2025 Reflections: A Year of Truth and Predictability

2025 Outlook: Moving From "Do More with Less" to "Do Better with Truth"

As 2025 draws to a close, I’m taking a moment to reflect on a year of hard truths, major learnings, and powerful conversations. I’ve had hundreds of conversations with leaders at Series A startups and Fortune 500 companies alike. I’ve listened to their fatigue regarding "growth at all costs" and their equal exhaustion with "starvation mode."
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Whether it was the pressure of high interest rates or the noise of the AI hype cycle, one thing stood out: 2025 was the year of brute-force efficiency. Everyone was laser-focused on cutting costs to keep growing. But as we approach 2026, a new focus is emerging. The year ahead will be about Predictability—moving from "doing more with less" to "doing better with truth." Before we look forward, let’s review the major trends that shaped 2025 and the key shifts we can expect in 2026.

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1. Ending the "Attribution Wars": Influence Over Credit

In 2025, one of the most toxic elements I saw in organizations was the obsession with "Who sourced this?" Marketing, Sales, and BDR teams were often operating in silos, fighting over credit while the customer waited on hold. Leaders realized that while attribution models are useful for allocating budget, they are terrible for incentivizing human behavior.

‍What’s next in 2026?

Smart RevOps leaders will shift focus from "Source" to "Influence & Progression."

The question isn't "Did Marketing source this?" but rather, "Did Marketing accelerate this deal?" Success will be measured by velocity and funnel conversion. When the pipeline moves, everyone wins. If the pipeline stalls, it doesn't matter who "sourced" the stagnant lead.

2. Planning with Math: The End of "Spreadsheet Hallucinations"

In 2025, many organizations struggled with plans built on hope rather than data. I saw firsthand how top-down strategies—taking a revenue target and simply dividing it by quota—ignored ramp times, attrition, and actual yield. The lesson? You cannot hire your way out of a funnel problem.

‍What’s next in 2026?
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Organizations will move to Capacity-Based Planning.

Leaders will focus on auditing the actual capacity of a fully ramped rep based on historical data, not theoretical quotas. This aligns headcount timing with financial realities—ensuring forecasts are built on proven yield. In 2026, RevOps becomes the CFO’s strategic partner, replacing optimism with math.

3. AI as a Signal-Hunter: Precision Over Noise

In 2025, the AI hype cycle promised us infinite efficiency, but often delivered infinite noise. We saw teams use Generative AI to "write 100 emails," resulting in flooded inboxes and lower conversion rates. The lesson? Generative AI creates content, but Agentic AI executes work.
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‍What’s next in 2026?

We are entering the Era of Agentic Marketing.
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‍For Inbound: We stop treating leads like contact forms. AI Agents (Digital Labor) will act as the first line of response—qualifying, scheduling, and nurturing 24/7.
‍For Outbound: The human remains the pilot, but AI becomes the navigator. Instead of a copywriter, AI acts as a Detective—synthesizing earnings calls, tracking job changes, and spotting "Why Now" signals. It hands the Rep the context, not just the copy.

4. Retention as the Growth Engine: Beyond New Business

2025 highlighted a hard truth about the high-interest environment: the most efficient dollar comes from the customer you already have. For years, "GTM Strategy" was synonymous with "New Business," but siloed data often prevented teams from seeing the full picture, allowing churn to kill the compound interest of growth.

‍What’s next in 2026?

RevOps will expand its perimeter to become Lifecycle Ops. Organizations will apply the same rigor to renewals and expansions as they do to new business, forecasting risk as aggressively as they forecast closes. Data unification will be critical here—ensuring that CS teams are never blind to Marketing’s activity.