In this episode of Force and Friction, we welcome Santosh Sharan, a pioneer in B2B data intelligence and former executive at ZoomInfo, Apollo, and RB2B. Santosh has spent the last 15 years helping sellers get smarter with data, automation, and insights, but now, he’s flipping the script.
His next mission? Empowering buyers with AI-driven insights to create a level playing field and fundamentally reshape the go-to-market (GTM) landscape.
From the oversaturation of sales outreach to the rise of AI-driven buyer research, Santosh breaks down how the future of GTM is shifting from seller-led motions to a buyer-first approach—and what businesses need to do to stay ahead.
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Here are the core areas we discuss in today's episode:
Over the past 15 years, sales has evolved from a relationship-based model to a data-driven, automated approach. Santosh shares how he witnessed this transformation firsthand while working with ZoomInfo and Apollo, helping sales teams leverage real-time data and automation.
“We went from a world where data was scarce to a world where we have too much data. The challenge now is filtering through the noise.”
While automation initially helped sales teams become more efficient, it has now reached a breaking point—buyers are bombarded with outreach, and response rates are plummeting.
Sales teams today have more data and automation than ever before, yet 79% of reps are missing their quota (Epsta research, 2024). Why?
1: Too many sellers, not enough buyers – Thousands of companies are sending millions of outreach messages daily.
2: Buyers are overloaded – 20+ calls and 100+ emails a day have made outreach ineffective.
3: Trust is declining – With so much noise, buyers no longer believe in vendor-driven messaging.
“We’ve reached a saturation point where the traditional GTM model no longer works. More outreach doesn’t mean more results.”
This shift has opened the door for buyer-led GTM—a strategy where buyers drive the process and sellers must earn trust to gain engagement.
The Rise of Buyer-Led GTM: Flipping the Traditional Sales Model:
So, what is buyer-led GTM, and how does it differ from the seller-led model we’ve relied on for decades?
Traditional Seller-Led GTM:
The New Buyer-Led GTM:
“The best GTM strategies will be led by buyers. Companies that help buyers research, evaluate, and make decisions confidently will win.”
Santosh explains how AI-powered buyer research tools will replace traditional lead-gen tactics, ensuring buyers get the insights they need without spammy outreach.
As AI advances, agents will begin replacing manual outreach and traditional sales reps. Santosh predicts that:
“In the future, buyers will have their own AI agents, and sellers will have their own AI agents. These agents will interact, eliminating the need for mass outreach.”
The implication? Sales teams must adapt now. Companies that don’t integrate AI-driven research into their GTM strategies will struggle to compete.
For years, content marketing revolved around SEO-optimized blogs designed to rank in Google search results. Santosh argues that this strategy is now outdated, as buyers increasingly rely on:
“Traditional blog strategies are dead. If AI doesn’t recognize your company, you don’t exist in the buyer’s journey.”
Instead of SEO, companies should focus on GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) - making sure their content is AI-friendly, discoverable by LLMs, and optimized for agent-based search.
Santosh Sharan’s insights reveal a seismic shift in GTM strategy, driven by:
If you’re in sales, marketing, or RevOps, now is the time to rethink your GTM approach and embrace AI-driven, buyer-led growth strategies.
- The decline of seller-led outreach & rise of buyer-led GTM
- AI-powered agents replacing traditional sales reps
- A new content era where AI-driven research defines buyer decisions
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