The Era of Ai and Buyer Led GTM | Santosh Sharan | S3:E12

The Evolution of GTM: From Relationship-Driven Sales to AI-Driven Intelligence:

Over the past 15 years, sales has evolved from a relationship-based model to a data-driven, automated approach. Santosh shares how he witnessed this transformation firsthand while working with ZoomInfo and Apollo, helping sales teams leverage real-time data and automation.

“We went from a world where data was scarce to a world where we have too much data. The challenge now is filtering through the noise.”

While automation initially helped sales teams become more efficient, it has now reached a breaking point—buyers are bombarded with outreach, and response rates are plummeting.

The Sales Saturation Problem: Why Traditional GTM is Breaking Down:

Sales teams today have more data and automation than ever before, yet 79% of reps are missing their quota (Epsta research, 2024). Why?

1: Too many sellers, not enough buyers – Thousands of companies are sending millions of outreach messages daily.
2: Buyers are overloaded – 20+ calls and 100+ emails a day have made outreach ineffective.
3: Trust is declining – With so much noise, buyers no longer believe in vendor-driven messaging.

“We’ve reached a saturation point where the traditional GTM model no longer works. More outreach doesn’t mean more results.”

This shift has opened the door for buyer-led GTM—a strategy where buyers drive the process and sellers must earn trust to gain engagement.

The Rise of Buyer-Led GTM: Flipping the Traditional Sales Model:

So, what is buyer-led GTM, and how does it differ from the seller-led model we’ve relied on for decades?

Traditional Seller-Led GTM:

• Sales reps blast emails, calls, and LinkedIn messages
• Buyers get flooded with unsolicited outreach
• 95% of buyers aren’t ready to purchase—but they’re still getting pitched

The New Buyer-Led GTM:

• Buyers raise their hand when they are actively looking
• They conduct their own research instead of relying on vendor messaging
• Sellers earn trust through valuable, unbiased content and partnerships

“The best GTM strategies will be led by buyers. Companies that help buyers research, evaluate, and make decisions confidently will win.”

Santosh explains how AI-powered buyer research tools will replace traditional lead-gen tactics, ensuring buyers get the insights they need without spammy outreach.

AI-Powered Agents: The Future of GTM is Automated & Intelligent:

As AI advances, agents will begin replacing manual outreach and traditional sales reps. Santosh predicts that:

• AI agents will replace SDR outreach – Instead of cold emails, AI will handle buyer engagement
• Buyers will use AI for vendor research – They’ll get real-time, unbiased insights before making decisions
• Seller & buyer agents will negotiate deals – AI-powered assistants will interact to simplify transactions

“In the future, buyers will have their own AI agents, and sellers will have their own AI agents. These agents will interact, eliminating the need for mass outreach.”

The implication? Sales teams must adapt now. Companies that don’t integrate AI-driven research into their GTM strategies will struggle to compete.

Learn more at www.forceandfrictionpodcast.com