Maksim Ovsyannikov, Chief Product Officer at SugarCRM chats about the current state of salestech in this Q&A:
________
Hi Maksim, take us through your journey in B2B SaaS?
I’ve spent my career building products that help solve business productivity issues. Leading product teams at some of the biggest names in enterprise software, I’ve had the opportunity to create solutions that have transformed how organizations approach sales, HR, marketing, customer success and service.
Most recently as EVP of Product and Design at Gainsight, I’ve spent more than 25 years in leadership roles at companies including ADP, Zendesk and Salesforce.
What immediate plans do you have as SugarCRM’s Chief Product Officer that you’d like to highlight here?
My role as Chief Product Officer at SugarCRM offers the opportunity to apply my experience and knowledge to one of the most complex and often misunderstood categories in technology: CRM. I see a tremendous opportunity to bring clarity and impact to go-to-market teams.
Today’s sellers do more than close new business. They manage existing accounts, drive expansion and grow revenue, but their tools haven’t evolved with these rising demands. There’s a lot of bloat and confusion in CRMs, and not enough focus on what truly helps sellers succeed – get good leads, identify risks and opportunities, be prepared for interactions and feel supported and coached. In simple terms, what sellers need is “precision selling”.
At Sugar, we’re building the first AI-native precision selling platform – a system that’s purpose-built to help sellers sell. This isn’t AI for small efficiency gains; it’s AI that drives outcomes. It shows sellers their top priorities for the day and how to move each deal forward, using their company’s own data. It’s conversational AI – you can simply ask, “how should I prepare for this meeting?” or “which deals should I prioritize?” – and you get clear, actionable answers that lead to results.
What thoughts do you have around the current state of sales tech?
The term “CRM” means different things to different people, and that’s part of the problem with the current state of sales tech. Sales teams shouldn’t have to decode a vendor’s catalog just to figure out which tools will help them win business.
We’re at a critical moment for the CRM sector. Sales organizations and individual reps alike are under pressure and in need of real support. A decade ago, around 60% of salespeople hit their quotas; today that number has fallen below 45%. Adoption remains an ongoing challenge because too many CRM platforms are perceived as extra busy work rather than really moving the mark in prioritization and productivity.
Most companies already have the data they need to spread across their ERP, CRM and daily productivity tools, but they’re missing a unified layer of sales intelligence that connects it all. Without that, sales reps are left stitching together their own view of the customer and still can’t see the full picture.
Even when intelligence exists, it often isn’t delivered in a way that helps people execute. With most CRMs, sellers don’t know where to go, what to do next, or how to make sense of the data. What they need is a seller experience that’s unified, simple and smart and turns information into confident action.
How are Sales Tech and AI changing the scope of sales today?
I think it’s easy to conclude without much debate these days, that if you need precision and if you need it daily, then you need AI. AI must be at the core of any platform that intentionally moves the needle. The kind of support that used to come from sales ops should now come from the platform itself.
When you start your day as a seller, you shouldn’t have to guess where to focus. AI should do more than summarize yesterday, it should prepare you for today.
A lot of AI sales tools today give sellers alerts, but it’s hard for them to know what to do with them. At Sugar, we’re using AI to show managers and reps what to do next at each step, and why it matters. If revenue for one account is down 15%, the AI presents you with a clear list of actions to get back on track. We call this precision selling, meaning the AI guides the sales team to the actions that win deals and grow accounts.
Can you talk about some of the ways in which you’ve used AI in your time within B2B SaaS?
Earlier in my career, I worked on AI projects that turned noisy customer data into simple, useful guidance. At Gainsight, we launched an AI layer that sifted through product usage, sentiment and engagement to summarize what mattered from customer signals. Later, we added generative AI that could auto-create a “customer cheat sheet” with key facts and risks.
Today at Sugar, I’m using AI to help sales managers and reps in their daily work. That means unifying the signals that already exist in CRM, ERP and elsewhere, and turning them into clear next steps, timely coaching and fewer manual tasks – so sales teams can focus on the conversations that grow revenue.
What trends do you think will dominate the sales tech space in 2026 and beyond?
AI isn’t just reshaping how products are built; it’s redefining how sellers work. For the sales tech space, three major trends will separate tomorrow’s leaders from today’s legacy tools.
“AI instead of UI” – the rise of conversational selling
The era of dashboards and static reports is ending. Sellers don’t have time to dig through screens and data. They need answers. The next generation of CRM and sales tech will be conversational, where a rep can simply ask, “What opportunities should I prioritize today?” and get an AI-driven, context-rich response. Every workflow, every insight, every interaction becomes adaptive.
Proprietary intelligence becomes the differentiator
The future belongs to companies that build their own AI models trained on their customers’ unique data and outcomes, not those layering third-party tools on top. True value comes from domain-specific intelligence that understands sales dynamics and industry context. Generic AI is easy to copy; proprietary AI creates lasting advantage.
Make pricing a competitive advantage
Complex, token-based pricing is holding back adoption. Sellers shouldn’t have to calculate costs before using AI. The winning model will embed AI as core functionality that is priced simply, predictable and designed to encourage engagement. Clear economics create confidence, and confidence drives adoption.
These trends point to a broader transformation as AI is no longer a feature; it’s the foundation of the solution. The challenge is clear, but so is the opportunity. Product leaders who act decisively today are not just improving their platforms. They are setting the standard for what enterprise software will look like for the next decade.
Five takeaways you’d leave everyone in sales tech with before we wrap up?
- The real promise of AI in sales isn’t process automation – its outcome acceleration.
- You accelerate outcomes by using AI to show where to act, when to engage and how to win faster.
- Too much AI today stops at alerts and co-pilots that don’t tell the full story or explain why it matters.
- The most effective AI in sales connects intelligence with playbooks – clear next steps grounded in your own data.
- Sales teams don’t need more dashboards – they need conversational AI that delivers exactly what they need, without the extra work.
SugarCRM is a leading sales CRM for B2B growth.
Maksim Ovsyannikov, is Chief Product Officer, SugarCRM
Maksim Ovsyannikov, Chief Product Officer at SugarCRM chats about the current state of salestech in this Q&A:
________
Hi Maksim, take us through your journey in B2B SaaS?
I’ve spent my career building products that help solve business productivity issues. Leading product teams at some of the biggest names in enterprise software, I’ve had the opportunity to create solutions that have transformed how organizations approach sales, HR, marketing, customer success and service.
Most recently as EVP of Product and Design at Gainsight, I’ve spent more than 25 years in leadership roles at companies including ADP, Zendesk and Salesforce.
What immediate plans do you have as SugarCRM’s Chief Product Officer that you’d like to highlight here?
My role as Chief Product Officer at SugarCRM offers the opportunity to apply my experience and knowledge to one of the most complex and often misunderstood categories in technology: CRM. I see a tremendous opportunity to bring clarity and impact to go-to-market teams.
Today’s sellers do more than close new business. They manage existing accounts, drive expansion and grow revenue, but their tools haven’t evolved with these rising demands. There’s a lot of bloat and confusion in CRMs, and not enough focus on what truly helps sellers succeed – get good leads, identify risks and opportunities, be prepared for interactions and feel supported and coached. In simple terms, what sellers need is “precision selling”.
At Sugar, we’re building the first AI-native precision selling platform – a system that’s purpose-built to help sellers sell. This isn’t AI for small efficiency gains; it’s AI that drives outcomes. It shows sellers their top priorities for the day and how to move each deal forward, using their company’s own data. It’s conversational AI – you can simply ask, “how should I prepare for this meeting?” or “which deals should I prioritize?” – and you get clear, actionable answers that lead to results.
What thoughts do you have around the current state of sales tech?
The term “CRM” means different things to different people, and that’s part of the problem with the current state of sales tech. Sales teams shouldn’t have to decode a vendor’s catalog just to figure out which tools will help them win business.
We’re at a critical moment for the CRM sector. Sales organizations and individual reps alike are under pressure and in need of real support. A decade ago, around 60% of salespeople hit their quotas; today that number has fallen below 45%. Adoption remains an ongoing challenge because too many CRM platforms are perceived as extra busy work rather than really moving the mark in prioritization and productivity.
Most companies already have the data they need to spread across their ERP, CRM and daily productivity tools, but they’re missing a unified layer of sales intelligence that connects it all. Without that, sales reps are left stitching together their own view of the customer and still can’t see the full picture.
Even when intelligence exists, it often isn’t delivered in a way that helps people execute. With most CRMs, sellers don’t know where to go, what to do next, or how to make sense of the data. What they need is a seller experience that’s unified, simple and smart and turns information into confident action.
How are Sales Tech and AI changing the scope of sales today?
I think it’s easy to conclude without much debate these days, that if you need precision and if you need it daily, then you need AI. AI must be at the core of any platform that intentionally moves the needle. The kind of support that used to come from sales ops should now come from the platform itself.
When you start your day as a seller, you shouldn’t have to guess where to focus. AI should do more than summarize yesterday, it should prepare you for today.
A lot of AI sales tools today give sellers alerts, but it’s hard for them to know what to do with them. At Sugar, we’re using AI to show managers and reps what to do next at each step, and why it matters. If revenue for one account is down 15%, the AI presents you with a clear list of actions to get back on track. We call this precision selling, meaning the AI guides the sales team to the actions that win deals and grow accounts.
Can you talk about some of the ways in which you’ve used AI in your time within B2B SaaS?
Earlier in my career, I worked on AI projects that turned noisy customer data into simple, useful guidance. At Gainsight, we launched an AI layer that sifted through product usage, sentiment and engagement to summarize what mattered from customer signals. Later, we added generative AI that could auto-create a “customer cheat sheet” with key facts and risks.
Today at Sugar, I’m using AI to help sales managers and reps in their daily work. That means unifying the signals that already exist in CRM, ERP and elsewhere, and turning them into clear next steps, timely coaching and fewer manual tasks – so sales teams can focus on the conversations that grow revenue.
What trends do you think will dominate the sales tech space in 2026 and beyond?
AI isn’t just reshaping how products are built; it’s redefining how sellers work. For the sales tech space, three major trends will separate tomorrow’s leaders from today’s legacy tools.
“AI instead of UI” – the rise of conversational selling
The era of dashboards and static reports is ending. Sellers don’t have time to dig through screens and data. They need answers. The next generation of CRM and sales tech will be conversational, where a rep can simply ask, “What opportunities should I prioritize today?” and get an AI-driven, context-rich response. Every workflow, every insight, every interaction becomes adaptive.
Proprietary intelligence becomes the differentiator
The future belongs to companies that build their own AI models trained on their customers’ unique data and outcomes, not those layering third-party tools on top. True value comes from domain-specific intelligence that understands sales dynamics and industry context. Generic AI is easy to copy; proprietary AI creates lasting advantage.
Make pricing a competitive advantage
Complex, token-based pricing is holding back adoption. Sellers shouldn’t have to calculate costs before using AI. The winning model will embed AI as core functionality that is priced simply, predictable and designed to encourage engagement. Clear economics create confidence, and confidence drives adoption.
These trends point to a broader transformation as AI is no longer a feature; it’s the foundation of the solution. The challenge is clear, but so is the opportunity. Product leaders who act decisively today are not just improving their platforms. They are setting the standard for what enterprise software will look like for the next decade.
Five takeaways you’d leave everyone in sales tech with before we wrap up?
- The real promise of AI in sales isn’t process automation – its outcome acceleration.
- You accelerate outcomes by using AI to show where to act, when to engage and how to win faster.
- Too much AI today stops at alerts and co-pilots that don’t tell the full story or explain why it matters.
- The most effective AI in sales connects intelligence with playbooks – clear next steps grounded in your own data.
- Sales teams don’t need more dashboards – they need conversational AI that delivers exactly what they need, without the extra work.
SugarCRM is a leading sales CRM for B2B growth.
Maksim Ovsyannikov, is Chief Product Officer, SugarCRM