Seeing Around Corners

Avoiding costly AI missteps with structured sales enablement

The company

Large Manufacturing Organization

Function

Sales

Size

$6B+ revenue

The challenges

Sales operations leaders wanted to improve seller efficiency and automate manual tasks with AI.
The organization lacked a formal sales enablement function and supporting data capabilities.
Leadership needed objective guidance on current AI maturity without overcommitting to use cases.

The results

Avoided premature investment in AI tools that exceeded organizational readiness.
Developed a formal sales enablement strategy and operating structure.
Built the foundation needed for future AI adoption through a phased approach.

The Gartner difference

How this client leveraged Gartner to achieve success

Gartner helped leadership see around corners, revealing how early decisions could create future barriers if foundational sales enablement capabilities weren’t addressed first.

Determined maturity state and identified gaps

Analyst Consultations uncovered broader gaps in enablement and content strategy.
Gartner frameworks (e.g., Sales Enablement Planning Guide) demonstrated the need for structured sales enablement before AI investment.

Refocused and reprioritized use cases

Gartner insights and tools clarified organizational maturity and realistic AI opportunities.
Gartner analysts identified foundational capabilities required to support AI tools.
Gartner helped client reset leadership expectations using industry insights and practical use cases.

Implemented strategy and built foundation for future AI adoptions

Developed a formal sales enablement strategy and organizational structure.
Shifted leadership focus from isolated AI experimentation to structured enablement.
Built confidence in future AI adoptions aligning with organizational maturity.

The impact

60%

of GenAI pilots fail due to poor governance and maturity. Client avoided this with an enablement-first approach.

80%

adoption rate among sellers achieved through phased implementations.

2.5x

greater likelihood buyers complete high-quality deals through AI-driven sales enablement.

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