Forrester says AI is upending B2B go-to-market models

Forrester has published research arguing that traditional B2B go-to-market models are breaking down as AI-enabled buying shifts control of the purchasing journey.

Many B2B companies still rely on mass email campaigns, marketing-qualified lead targets, gated content and siloed teams, even as buyers increasingly use answer engines and AI agents to search for and assess suppliers.

Forrester describes this shift as a "GTM singularity", where the mechanisms that once helped vendors steer the sales process are losing influence. Buyers and software agents are taking a larger role in how information is surfaced, compared and acted on.

The findings suggest a broader rethink for marketing, sales, product and customer success teams. Rather than operating as separate functions with their own targets, businesses need a more joined-up model tied to customer outcomes.

ARC model

Forrester sets out what it calls an ARC approach, short for augmented, resilient and collaborative. In practice, that means treating AI agents as part of the go-to-market workforce, adapting more quickly to shifts in buyer behaviour, and creating a shared view of prospects and customers across departments.

On augmentation, the report says companies need to account for both human buyers and machine intermediaries. Content should be designed so people, buyer agents and answer engines can all find and use it, reflecting a buying process in which software increasingly filters and presents information before a salesperson becomes involved.

In Forrester's view, resilience requires companies to move away from static annual planning cycles. The pace of change in buyer behaviour means businesses must revisit go-to-market decisions more frequently and anchor them in customer needs rather than internal routines.

Collaboration is the third requirement. Sales, marketing, product and customer success teams often still operate independently, making it harder to respond to complex buying groups and maintain a consistent view of the customer.

Metrics shift

The research also argues that companies should move away from long-established performance measures centred on engagement. It recommends a "return on objective" model, or ROO, which links measurement more directly to customer goals and business impact.

The concern is that common indicators such as clicks, opens and lead volumes no longer provide a reliable picture of commercial performance when AI systems may mediate discovery and early evaluation. In that environment, a buyer may make substantial progress towards a decision before appearing in conventional demand-generation data.

Forrester also argues that businesses should build preference earlier in the buying process. The distinction between brand activity and demand generation is becoming less useful as vendor perception influences both new purchasing decisions and retention.

Another theme in the research is the role of human workers alongside AI. While software agents are taking on more tasks associated with research, reasoning and interaction, human staff remain central. Companies should focus on giving AI a defined role within workflows rather than treating it simply as an automation layer.

Dave Frankland, event host, vice president and research director at Forrester, said the changes amounted to a significant adjustment for B2B leaders.

"The GTM singularity is a reckoning for B2B leaders - forcing them to rethink their mandate entirely, including how they market, sell, and deliver their offerings to buyers to maximize customer value and drive business growth," Frankland said.

He added that the shift would require companies to abandon familiar habits and redesign how teams work together.

"The impact of the GTM singularity will be seismic, requiring B2B firms to let go of entrenched practices and establish new ways of working. But it is also an opportunity for B2B leaders to rethink how they establish trust and build relationships with their prospects, clients, and beyond," he said.