18.11.2024 Marketing and PR
Artificial Intelligence in B2B Sales. Forrester's Predictions for 2025
BARD

Forrester Research’s report, Predictions 2025, emphasizes that companies’ main goal will be to draw valuable insights from previous trial and error to accelerate long-term growth.
Pressure for Quick ROI on AI Investments
Generative AI market leaders recognize the need for a strategic approach to managing AI investments.
- In 2024, 49% of AI decision-makers in the U.S. expected a return on AI investments within one to three years,
- while 44% anticipated ROI within three to five years.
This pressure for rapid returns often leads enterprises to prematurely scale back investments. Forrester suggests that instead of focusing solely on quick returns, AI leaders should create a balanced plan that leverages company-specific data and unique expertise to maximize both short- and long-term gains.
Reorganizing Marketing and Sales Structures
Forrester also highlights the importance of reorganizing organizational structures, especially in marketing and sales, where only 12% of marketing leaders consider current structures effective for achieving revenue goals. Meanwhile, just 7% believe their teams possess the necessary competencies, making reorganization a vital part of strategic plans for 2025.
However, rather than limiting changes to surface-level adjustments, Forrester encourages companies to pursue fundamental transformations, such as adapting strategies to customer needs and optimizing revenue processes.
Examples of steps companies are taking:
- Moving partner ecosystem marketing directly under the CMO.
- Rotating revenue development reps between sales and marketing.
- Integrating revenue operations under a unified “go-to-market” title.
The Role of Value Networks in Younger Generations’ Buying Process
Millennials and Generation Z are beginning to dominate the B2B buying market, influencing how purchasing decisions are made. Forrester’s study shows that in 2024:
- 30% of younger buyers engaged 10 or more people outside the organization in decision-making,
- with this figure expected to rise above 50% by 2025.
Modern buyers rely on external sources, such as social media and industry networks, prompting B2B marketers to develop capabilities to collaborate with external influencers.
Shift to Digital Sales Channels
Shifts in purchasing preferences, especially among younger generations, are leading to the rise of self-service sales channels. In 2024, 52% of large B2B purchases (worth over $1 million) occurred directly through sales representatives.
However, Forrester predicts that by 2025, more than half of such transactions will take place through self-service channels, such as vendor websites or sales platforms. This shift requires sales teams to serve as advisors, helping clients make informed decisions.
Changes in purchasing preferences:
- Increase in self-service B2B transactions worth over $1 million.
- Sales representatives serve as advisors rather than transaction managers.
Declining Interest in Product-Led Growth (PLG) Strategy
Forrester’s findings show that Product-Led Growth (PLG) remains a priority for 25% of marketing decision-makers. Although PLG generates higher revenue and lower customer acquisition costs, market volatility and budget constraints are reducing interest in this strategy.
In 2025, the percentage of companies using PLG is expected to fall below 20%, as businesses redirect resources to generative artificial intelligence.
The full Forrester report "Predictions 2025: B2B Marketing & Sales" is available at:
https://www.forrester.com/predictions/b2b-2025/
COMMERCIAL BREAK
New articles in section Marketing and PR
Online advertising 2024/2025 report by IAB Poland
KFi
Online ads now consume 57% of all budgets. Companies spent 1.62 billion PLN on video formats alone. After leaner years, the numbers are rising sharply. Digital advertising grew by 20% in a year. Traditional formats are slowly fading.
Trends and threats in online advertising. Media Quality Report 2025
Krzysztof Fiedorek
In 2024, the digital advertising world lost about 100 billion dollars due to fake impressions. A report published by Integral Ad Science shows that so-called fraud is getting smarter, and campaigns are increasingly exposed.
SEO and AI in Polish e-commerce 2025. Harbingers analysts’ report
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Although 44.56% of e-commerce traffic comes from organic results, over half of online stores are not seeing growth. The biggest surprise? A staggering 9.5 million monthly visits lost due to dead content. On top of that, 38% of companies still don’t appear in AI-generated answers - a new and growing source of visibility.
See articles on a similar topic:
Costs of link building are way overestimated. A major analysis by Adsy
Krzysztof Fiedorek
A guest post for $45? Or maybe $4595? Price differences reach up to 100x, and the market is full of absurdity: sellers demand fortunes, buyers pay a fraction. The beauty industry costs less than literature, and Ireland beats the US hands down. Analysts at Adsy have taken a deep dive into the SEO trade.
Large Online Ads vs. AdBlock. Poland Leads in Both Metrics
BARD
Large-format online ads make up 14% of Poland's online market, according to analyses by Gemius. This is the highest percentage among all surveyed markets. Paired with data on the rising popularity of ad-blocking - done by one-third of Polish internet users - it raises questions about the future of these ads.
A Socially Responsible Company. This Image Pays Off
RINF
Poles and Spaniards are the most likely in Europe to buy from socially responsible companies, according to the Global State of the Consumer Tracker report, developed in late June by Deloitte’s consulting experts.
Poles do not forgive brands' mistakes. Armatis Customer Experience Index
Krzysztof Fiedorek
As many as 57.2% of Poles are willing to abandon a brand after one bad customer service experience. This result is similar to what was noted in the United States. Every third Polish customer prefers phone contact with a consultant, though over 13 percent now prefer chat.