Report shows sales and distribution teams are under pressure to drive growth, while disconnected systems and AI uncertainty make execution harder
Seismic, a global leader in AI-powered enablement, released The Priorities and Pressure Points Shaping Revenue Enablement, a new report based on independent research conducted by NewtonX. The report finds that sales and distribution teams are under increased pressure to drive growth, retain customers and improve performance, even as disconnected systems, manual reporting and AI uncertainty make execution harder.
The data is clear: Revenue Enablement has become a strategic catalyst for firms looking to align revenue growth, customer experience and AI strategy.
More than half of respondents, 54%, cited speed to revenue as a top revenue performance priority this year. Analytics and performance measurement, as well as customer retention and account growth, followed at 50% each. The research also found that 56% of respondents cited poor integration with existing tools as a top obstacle preventing revenue teams from using current platforms at their highest level, while 51% said they struggle to understand the ROI from their current revenue enablement platform. Moreover, analytics and measurable ROI were ranked as the top criteria for evaluating new platforms.
Read More: SalesTechStar Interview with Ilyas Kurklu, Co-founder and CEO of Replenit
The findings show that while AI adoption remains a priority, businesses still depend on customer-facing teams to create growth. Sales leaders are being asked to find more growth without adding headcount, gain efficiency through technology adoption, and deliver stronger customer experiences across every interaction.
“Growth is still the mandate for every go-to-market team, even as AI changes how work is executed,” said Rob Tarkoff, Chief Executive Officer, Seismic. “Sales and distribution teams are being asked to move faster, strengthen customer relationships and improve performance without adding unnecessary complexity. The data is clear: Revenue Enablement has become a strategic catalyst for firms looking to align revenue growth, customer experience and AI strategy.”
Read More: You Have Cloned Your Voice. Now Your AI Is Making Cold Calls
Key findings from the report include:
- Revenue leaders are prioritizing performance: 54% of respondents said speed to revenue is a top revenue performance priority this year. Analytics and performance measurement, as well as customer retention and account growth, followed at 50% each. Direct sales and distribution channels remain central to growth.
- Fragmented systems are slowing GTM teams down: 56% of leaders cited poor integration with existing tools as a top obstacle preventing revenue teams from using current platforms at their highest level. Nearly half (48%) cited manual and time-consuming reporting as another top obstacle to execution.
- Proving impact remains a major unmet need: Just over half (51%) said difficulty proving ROI is an unmet need with their current revenue enablement platforms. Other unmet needs include poor CRM and tool integration at 43%, weak AI quality and control at 37%, and no clear revenue impact data at 36%.
- AI adoption is outpacing AI confidence: Only 9% of GTM leaders said AI is fully embedded into core workflows and regularly used to support decision-making, whereas approximately 4 in 10 (41%) said AI tools are partially adopted for specific tasks but not yet integrated into core workflows. The leading concern about adopting AI tools is the quality and accuracy of AI outputs, cited by approximately one-quarter (24%) of respondents, followed by difficulty measuring ROI (18%), data security and privacy (16%), and integration with existing systems (14%). As organizations roll out agentic solutions, revenue enablement teams will play a larger role in governing AI agents and ensuring their outputs are accurate, approved, integrated, and measurable.
- Enablement is becoming a strategic business driver: Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) respondents said revenue enablement is “very strategic” and a core driver of go-to-market performance.
The report shows that organizations’ needs go beyond more tools or more AI. They need connected systems that help customer-facing teams act with clarity, consistency and confidence while giving leaders a clearer view into what is working. Enablement is becoming a broader executive priority, with CMOs, CIOs, CEOs and CROs looking to enablement leaders to help improve sales and distribution performance, manage change and govern AI responsibly.
As AI creates more content and complexity across the revenue process, enablement is becoming a critical function for helping teams turn strategy, trusted intelligence and human judgment into measurable customer and business outcomes.
