If you’ve ever felt the boardroom’s optimism collide with the grind of the field, this conversation will sound familiar. We unpack fresh pulse data from roughly 175 people across sales, marketing, and customer success to reveal why executives say growth is up while sellers feel squeezed, and how AI is changing workflows in ways that actually stick.

We start with the split: leaders reading future indicators versus sellers living inside over-assigned quotas. That gap shows up again when we compare small versus large organizations—lean teams use AI and streamlined processes to move faster, while big orgs wrestle with process debt. From there, we break down what each group truly values. Sellers overwhelmingly want sales effectiveness and coaching. Strategy, ops, and enablement prioritize planning. Executives talk about alignment, yet budget and focus often drift toward tech and planning instead of shared execution.

AI’s real impact is clear and refreshingly practical. Preparation and planning top the list of wins, with sellers relying on AI for research, account intelligence, and meeting prep. Forecasting and planning tools are finally making inroads with leadership as embedded capabilities improve. What’s missing is as telling as what’s working: despite vendor hype, AI-led lead prioritization isn’t trusted or adopted at scale. We explore why that trust gap persists and outline a path to pilot prioritization with tight feedback loops, measurable outcomes, and seller input.

We also map the tooling landscape and why “revenue orchestration” is becoming the seller’s workspace. Gong, Glean, and Clay surface repeatedly for their data-first approaches, focused agents, and top-of-funnel innovation. You’ll hear concrete use cases—contact enrichment, deep research, role play and coaching—that cut ramp time and lift conversions without adding bloat. By the end, you’ll have a playbook: align on one funnel and forecast, fund effectiveness at the frontline, measure AI by outcomes not demos, and build an operating rhythm that forces shared truth. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a quick review to help others find it.