New Highspot Study Finds AI is Failing Sales Teams

“AI Leapers” emerge as organizations stuck between ambition and execution; only 28% say AI is improving performance

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New global research from Highspot, the leading agentic platform for go-to-market (GTM) performance, reveals a deepening crisis in sales and revenue teams. Released today, The Go-To-Market Performance Gap Report finds that while AI adoption is accelerating, there are widespread breakdowns in execution, effectiveness, and alignment — especially among “AI Leapers,” organizations that lack the systems to turn insight into action. Read the full report. Key findings include:

• Only 28% say AI is improving revenue-driving sales performance, despite surging adoption
• 96% of leaders report strain from shifting priorities and stalled deals
• 80% report burnout, stress, or regretted attrition among their teams, but fewer than one in four companies are investing in enablement or alignment systems proven to reduce friction

“Our new research reveals how organizations are stuck between strategy and execution when it comes to AI and sales enablement,” said Robert Wahbe, CEO of Highspot. “These ambitious ‘AI Leapers’ have invested in AI tools but lack the systems to act with precision. The truth is AI only works when it’s aligned with people, process, and performance. Otherwise, you’re flying blind and burning out your teams in the process.”

Three ways top teams are closing the gap

The report highlights how high-performing companies are driving real outcomes with clearer structure, smarter systems, and practical use of AI:

• Define success in operational terms. These teams align on specific outcomes, shared metrics, and consistent operating rhythms – not just strategy slides or campaign goals. At CRIF, this translated into a 26% increase in pipeline and a 66% gain in marketing efficiency.
• Embed AI into the flow of work. Rather than launching disconnected pilots, leading companies use embedded, role-based AI to guide content usage, improve coaching, and act in real time. According to McKinsey, fewer than 10% of AI pilots reach scale, but structured, agentic workflows are showing significantly higher impact.
• Run enablement as a performance system. Winning teams integrate content, training, coaching, and analytics into a single motion so every salesperson and manager can take action with confidence. Surveyed Highspot customers report a 50% average increase in GTM efficiency and a 55% boost in seller confidence.

AI isn’t failing, but it's not enough on its own

The report echoes recent findings from McKinsey and S&P Global, which show that AI often underdelivers when deployed without structural readiness or workflow integration. Highspot’s research confirms that the promise of AI is real, but only when embedded into frontline decision-making and used through a cohesive GTM system.

Methodology:

Highspot commissioned Dynata to survey 463 senior sales and revenue leaders across the U.S., Europe, and Asia Pacific between June 5-26, 2025.

Read the full report here and join the conversation at Spark 2025, Highspot’s annual conference for GTM leaders, taking place October 7–9 in Seattle and online.

About Highspot

Highspot is the leading agentic platform for go-to-market performance, powered by Nexus™, our AI and analytics engine. Highspot acts as an AI-powered extension of your team—transforming every signal, spoken, shared, or shown, into real-time actions tailored to each role. Highspot ensures your salespeople show up smarter. Your marketers double down on what performs. Your enablement team scales what works. Because when your people perform at their best, your business does too.