IDC FutureScape: Worldwide B2B Sales Leadership 2025 Predictions

IDC FutureScape Figure

• Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide B2B Sales Leadership 2025 Top 10 Predictions

Executive Summary

IDC FutureScape Predictions

• Summary of External Drivers

• Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

• Prediction 1: By 2027, 60% of All G500 Organizations Will Use AI to Significantly Enhance Lead Scoring and Pipeline Management by Analyzing Customer Data and Behavior Patterns with Greater Precision

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 2: By 2028, 30% of F500 Will Utilize AI to Create Personalized Sales Quotas That Are Precisely Aligned with Each Salesperson's Potential and Market Conditions

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 3: To Drive Increased Sales of Service Product Offerings, 65% of G500 Organizations Will Introduce Dashboards, Gamification, and New KPI Specific to Aftermarket Services by 2027

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 4: By the End of 2025, 75% of G1000 Companies Will Mandate Sales Teams Communicate with Customer Service and Aftermarket Service Leaders in Advance of Renewal Discussions to Align Value Proposition

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 5: By 2027, 63% of G2000 Companies Will Reduce CRM Spending, Opting for More Advanced Data Tools (CDPs and Data Lakes), Diverse Sources (Third-Party Signals and ID Resolution), and AI-Powered Interfaces

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 6: By 2029, AI-Driven Automation Will Empower 52% of G2000 Companies to Adopt Immersive Technologies to Reimagine Customer Engagement and Foster Deeper Connections

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 7: By 2027, Bidirectional GenAI Will Push 80% of F500 to Create Bifurcated Sales Journeys Based on Whether They Are Interacting with a Human or a Bot Deployed by a Buyer

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 8: By 2028, 50%+ of the CPQ Market Will Be Dominated by Much Larger RLM Offerings That Are Designed for Easier Integration, Data Management, and GenAI-Enabled Automations

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 9: By 2026, 50% of Enterprises Will Have Assimilated Data for Account-Level Transparency Enabling Contact Center and Sales to Remain Specialists in Their Function But Maintain a Life-Cycle Perspective

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 10: By 2028, 25% of Customer Service Agents Will Have Evolved into the Role of Concierge to Customers, Bridging the Gap Between Quota Earning Roles, Sales and Customer Success, and Pure Service

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

Advice for Technology Buyers

External Drivers: Detail

• AI-Driven Business Models — Moving from AI Experimentation to Monetization

• The Drive to Automate — Toward a Data-Driven Future

• AI-Driven Workplace Transformation — Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today

• Responsible and Human-Centric Technology — Ethics in the Enterprise

• Battling Against Technical Debt — Overcoming Hurdles to IT Modernization

• Customer Experience Squared — Consumer and Citizen Expectations for Digital Services

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• Related Research