A year ago, most GTM teams were still running AI as an experiment. In 2025, only 24% said it had a big impact, and 22% said it had none.
That story just flipped. The 2026 State of B2B GTM Report from Kyle Poyar and Maja Voje, published October 14, 2026 from a September survey of 300 B2B software and AI companies, finds 43% of GTM teams now report a big impact from AI. Only 4% report no impact at all.
This B2Bcentr report shows which sample produced the 43%, how founder-led sales quietly became the #1 primary motion at 26%, which channels actually pay off, and why Claude replaced ChatGPT as the most impactful GTM tool. It sits next to B2Bcentr's AE quota attainment and sales cycle length benchmarks as the GTM-operating-system companion piece.
Key Takeaways
- 43% of GTM teams report big AI impact, up from 24%.
- Founder-led sales is the #1 primary motion at 26%.
- Network and intros stay core for 62% of teams.
- AI search is a core channel for 39%, up 11 points.
- Claude is the #1 most impactful GTM tool in 2026.
Which sample produced the 43%
Primary source: 2026 State of B2B GTM Report by Kyle Poyar (Growth Unhinged) and Maja Voje (GTM Strategist). The survey ran in September 2026. The write-ups and free 41-page report landed on October 14, 2026.
The panel, per the 2026 State of B2B GTM Report, is 300 B2B software and AI companies. Product mix: AI-native 25%, SaaS 20%, SaaS-plus-AI hybrids 33%. ARR band: under $1M 32%, $1-10M 35%, $10-50M 18%, above $50M 16%. Deal size: $5-50k ACV for 49% of respondents, under $5k for 21%, above $50k for 30%.
A typical respondent, per Poyar's summary, sat at $1-10M ARR with a $5-50k average contract value, based in the United States, selling a hybrid of SaaS and AI. SaaS-only share fell from 41% last year, so the 2026 file is more AI-heavy than the 2025 edition.
| Cut | 2026 | 2025 (prior wave) |
|---|---|---|
| Big AI impact on GTM | 43% | 24% |
| No AI impact | 4% | 22% |
| Little to no impact (combined) | 28% | 53% |
| Sample size | 300 companies | Prior annual State of B2B GTM wave |
Source: 2026 State of B2B GTM Report (Kyle Poyar x Maja Voje; N=300; surveyed Sept 2026; published Oct 14, 2026). Narrative: Growth Unhinged and GTM Strategist.
Why "AI still doesn't move GTM" is the wrong baseline
The folklore line in 2025 was that AI helped with drafts and research but rarely showed up in pipeline. The prior wave supported that story: 24% big impact, 22% none, and more than half of teams still stuck in limited or no-impact territory.
The 2026 file flips the distribution. Voje reports little-to-no impact fell from 53% to 28%. One respondent described agents that "manage most of the execution" of work that would take 5-10 people. Another set the limit: AI is used for everything, yet no AI consistently generates SQLs. Both can be true in the same org.
B2Bcentr's read: treat 43% as proof that AI ROI showed up for a plurality of GTM teams, not as a license to claim every AI SDR is working. The same report still parks agentic campaigns and cold outreach in the oversaturated or figuring-it-out boxes.
Founder-led sales is the #1 primary motion at 26%
The second surprise sits next to the AI number. The survey added founder-led sales as a seventh primary GTM motion this year. It went straight to the top: 26% of companies named it as their primary motion, ahead of inbound (19%), outbound (18%), partners (11%), account-based (10%), product-led growth (9%), and paid digital (7%).
| Primary GTM motion | Share of companies |
|---|---|
| Founder-led sales | 26% |
| Inbound | 19% |
| Outbound | 18% |
| Partners | 11% |
| Account-based | 10% |
| Product-led growth (PLG) | 9% |
| Paid digital | 7% |
Source: 2026 State of B2B GTM Report write-up (N=300).
It is not only a seed-stage artifact. Under $1M ARR, founder-led hits 44%. Between $1-10M ARR it still holds 26%, basically tied with inbound at 28%. Poyar notes it even persists into the $10-50M band before finally fading.
Deal size still shapes the rest of the stack, per Voje's breakdown. Under $5k ACV, PLG leads at 35%. Between $5k and $50k, inbound leads at 31%. Above $50k, outbound leads at 31%. The folklore that PLG or inbound already replaced founders is wrong for most of this panel.
The channel scorecard: network wins, cold outreach is oversaturated
The average company now runs 5.5 core GTM channels, up from 5 last year. The most common cores, per Poyar, are network and introductions (62%), SEO (51%), and LinkedIn posting by founders and employees (50%).
Popular is not the same as effective. The report's two-by-two puts network and intros, intimate events, AI search, SEO, and LinkedIn posting in the tried-and-true box. Signal-based outbound and ecosystem partnerships sit in the next-big-thing box. Digital ads and cold outreach land in oversaturated. Agentic campaigns sit at the bottom of figuring it out.
That is the barbell Poyar names explicitly: win with relationships or win with AI. The mushy middle of more cold volume loses.
If your outbound reply rates already look soft, put this next to B2Bcentr's cold email reply rate benchmarks. The channel scorecard and the reply-rate file are telling the same story from two angles.
AI search is now a core channel for 39% of teams
AI search (answer-engine visibility) moved from experiment to core. 39% of companies now call it a core channel, up 11 points year over year, the biggest adoption jump of any channel in the file. From $1M ARR up, AI search, signals, and intimate events form the same top-3 investment bet for 2027.
Under $5k ACV, the report finds paid ads still lead top-3 mentions at 42%, and AI search (35%) passed SEO (34%). Above $50k ACV, network and intros (51%) and intimate events (42%) still dominate. Large conferences fell 13 points overall, the biggest drop of any channel measured in both years.
B2Bcentr's take on measurement: treat AI search as a brand-plus-demand KPI, not as another SEO checklist. The report itself warns not to treat it like a regular growth channel once it enters the mainstream.
Claude is the #1 most impactful GTM tool. ChatGPT fell to #4
Last year ChatGPT dominated the impact ranking. This year Claude is #1, mentioned by 110 survey participants, more than three times the next closest vendor, per Poyar. Clay is #2 and HubSpot is #3. ChatGPT dropped to #4. Salesforce, Codex, and Lovable entered the top 10. Notion, 6sense, and n8n dropped out.
Claude Code is the most popular Claude product in the answers, which means GTM teams are getting more technical, not just prompting chat UIs. For a practical operator view of that stack, see B2Bcentr's guide to using Claude for B2B sales.
The must-try list turned over even faster: 7 of the top 10 must-try tools were not on last year's list. Stayers were only Clay, Apollo, and Lovable. That churn is the point. Locking the whole GTM OS into one vendor mode is a risk when half the shortlist refreshes every year.
| Signal | Share acting on it |
|---|---|
| Content engagement | 52% |
| Website visits | 42% |
| Product usage | 40% |
| Social activity | 30% |
| Champion movements | 28% |
| Hiring activity | 25% |
| Leadership changes | 24% |
| Company events | 17% |
| Tech changes | 14% |
Source: What's working in B2B GTM in 2026 (Kyle Poyar on the State of B2B GTM survey, N=300).
Signals are hot and still messy, per Poyar. First-party signals dominate action. Third-party intent lags except at larger companies. Pair that with hiring plans: growth marketing is the #1 priority hire at every size, and above $10M ARR the GTM engineer (14%) is now tied with the account executive for second place.
B2Bcentr's take
Who this benchmark doesn't work for
Late-stage PLG companies above $50M ARR already look different in the report: inbound, outbound, and PLG share the lead once founder-led fades. Do not force a 26% founder-led headline onto a motion that has already productized acquisition.
Enterprise only-outbound teams selling seven-figure deals will also overweight the ACV>$50k cuts in Voje's motion table (outbound 31%, inbound 24%, ABM 19%) rather than the blended primary-motion table.
The panel is self-selected newsletter and community respondents, not a census of all B2B software. It skews United States-heavy, mid-market, and AI-curious. Use it as a planning prior, then measure your own AI impact, motion mix, and channel ROI in the CRM.
What to do Monday
- Score every live AI GTM workflow as big, some, limited, or none impact, using the report's labels.
- Name your true primary motion. If it is still founder-led past $1M ARR, pick the seed motion that replaces it.
- Cut one oversaturated channel (usually cold volume or undifferentiated paid) before adding a new tool.
- Make AI search a measured KPI with owners in content, product marketing, and growth.
- Put Claude Code or an equivalent context layer on the GTM eng shortlist, not only a chat seat.
AI impact tells you whether the stack is paying off. Quota tells you whether the people are. Read them together.
FAQ
What share of B2B GTM teams see a big impact from AI in 2026?
43%, up from 24% a year earlier, per the 2026 State of B2B GTM Report (N=300 companies, surveyed September 2026, published October 14).
What is the most common primary B2B GTM motion in 2026?
Founder-led sales at 26%, ahead of inbound at 19% and outbound at 18%, according to Maja Voje's write-up of the same 300-company survey.
Which GTM channel do most B2B teams still call core?
Network and introductions. Kyle Poyar reports 62% of teams say it is core to their growth, the highest of any channel in the scorecard.
How many companies treat AI search as a core GTM channel?
39%, up 11 points year over year, the largest adoption jump in the 2026 State of B2B GTM channel set.
Which tool is the most impactful for GTM teams in 2026?
Claude. It ranked #1 for impact, mentioned by 110 participants, more than 3x the next vendor, per Poyar's analysis. ChatGPT fell to #4.
Are cold outreach and AI SDRs working in 2026?
Not as a core bet. The report places cold outreach in the oversaturated box and agentic campaigns in figuring it out. Pair that with B2Bcentr's cold email reply rate and win rate benchmarks before buying more volume.
When was the 2026 State of B2B GTM Report released?
October 14, 2026, from a survey fielded in September 2026. Free report hub: stateofb2bgtm.com.
Primary source: 2026 State of B2B GTM Report by Kyle Poyar and Maja Voje (N=300; surveyed September 2026; published October 14, 2026). Narratives: Growth Unhinged and GTM Strategist.