Agentic AI is Here…How Smart Leaders Are Getting Ahead
Author: Jason Robinson, jason@revenueinsights.org
Last week at Gartner’s Sales Symposium with over 1000 of the world’s most progressive revenue leaders. The majority of them expressed two ideas - commitment to and anxiety around AI.
Gartner dropped a bomb: if your sales org isn’t actively building toward an Agentic AI model, you're on track to become irrelevant in the next 24 months.
And here’s the kicker. Most sales leaders couldn’t even define what an “AI Agent” actually is.
So instead of feeding into the hype, I’ve distilled the noise into what really matters. These are the 10 moves the most forward-thinking sales orgs are making right now. No fluff. Just the straight playbook. Let’s get into it:
1. This Isn’t a Tech Stack War. It’s an Agent Stack War.
Forget everything you thought you knew about "tech stack optimization."
AI Agents are the new competitive layer. Salesloft claims they’ve already deployed 26 different agents. Gong, Clari, Outreach, Seismic…they’re all building the same ones: forecasting agents, coaching agents, account planning agents. And it’s feeling a lot like the Sales Tech arms race of the last decade…just with way more bloat.
But the winners won’t be the ones who adopt first. They’ll be the ones who build differently. Strategically. With intent. Your advantage won’t come from being early. It’ll come from being better.
2. Most Sales Teams Are Racing Into AI for the Wrong Reason
Gartner research showed that 87% of sales leaders feel pressure to “implement AI.” But only 10% are actually focused on tangible outcomes. The rest are just chasing headlines.
You don’t win by having the longest list of AI tools. You win by creating real leverage for reps and for buyers. AI needs to serve your GTM motion, not complicate it. Skip the FOMO race. Get focused on impact.
3. Buyers Aren’t Avoiding Salespeople. They’re Avoiding BS.
There’s a stat everyone loves to quote: “43% of buyers prefer a rep-free experience.” The real number is now 64%.
But let’s be clear. This isn’t the “death of sales.” It’s the death of friction-filled, outdated sales.
Buyers don’t hate people. They hate being sold to the old way. The best-performing orgs are building hybrid models: Digital-Augmented Sellers + Buyer Enablement Tools. These reps are advisors, not pushers—and they’re thriving.
4. The Real AI Battleground? Buyer Enablement.
AI isn’t just about making sellers faster. It’s about making buying easier.
The most strategic GTM teams are flipping the script. Instead of asking, “How do we close more deals faster?” they’re asking, “How do we help buyers make confident decisions faster?”
This shift is massive. Expect Digital Sales Rooms and buyer-facing AI to become the center of gravity in B2B sales. The innovation won’t come from tools that help you sell better. It’ll come from tools that help buyers buy better.
5. Sales Skills Are Being Rewritten Now.
Gartner says that by 2027, the core skillset of a seller will be radically different. We’re already seeing the early signals.
The new must-haves?
Growth mindset (AI is evolving weekly and so should your team)
Creativity (knowing how to use AI in unconventional, powerful ways)
Ability to co-pilot AI (not just use it, but lead it)
Only 6% of job descriptions today mention anything AI-related. That gap? It’s a massive opportunity.
6. Top Performers Will Be AI-Accountable
Most sales leaders today still treat AI like an experiment. But in two years, it’ll be an expectation.
If you're not able to say:
"Here’s how I reduced selling time by 30% using AI"
you’re not just behind—you’re out of the running for the next role.
The career move isn't just being AI-aware. It’s being AI-accountable.
7. Skepticism Is Still the Default…And That’s a Problem
One of the most common questions I heard at the event:
“But does AI actually help reps sell more?”
Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: Not if you treat it like a shiny toy.
AI isn’t another tool to slot into your tech stack. It’s a teammate. It’s a strategic layer that can drive rep productivity, reduce ramp time, and create consistency across the funnel. The quality is there. But you’ve got to be ready to adopt with purpose—not just experiment at the edges.
8. Bad Inputs = Bad AI. And Most Inputs Are Terrible.
Organizations are jumping to expecting outcomes before they have their house in order. That means the fundamentals - ICP, Persona, Process, Data. And clarity on how to give AI the context it needs to do its work!
AI is only as good as the instructions it’s given. And guess who’s best positioned to give those instructions? Sales leadership. Not RevOps. Not IT. YOU.
You can’t outsource this. To get high-leverage AI outputs, sales leaders need to own the prompt, the process, and the path forward.
9. Agent-Ready Orgs Will Outperform Everyone
AI isn’t replacing sellers. Not anytime soon. But the orgs that integrate AI deeply, across people, process, and training, will pull ahead.
Agentic Orgs don’t just use AI. They operate with it. They’ve got the data discipline, seller enablement, and accountability mechanisms in place to unlock the full upside.
And that’s where the real performance delta will come from.
10. This Window Won’t Stay Open Long
We’re in a rare moment. An inflection point.
For the next 2–3 years, there’s massive white space to differentiate, disrupt, and drive real value. But that window is already starting to close.
The orgs who win? They’ll learn fast. Move faster. And build for buyers, not for buzz.
Want help building an Agentic Sales Org?
This is what I do. Let’s talk.
