In partnership with
2026 State of AEO Report
A year ago, most marketers weren't thinking about AI search. Now it's one of the fastest moving channels in the industry and nobody has a playbook yet.
So we built one. We surveyed hundreds of marketers to find out how they're approaching answer engine optimization, where they're investing, what's actually working, and what isn't.
The result is the 2026 State of AEO Report. Real data. Real strategies. A clear picture of where AI search is headed and how to get ahead of it.
What AI Actually Changes in Sales
The Shift Most Leaders Still Underestimate
Most leaders think AI changes output.
Faster emails. More activity. Better automation. That’s surface-level. What AI actually changes is decision-making.
It compresses the time between signal and action. What used to take weeks of pipeline review now happens mid-deal. Patterns surface instantly. Risks show up earlier. Opportunities become clearer.
Speed shifts.
And when speed shifts, everything else follows.
Top teams aren’t just doing more—they’re deciding better. They know where to focus, which deals to push, and when to adjust. Not based on instinct alone, but on real-time insight.
That’s the real advantage.
Because sales isn’t limited by effort—it’s limited by clarity.
And AI removes the fog.
Reps don’t waste time guessing. Managers don’t wait for reports. Leaders don’t operate on outdated data. The system becomes sharper, more responsive, more controlled.
And over time, that compounds.
Better decisions lead to cleaner pipelines. Cleaner pipelines lead to higher conversion. Higher conversion drives predictable growth.
Meanwhile, teams that underestimate this shift stay stuck optimizing tasks—while missing the transformation happening underneath.
Call to Action: Upgrade How You Decide
Use AI to surface deal risk before it becomes visible.
Identify winning patterns across your pipeline in real time.
Guide rep decisions with live data not post-mortems.
Focus on where to act, not just what to do.
Reduce lag between insight and execution.
Train your team to interpret signals, not just activity.
Build a system that improves decision quality daily.
AI doesn’t just change what you do.
It changes how well you decide.
I can’t believe they are practically giving this information away for free. Unbelievably worth every penny!
