SaaStr Annual 2024: How to Adapt Your Go-to-Market to Win in the Age of AI with G2

While the promise of AI is encouraging software buyers to open up their wallets, the ability to win and retain those software budgets is becoming more challenging. B2B buyers’ expectations for fast ROI is heightened, their buying cycles have increased, and investments are being scrutinized more closely by executive leadership. In this session, learn how SaaS companies can adapt the way they go to market, catering to the modern buyer’s needs to win in today’s software economy.

1. How to Adapt Your Go-to-Market to Win in the Age of AI Sydney Sloan CMO G2

2. Software buying behavior is changing …

3. The promise of AI is dictating new purchases The ability to win limited software budgets is more challenging than ever Expectations for fast ROI are heightened 1. 2. 3.

4. The promise of AI is dictating new purchases

5. Source: G2 Buyer Behavior Report, 2024 Good news: over half of software buyers are gearing up to spend more on software in 2025 52% 42% 42%

6. 77 % Believe software companies have genuinely advanced AI technology in their products beyond merely capitalizing on the AI hype 56 % Buyers said their organization had purchased an AI platform within the last 3 months (as of March 2024) What’s fueling this spend? AI Source: G2 Buyer Behavior Report, 2024

7. Sales & marketing to see greatest gains from genAI Source: McKinsey, Cloud Ratings + SaaSletter Added value in billions of U.S. dollars estimated by potential productivity lift Sales + Marketing Software Engineering Customer Operations Supply Chain + Operations Product R+ D Risk + Legal Strategy + Finance Talent + Organization Corporate IT $ 980 $45 $890 $405 $325 $220 $190 $75 $405

8. AI will be a game-changer for sales teams 75 % of enterprise tech buyers are looking to implement AI-powered copilots** Sources: *Salesforce’s July 2024 “State of Sales” Report; **Battery’s “State of Enterprise Tech Spending” 81 % of sales teams are either experimenting with or have fully implemented AI* 70 % of sales reps’ time is spent on non-selling tasks*

9. How can sales teams can leverage AI? Source: Salesforce’s July 2024 “State of Sales” Report How reps spend an average workweek 30% Selling 70% Non-selling 12% Meeting in-person with customers 9% Connecting virtually with customers 8% Prospecting 9% Researching prospects 10% Generating quotes / proposals and gaining approvals 8% Downtime 8% Prioritizing leads / opportunities 9% Administrative tasks 9% Manually entering customer & sales info 9% Internal meetings and trainings

10. With surge of AI sales assistants, co-pilots are the new SDRs

11. Marketers not embracing AI will be left behind Source: On24’s “The State of AI in B2B Marketing in 2024” 84 % are planning to integrate AI this year 87 % of B2B marketers are using or testing AI in their marketing today 7x Those using AI are seven times more likely to exceed goals than miss them

12. Promotional content development is #1 AI use case for B2B marketers How marketers are using AI in their work today Source: On24’s “The State of AI in B2B Marketing in 2024” Promotional content development Analytics & measurement Content development Audience segmentation Webinars & virtual events Physical events Other 59% 49% 47% 45% 18% 3% 63%

13. Communicate & differentiate your AI value How Grammarly stands out among 488 AI Writing Assistants

14. 2) The ability to win limited software budgets is more challenging than ever

15. Shortlists are shrinking Sources: G2 Buyer Behavior Reports 2024 & 2023 1-3 products 4-7 products 31% 45% 49% 33% 2023 2024 +16pp YoY -14pp YoY

16. Buying cycles are getting longer Source: G2 Buyer Behavior Report, 2024 49% of buyers took 4+ months to make a purchase decision on a $20,000+ piece of software — up from 41% last year.

17. Investments are being scrutinized more closely by executive leadership Source: G2 Buyer Behavior Report, 2024 % of buyers who say each group has final software purchase decision-making power IT dept. -12pp YoY C-suite + 14pp YoY

18. Engage C-suite buyers with persona-based messaging READ THE EBOOK For CFOs, It’s Accrual World Get more ROI from the same sales & marketing spend. (but it doesn’t have to be)

19. 3) Expectations for fast ROI are heightened

20. Sources: *G2 2024 Buyer Behavior Report, **G2 reviewer data The gap between ROI expectations & reality 78 % of buyers expect to see ROI within 6 months of purchase* Expectation 44 % indicate actually seeing ROI within 6 months** Reality

21. Expectations rise even more when it comes to AI-powered products.

22. Deliver on fast ROI, especially for AI tools Digital Adoption Platforms

23. Takeaways

24. AI is driving new purchases Ability to win budgets is becoming more challenging Expectations for fast ROI are heightened communicate & differentiate your AI value engage economic buyers in the C-suite deliver value quickly through in product experiences 1. 2. 3. 3 steps to adapt your GTM to win in the age of AI

25. THANK YOU!

26. UP NEXT: The Power of Story: Building a Business People Believe In Siqi Chen CEO & Founder Runway