The State ofGo-to-Marketin 2025
AI is fundamentally reshaping how organizations approach growth. As businesses navigate this transformation, they're rapidly redefining their go-to-market (GTM) strategies, from team structures to execution plans, to stay competitive.
In our 2025 State of GTM report, we dive into how leading companies are adapting. We explore critical GTM health indicators, strategic shifts, and the transformative impact AI adoption is having across teams.
GTM Health: Emerging Signs of Reacceleration
Overall, year-over-year ARR growth has remained relatively flat since 2023. However, we're now seeing early signs of reacceleration, particularly among companies in the $25M-$200M ARR range. Notably, AI-Native companies are significantly outpacing their Non-AI-Native peers when it comes to topline growth.
Part of the stagnation can be attributed to weaknesses deeper in the sales funnel as many companies are struggling to convert late-stage opportunities into Closed-Won deals. AI-Native companies, on the other hand, are driving stronger conversion rates through free trials and proof-of-concept programs – especially in companies with $100M+ ARR, where conversion rates average 56% compared to 32% among others.
This growth stagnation is also reflected in declining quota attainment, with a slight year-over-year drop in the percentage of reps hitting topline targets.
Key Takeaways:
- Top-quartile ARR growth among $25M-$100M ARR companies increased to 93% YTD in 2025, up from 78% in 2023
- AI-Native companies achieve significantly higher funnel conversion rates, especially from free trial/proof-of-concept phases ($100M+ ARR companies: 56% vs. 32% for others)
- Overall AE quota attainment remains flat (58% YTD in 2025 vs. 59% in 2024)
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GTM Strategy: New Roles, Pricing Models, and AI Influence
High-growth Non-AI-Native companies dedicate a smaller share of GTM headcount to Post-Sales, while AI-Native companies (regardless of growth performance) allocate more headcount to Post-Sales teams. This is likely due to technical onboarding needs and the urge to drive adoption of ‘new age’ tools. In response, we’re seeing the rise of forward-deployed engineers who play a critical role in driving change management (especially in legacy, slower moving industries).
Pricing strategies are also evolving in response to shifting buyer expectations and the growing need for more value-based models. While subscription and platform-based models remain common, we’re seeing increased adoption of hybrid pricing models – a trend that’s even more prominent among AI-Native companies. We expect more pricing experimentation as cost-to-serve comes into focus and companies start to build better telemetry around AI usage and ROI.
Key Takeaways:
- Faster-growing Non-AI-Native companies have less headcount dedicated to traditional Post-Sales roles (~23%) while AI-Native companies have more (~31-34%)
- Around one-third of companies now use hybrid pricing models, particularly among AI-Native businesses
- Revenue from channel sales remains stable, accounting for ~20% of total revenue on average
AI Implementation: Driving GTM Efficiency and Productivity
AI has quickly moved from experimentation to operational necessity across many GTM organizations. Roughly 70% of companies report at least moderate AI adoption in their GTM workflows, with full adoption even more prevalent among high-growth companies.
Today, AI’s most widespread impact is in top- and mid-funnel activities. Lead generation, automated content creation, and meeting transcription and analysis are among the most commonly adopted use cases. Those with robust AI integration across GTM teams are already seeing the payoff. They are materially outperforming their peers via gains in sales efficiency and team productivity (as reflected in leaner teams).
Key Takeaways:
- 70% of companies report moderate or full AI adoption, with top use cases including: meeting transcription, lead generation, and content creation
- High AI adopters are seeing greater sales funnel conversion rates and meaningful efficiency gains, especially among companies with <$25M ARR
- Primary AI implementation challenges include tool costs, scaling deployments, and privacy/security concerns
As AI reshapes the go-to-market landscape, we believe companies that embrace AI-driven strategies and operations will be best positioned for accelerated growth and efficiency gains. Staying agile and proactively addressing AI integration challenges can differentiate market leaders from followers, making 2025 a pivotal year for GTM innovation and transformation.