How are shifting buyer behaviors and AI reshaping B2B go-to-market strategies? What happens when companies fail to adapt? In this Go-to-Market Spotlight episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson talks with Kerry Cunningham, Head of Research and Thought Leadership at 6Sense, about the realities of modern B2B buying. With decades of experience, Kerry breaks down how outdated outbound tactics give way to smarter, signal-driven approaches, why "intent data" is often misunderstood as mere interest signals, and how AI is prompting buyers to engage sellers earlier without extending overall cycles. They explore alignment pitfalls, the dangers of "folklore debt" in scaling, and practical ways for CEOs to drive buyer-focused transformations that boost efficiency and trust between teams.

Key Takeaways:

• Shift from cold outbound to signal-based targeting for better results. Identify in-market accounts through interest signals first, then use marketing to drive engagement before involving sales, transforming team productivity and relationships.
• Treat intent data as interest signals, not guaranteed buying intent. Avoid chasing short-lived spikes by contextualizing signals with sustained activity and engagement history to prevent sales frustration and false positives.
• Align sales, marketing, and customer success around buyer journeys, not just internal processes. Prioritizing how buyers actually research and decide creates more effective go-to-market motions than inward-focused calibrations.
• Adapt to AI's impact on buying cycles by engaging earlier. With buyers evaluating unfamiliar AI components, prepare for longer sales interactions while recognizing that overall decision timelines and preferences often remain unchanged.
• Evolve storytelling as your company scales to avoid folklore debt. Celebrate past successes but actively replace outdated narratives about "how we win" with new ones that support growth, freeing teams from limiting tactics.

Quote of the Show:

• “We acquire debt from the stories that we tell ourselves about how we become successful. The stories about how we won in the past often are not the stories that will help us win in the future.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrycunningham/ 
• Website: http://www.6sense.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change 
• iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  

This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency. 

Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com