News and Events

AI Strategy Comes First. Here’s Why.

by Ami Sao

If you’re leading a B2B marketing team right now, chances are you’re feeling the squeeze: fewer people, more expectations, and AI tools popping up faster than you can keep track.

In a recent episode of the Revenue Boost Podcast, Market Growth Consulting founder Mark Goloboy joined host Kerry Curran to talk about how B2B organizations are navigating AI adoption, from messy org charts to lean teams trying to do more with less.

Here’s what stood out.

▶️ Watch the full conversation → Here

Leaner Teams, Bigger Expectations

Marketing teams spent years scaling fast. Then came layoffs and budget cuts. Now, they’re trying to rebuild smarter, with fewer people and better tools.

What’s changing isn’t just the adoption of AI platforms. It’s how companies are rethinking talent. Roles that used to be in-house are going fractional or being partially offloaded to AI.

“Every leader is trying to become more efficient and scale faster,” Mark said. “But that doesn’t work if you don’t know what you’re scaling.”

It’s not just about saving money. A focused team with a clear strategy, and the right tech, will always outperform a bloated one running on outdated workflows.

AI Is a Multiplier, Not a Compass

One of Mark’s most important points?

“AI accelerates everything. But if your direction is off, you’re just making mistakes faster.”

He’s seen teams with beautiful tech stacks, ABM tools, analytics dashboards, custom automations, but no clarity on who their programs are for, how success is measured, or why a campaign exists in the first place.

Without strategy, even the best AI implementation won’t deliver. Tools can help you move faster. But if your direction is wrong, speed just gets you to the wrong outcome sooner.

Smarter Teams Build Before They Scale

Mark works closely with both startups and large enterprises. For smaller teams, that often means placing fractional CMOs or subcontractors who bring expertise without the full-time hire cost. For larger companies, it’s high-level strategy, demand generation planning, and system transitions, like moving from HubSpot to Salesforce.

He’s also hands-on with AI integration. Beyond using tools like Gemini, Claude, and GPT for content, he’s built agentic RAG pipelines that automate complex workflows.

In one example, a CEO used AI to streamline:

  • Meeting prep and scheduling
  • Reviewing complex contracts for media placements
  • Aggregating PR mentions and client reports (saving over an hour per client per day)

The result wasn’t theoretical. It was immediate.

Buyers Aren’t Just Googling Anymore

One trend that surprised Kerry? How quickly buyer behavior is shifting.

Search used to mean Google. Now, it’s just as likely to mean GPT.

Many companies still structure their content solely for traditional search. But tools like Brand Luminere, which Mark now partners on, help brands see how they show up inside LLMs, analyzing buyer questions, attribute matching, and which sources each model trusts.

“If you’re only thinking about search rankings, you’re already missing part of the picture,” Mark said.

Build Systems That Last

Mark doesn’t believe in building “disposable” infrastructure. He encourages clients to focus on three core use cases where ROI is clear, and then scale up from there, knowing full well that today’s tools may look different six months from now.

  • Start with strategy. Without it, no tool will deliver value.
  • Move quickly, but not carelessly. Long approval cycles can kill good projects.
  • Prioritize alignment. Internal turnover and siloed teams are often the real blockers, not software.

He also makes space for experimentation. New tools come online constantly, and many are better than they were just weeks ago. But unless someone on your team is trying them, you won’t know what’s possible, or where to invest.

Closing Thought

This conversation isn’t about the flashiest AI tools or trendiest platforms. It’s about how to build a modern marketing operation that actually works, one that’s fast, focused, and tied to real business goals.

If you’re in a B2B environment and you’re not thinking about how AI can support your internal processes, demand generation, or buyer visibility, you’re already behind. The technology is moving. The question is: will your strategy keep up?

Market Growth Consulting helps PE-backed, AI-forward, and enterprise-grade companies build marketing engines that scale. Explore our services at marketgrowthconsulting.com/services.