By 2029, sales organisations with AI-driven enablement functions will achieve 40% faster sales stage velocity than those using traditional enablement approaches, according to Gartner.
Findings from a Gartner survey of 227 chief sales officers (CSOs) in August and September 2025 underscore why this shift is becoming urgent.
Sales organisations completed an average of four transformations in the past 12 months, making the ability to drive performance through continuous change a core requirement for CSO success.
The survey also found that sales organizations that collaborate on enablement content with other functions, such as marketing and service, are 2,4-times more likely to achieve strong commercial growth than those that do not.
“Traditional enablement was built as a reactive support function, not as a system engineered to drive measurable seller performance,” says Shayne Jackson, vice-president analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice.
“As CSOs face ongoing transformation and heightened revenue pressure, enablement must become an AI‑driven function that orchestrates seller behavior in real time. Organisations that fail to make this shift will struggle to improve deal velocity and sustain growth.”
To keep pace with constant transformation and rising revenue pressure, Gartner says sales leaders must:
- Move beyond static content and training to deliver in‑workflow, data‑driven guidance.
- Align enablement across sales, marketing and service to drive consistent revenue execution.
- Leverage AI and automation to scale performance through continuous transformation.