CEOs Looking Ahead
Back from the Outsell CEO Summit and a much-needed break, I’ve been reflecting on the event and its energy in the context of our annual Outsell CEO Sentiment study. Here’s what’s on the minds of CEOs looking ahead into 2027.
- The external forces of greatest concern? Disintermediation, economic disruption, and geopolitical instability in that order.
- The biggest growth opportunities? Deeper expansion within existing customers is by far the largest driver; new product followed by new customers or personas are second and third and by a wider margin.
- Investment priorities are moving from AI for operational efficiency to AI in customer-facing products as well as investment in sales and marketing.
- Spend by operating function mirrors items 2 and 3 above.
- Most respondents see themselves as on par, somewhat ahead, or well ahead of competitors in their AI efforts; only a quarter viewed themselves as behind. If you’d like an accurate view of this, contact us for your Outsell Accelerate A! Benchmark™
- On the talent front, industry leaders are focused on attracting next-gen AI/data/tech skills and redesigning roles to blend people and AI as their top initiatives for the next 1-3 years. Reducing headcount via tech efficiency or outsourcing is at the bottom of their list.
- As far as M&A is concerned, two-thirds are on the fence or have no plans on the M&A front; the few that are planning to be in market will be as buyers.
- How are they defining success in 2027? New products, AI-first positioning, better GTM and sales execution. Disintermediation is the defining threat, and proving AI ROI has replaced proving AI works for operating efficiencies as the next battleground.
- Revenue from AI licensing is still largely untapped.
- Machine-ready data is still a control point few have claimed. Leaders are investing in technology and platform modernization, APIs, and agent access. Few leaders describe their business as operating in the smart data/integration layer of the Outsell Value Pyramid, pointing again to untapped AI ROI.
Which is why the conference and its topics were so timely and why from A-Z we covered great ground. Designed by and for CEOs, opportunity in this next era knows no bounds. Disintermediation remains a threat as it has with every tech cycle, and while this one promises to be wild and woolly, those leaning into the ride are preparing for a 2027 that has their businesses firmly within it.
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