last theme.

00:09:06: Partnerships and ecosystems.

00:09:08: Dr.

00:09:08: Alejandro Cananero and Sophie Bonasisi both highlighted partner-led growth as a really high leverage play.

00:09:15: The shift is huge, right?

00:09:17: It's moving from linear selling meat, selling you one product to ecosystem orchestration.

00:09:22: Where I sell you a product that makes your other tools more valuable.

00:09:25: and you rely on your partners to deliver that full value.

00:09:28: It's essential, especially as AI concentrates all the value around data flows and integrations.

00:09:33: Sophie

00:09:33: Bonassi laid out a really clear playbook for building that partner engine.

00:09:37: And the first step, she said, is critical.

00:09:39: Don't start with distribution.

00:09:41: Start with delivery.

00:09:42: To ensure stickiness and adoption first.

00:09:44: Right.

00:09:45: Then second, she said, enablement speed is the best predictor of success.

00:09:50: If partners can't get up to speed fast, The whole channel just fails.

00:09:54: So what about the actual mechanics of selling with them?

00:09:57: She advises using direct sales as the initial wedge, but then using partners as the engine for scale.

00:10:03: And she has a great example, using integrations or even white labeling, like since white labeling snowflake, to get leverage with the hyperscalers.

00:10:11: You make your product invisible inside their ecosystem.

00:10:14: Exactly.

00:10:14: And the tools are finally catching up to make this orchestration easier.

00:10:18: Killin' Casebeer highlighted the new native integrations between LinkedIn and email outreach tools.

00:10:23: Like HeyReach.io and Smartlead.

00:10:25: Yeah, that's a game changer.

00:10:27: Multi-channel used to be this duct-taped mess.

00:10:29: Now you can run auto follow-ups across platforms seamlessly.

00:10:32: It simplifies the whole thing.

00:10:34: So

00:10:34: if we pull all four themes together, we have a gentic AI, the need for a disciplined GTMOS, scaling truth, and ecosystem orchestration.

00:10:42: The directive is pretty clear.

00:10:44: GTM in twenty-twenty-six demands systems thinking.

00:10:48: And the total commitment to data quality above everything else.

00:10:51: The gap is just widening between those running on an old OS and those who've already updated their mental

00:10:56: models.

00:10:56: So what does this all mean for you?

00:10:58: The shift toward a genetic native GTM is a move toward a completely different autonomous revenue architecture.

00:11:04: If data quality is the non-negotiable bedrock and you can only scale truth, what is the single complex manual process in your current GTM engine?

00:11:13: The one that still relies on a spreadsheet or a weekly meeting.

00:11:16: that is currently infecting your data quality and must be fully dismantled before you can even begin to build that AI native future.

00:11:23: If you enjoyed this episode, new episodes drop every two weeks.

00:11:26: Also, check out our other editions on account-based marketing, field marketing, channel marketing, MarTech, social selling, and AI and B to B marketing.

00:11:33: Thank you for joining us for The Deep Dive, and be sure to subscribe.