Buyers want to engage on their own terms as 67% of B2B buyers state that they prefer a rep‑free experience, according to new research from Gartner.
A survey of 646 B2B buyers conducted from August through September 2025 found the shift is already underway – with 45% reporting they used AI during a recent purchase. Buyer journeys are becoming more self-directed and digitally mediated.
“B2B buyers are progressing through critical buying tasks in more autonomous ways, and sellers can’t rely on static collateral to carry influence in those moments,” says Alyssa Cruz, senior principal analyst in the Gartner Sales practice. “Enablement leaders should modernise how they equip sellers, moving beyond static content distribution to AI-driven support that fits into daily workflow. As buyers search, vet suppliers, and shape solution needs with fewer early interactions, sellers must remain helpful while keeping the experience low-friction.”
Value clarity becomes the new enablement mandate
Winning in AI-driven buyer journeys requires sales enablement that helps buying groups reach value clarity, a clear understanding of how a solution improves outcomes in the buyer’s specific role, and business context. That confidence is revenue critical: confident buyers are twice as likely to report a high-quality deal compared with buyers who have low decision confidence.
To help sellers deliver value clarity at scale, especially as buyers adopt rep-free paths, sales enablement leaders should:
- Operationalise buyer‑ and seller‑facing AI agents that support both self‑guided buyer validation and seller‑led value articulation.
- Structure content into modular, agent‑ready building blocks that can be dynamically assembled into context‑aware resources (for buyers or for sellers to share).
- Embed enablement directly into sellers’ systems of action so delivery is automated within existing workflows, driving adoption by reducing tool switching and administrative burden.