2026年B2B增长议程：在瞬息万变的世界中实现增长研究报告-

B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Deliveringgrowthinaworldthatwon’tsitstill

BAIN&COMPANY

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Contents

LetterfromtheGlobalHeadofBain’sCustomerPractice 2

VolatilityIsn’ttheStorm.It’stheClimate 3

UnclearValuePropositionsStallGrowth 11

B2BGrowthMasters’FormulaforRepeatablyCapturingNewCustomers 18

TheNewSalesProductivityEquation 25

AIWon’tTransformYourGo-to-MarketUntilYouTransformtheWork 29

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

LetterfromtheGlobalHeadofBain’sCustomerPractice

Volatilityishighandrising.Sowhilegrowthambitionshaven’tchanged,thepathtoachievingthemhas.CEOsrankgrowthastheirNo.1concernanddeliveringitwilltakedisciplinedexecution.Inourannualsurveyofmorethan1,100commercialleadersacross18sectorsand40countries,91%expecttohittheir2026growthtargets.Yetnearlyasmanywereconfidentlastyear,and42%fellshort.

Whatseparatesthosewhodeliverfromthosewhodon’t?Thewinnersdon’tbetonasingleinitiative.Theypairaclear,differentiatedvaluepropositionwithasystematicapproachtobringingtherightofferstotherightcustomers.AndtheybuildAI-enabledoperatingmodelsdesignedtounlockproductivityatscale.

Ifyourplanassumesthingswillsettledown,itwon’tholdupin2026.Readonforapracticalroadmaptogrowthinaworldthatwon’tsitstill.

JamieCleghorn

GlobalHeadofBain’sCustomerPractice

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VolatilityIsn’ttheStorm.

It’stheClimate

VolatilityiswideningthegapforB2Bsellers—inplans,performance,andthepathtorevenuegrowth.

ByMarkBurton,RobStein,JurreNitertvanSchijndel,ShounakGadre,JakeCrandall,andEmilyKasavan

AtaGlance

、Eighty-sevenpercentofglobaldecisionmakerssaymarketsareevolvingfaster,withAIandgeopoliticsthetoptwocauses.

、Eighty-sixpercentofexecutivessurveyedexpecttheircompany’s2026growthtoexceedthatof2025.

、While91%expecttomeetthosetargets,confidencewasalsohighlastyear(86%)

andonly58%hitthemark.

、Volatilityiswideningthegap:Top-quartileperformersgrew1.6timesfasterthantheaveragecompanyin2025.

Volatilityisnolongerapassingshock;it’stheoperatingenvironment—reshapingcommercial

performance,wideningthegapbetweenplansandresults,raisingthecostofslowdecisionmaking,andlettingasmallgroupofwinnerspullaway.

Mostleadershipteamsstarted2026withbothambitionandconfidence.Bain’s2026surveyof1,125globaldecisionmakersfindscompaniesexpectrevenuegrowthratestobe20%higherin2026comparedwith

2025.Ninety-onepercentofrespondentsareconfidenttheircompanywillachieveits2026

growthtarget.

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Thatcombinationofhigheraspirationsandhigherconfidencesoundslikearecipeformomentum,

buthistoryshowshowvolatilitycanshakeeventhesurestplan.Afterall,it’shardtohitamovingtarget.InJanuary2025,86%ofleaderssurveyedwereconfidenttheircompanywouldachieveits2025growthtarget,butonly58%did(seeFigure1).

Volatilityseemstobemakingithardertoknowwhatwillhappenin12months,wideningaconfidencegapasmorecompaniesmisstheirtargetsevenastheirgrowthambitionsclimb.From2023to2025,

theshareofcompaniesthatfellshortoftheirrevenuetargetclimbedfrom33%to42%(seeFigure2).

Theabilitytoadaptinrealtimetomarketconditionsiscriticaltomeetingthesegoals.

GrowthisaCEOandboardissue

Volatilityiswhatturnsthegapbetweenexpectationandresultsfromanuncomfortablestatisticintoaboard-levelrisk.It’snotonlythatmarketsarechanging.Thepaceofchangeisalsoacceleratingandcompounding.Eighty-sevenpercentofrespondentssaytheirmarketsareevolvingfasteror

significantlyfasterthantheydidinthepast(seeFigure3).

Theypointtofiveprimaryforcesbehindthatacceleration:AIandautomation,geopoliticalshifts

(includingtariffsandregulatorydevelopments),changesincustomerbuyingbehavior,newentrantsandbusinessmodels,andsupplychainandcostpressure.Day-to-day,theirtopoperatingconcernismanagingpricingpressure,followedbynavigatinguncertaintyandacquiringnewcustomers.

Figure1:Acrosssectors,respondentsexpect2026revenuegrowth

tobe1.2timesthe2025level,buthittingthemarkwillbehard

2025expectedvs.actual

growthrevealedasignificantexecutiongap…

Percentageofrespondents

86%

58%

Confidentcompany

wouldachieve2025

growthtarget

Metorexceeded

2025target

…2026confidenceiseven

higher,butdeliveringinavolatileworldwillbechallenging

Percentageofrespondents

91%

?

Actual2026

Confidentcompany

willhit2026growth

target

Sources:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)andJanuary2025(n=1,263)

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Figure2:Volatilityismakingithardertohitrevenuetargets

Sources:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125);BainCommercialExcellence

LongitudinalSurvey,January2025(n=1,263);BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2024(n=1,064)

Figure3:86%percentofexecutivesseemarketsevolvingfaster

Sources:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Clearly,changeisheretostay.Uncertaintyisthenewcertainty,andorganizationsthatdon’tinternalizethatwillfallbehind.ForCEOsandboards,theimplicationispractical:Planningcyclesandsalesmotionsdesignedforastableworldwillincreasinglyfail,notbecauseteamsaren’tworkinghardbutbecausetheenvironmenthasmovedon.

Thesectorview

Acrosssectors,volatilityisacommonfactor,butitdoesn’tlandthesamewayeverywhere.Pricing

pressureanduncertaintyarerecurringthemes,butdifferentsectors“feel”volatilitythroughdifferentcommercialpainpoints(seeFigure4).

•Inhealthcareandlifesciences,managingpricingpressuresstandsoutasthetop-ratedchallenge

forpharmaceuticals,biotechnology,andmedtech,pairedwithuncertaintyandgrowthimperatives.

PharmaceuticalcompaniesoperatingintheUS,forexample,aregrapplingwithpricingpressurefrompolicychangesandongoingscrutiny.Thesefactorswon’tabateinthenearterm,limitingtheextenttowhichpricingcanserveasadependablegrowthlever.

•Infinancialservices,themixtiltstowarduncertaintyandthemechanicsofmodernizationand

execution:Revenuemodelsinbankingandinsurancearehighlysensitivetovariablesbeyond

management’scontrol,suchasinterestrates,currencies,andcreditcycles,soit’snotsurprisingthatmarketuncertaintyisatopconcern.Forinsurance,challengesaroundlong-tailriskexposurehelpedtopushmarketuncertaintyintothetopthree.Banks,whichareincreasinglydependentonbetter

clienttargetingandcross-sellingforrevenuegrowth,highlightsalesforceproductivityandgo-to-

markettechnologymodernizationascritical.Atthesametime,legacyinfrastructureandfragmenteddataarchitecturesareconstrainingexecutionspeedandscalabilityacrossthesector.

•Intechnology,media,andtelecom,severalsubsectorsemphasizethefighttoretainexistingand

winnewcustomers.Softwareranksacquiringandengagingnewcustomersfirst,areflection,inpart,ofhowAI-poweredcapabilitiesareforcingtheindustrytochangefromtraditionalseat-based

subscriptionstobetterproxiesforcustomervaluesuchasoutcome-basedmeasures.Both

informationservicesandsoftwarehighlightretentionandpricingstrategy,andtechservicescombinesuncertainty,analyticsandAIeffectiveness,andcustomeracquisition.

•Inadvancedmanufacturingandservices,executionpressureisprominent,notsurprisingsince

demandinthesectoristypicallyproject-based,customized,andoperationallyconstrained.Aerospaceanddefenseandmachinerycompanies,withlongsalescycles,complextechnology,andwinsthat

stronglyimpactrevenue,ranksalesforceproductivityfirst.Inlogisticsandtransport,exposuretofuelcosts,capacityimbalances,andgeopoliticaldisruptionexplainsthesector’sprioritizationofmarketuncertainty.Amongbuildingproductsandmaterialsrespondents,organizationalsilosbetweensales,product,andsupplychainoperationsthatexacerbateinconsistencyinpricingandfulfillmentlikely

explainwhysilosandexecutioncadencearetopchallenges.

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Figure4:Companiesacrosssectorsfacecommonchallengestogrowth,butthemostsignificantvariesbysector

TopchallengeSecondThird

AdvancedManufacturing&ServicesEnergy&NaturalResources

Aerospace&Defense

BuildingProducts

&MaterialsMachineryAgribusiness

Chemicals

Logistics&Transport

Paper&

Packaging

Automotive&Mobility

Pricingpressures

Uncertainty

Newcustomers

Go-to-markettechnologies

Salesforce

Analytics,AI,ormachinelearning

Customerretention

Pricingstrategies

Marketdisrupters

Organizationalsilos

Valueproposition

Commercialrhythm

Budgetconstraints

Convertingleads

ESGgoals

Note:Orderedbysumofrespondentswhoratedasoneoftheirtopchallengesfor2026

Source:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Figure4:Companiesacrosssectorsfacecommonchallengestogrowth,butthemostsignificantvariesbysector

TopchallengeSecondThird

FinancialServices

Healthcare&LifeSciences

Technology,

Media,&Telecom

PaymentsInsuranceMedtechTelecomHardware

Pharma&Information

Tech

Banking

BiotechServicesSoftware

Services

Pricingpressures

Uncertainty

Newcustomers

Go-to-markettechnologies

Salesforce

Analytics,AI,ormachinelearning

Customerretention

Pricingstrategies

Marketdisrupters

Organizationalsilos

Valueproposition

Commercialrhythm

Budgetconstraints

Convertingleads

ESGgoals

Note:Orderedbysumofrespondentswhoratedasoneoftheirtopchallengesfor2026

Source:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Whatcompaniesaredoingaboutvolatility—andwhatleadersshoulddonext

Involatileperiods,it’snaturaltopullthecostlever.Butifcostistheonlylever,volatilityturnsashort-termfixintoalong-termslide.Leadersneedtoprotectwhatdrivesgrowth,evenastheyresetspending.

Thatbalanceisshowingupincommercialplaybooks.Companiesaretighteningspendwhiledoublingdownongrowthmoves:sharpeningthevalueproposition,broadeningproductandserviceportfolios,acceleratingnewoffers,andusingAI-driventoolsandanalyticstorespondtopricingpressurefaster

(seeFigure5).

Winnerstreatdifferentiationasactivework.

Theyseemaintainingadifferentiatedvaluepropositionasrequiringongoingreinvention—andrankitas

theirtopcommercialchallenge.

Thisiswheretheperformancegapbecomesstrategic.Evenamidtoday’svolatility,adistinctgroupofcompaniesispullingaway.Thesewinners—definedascompaniesabovetheupperquartileofrevenuegrowthfortheirsectorandregionin2025andexceedingtheirgrossmargintargets—aregrowing1.6

timesfasterthantheaverage.

Thesewinnerstreatdifferentiationasactivework.Theyseemaintainingadifferentiatedvaluepropositionasrequiringongoingreinvention—andrankitastheirtopcommercialchallenge.

Thevolatility-readycommercialagenda

Ifvolatilityistheclimate,theanswerisnotasingle“volatilityinitiative”butratheracommercialsystemthatcansense,decide,andactfaster—withoutlosingcoherence.

Today’sB2BGrowthAgendafocusesonfourfundamentals,withAIasanaccelerant:

1.Makeyourvaluepropositionthedecisivefactor:Ensurerealdifferentiation,communicateconsistently,andrefineitbasedoncustomerneeds.

2.Capturethenextcustomerwithprecisioninpricingandtargeting:Usebehavioralsignals,next-buyintent,andpriceforcontextwhileorchestratingexecutionacrosssalesplays.

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Figure5:Inperiodsofuncertainty,companiesfocusonbothtop-linegrowthandcost-cutting

Note:Someoptionswerenotapplicabletocertainsectors

Source:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)

3.Getthemostoutofyourcommercialteams:Liftproductivitythroughtechnologyadoption,clearermanagerroles,andtargetedcapabilitybuilding.

4.CenterAIonhowyougotomarket:Redesigncriticalworkflowsend-to-end,buildscalabledataandtechfoundations,mobilizeteamswithclearownership,andvalidateimpact

toensurerepeatablevaluecapture.

Companiescan’tcontrolwhat’sdrivingvolatility,buttheycancontrolhowfast—andhowcoherently—

theyrespond.Howquicklycompaniesturnmarketsignalsintopricing,coverage,andexecutiondecisionswilldeterminetheirdurableadvantages,nomatterwhatthemarketbrings.

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UnclearValuePropositions

StallGrowth

Mostcompaniesneedaclearervalueproposition,whichstartswithunderstandingwhotheyserveandwhytheybeatcompetitors.

ByTylerBenedict,AndyPierce,BasmaAbdelMotaal,andLaurens-JanOlsthoorn

AtaGlance

、Companieswithaclear,consistentlyunderstoodvaluepropositiongrewabout1.6timesfasterthantheaveragecompany.

、Only4%ofthemorethan1,000companieswesurveyedthinktheyhaveone.

、Rapidlyevolvingmarketsdemandfocusedinnovation:Companieswithcustomer-tailoredofferingsgrownearlytwiceasfast.

Ifyouask10executiveswhycustomersbuyfromthemvs.theircompetitors,you’llget5differentanswers.Askwhotheofferingistrulydesignedfor,andyou’relikelytoseethepatternrepeat.

Manycompaniesrespondtoslowinggrowthbypushingharderoncommercialexecution,bypullingthepricinglever,forexample.Butwhengrowthstalls,therootcauseisoftenupstream—namely,anunclearvaluepropositionthatforceseveryfunctionandeverysellertoimprovise.

Avaluepropositionisn’tatagline.It’sanintegratedsetofchoicesabout:

•whoanofferingisdesignedfor(thedesigntarget,includingthebuyingcommitteethatshapesthedecision);

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

•whythatcustomerchoosesyouvs.alternatives(yourdifferentiationandproof);and

•whatyoudeliver(thefulloffer,includingproductsandservices,customerexperience,routetomarket,brand,andprice).

Clarityonthevaluepropositioncreatesfocus.Clarityforcestrade-offsaboutwhereyouwillcompete,whatyouwillnotdo,andwhatgoodlookslikeacrosstheenterprise.

InarecentBainsurveyofmorethan1,000globalB2Bleaders,companieswithavaluepropositionthatisbothclearandconsistentlyunderstoodgrewmateriallyfaster:19%revenuegrowthin2025compared

with12%forcompanieswithlimitedorinconsistentlycommunicatedvaluepropositions(seeFigure1).

Unfortunately,only4%ofcompaniessurveyedhadastrongvalueproposition.

Figure1:Companieswithclear,consistentvaluepropositionsoutperform

ongrowth

Revenuegrowthrelativetoaverage

1.6x1.24x

1.04x

0.98x

0.76x

Minimallyactivated.

Limitedor

inconsistent

communicationofthe

valueproposition

Partiallyactivated.

Mixedoruneven

activationacross

channels

Mostlyactivated.

Broadlyconsistent

withminorgaps

acrosschannels

Fullyactivated.

Consistent,clear,and

reinforcedvalue

proposition

Source:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Companieswithoutclarityfitapattern:Innovationsfallflat,featuresaccumulatethatdon’tsolve

customers’problemsandthatcustomersarenotwillingtopayfor,andperformanceswingswidelyacrosssellersandregions.Theresult:lostcustomersandslowergrowth.

Consideronetelecomproviderthattriedtorepurposeitsenterpriseservicesbundle(unchanged)for

smallbusinesscustomers.Smallbusinessesdidn’tneedhalfofwhatwasincludedandwouldn’tpayforit,makingmoretailoredcompetitorofferingsaneasychoice.Whenthecompanyresegmentedaroundbuyerneeds(notjustsize),ituncoveredinsightsthatthesalesteamusedtotailoroffers,anditregained

momentum.

TreatvaluepropositionasaCEO-andboard-leveltopic

Evenwhentheycan’tnamethecause,executivesarefamiliarwiththesymptomsofanunclearvalueproposition:

•productlaunchesthatdon’tstandoutfromthecompetitionbecausetheproductwasn’tdesignedfordifferentiation;

•sellersinventingthepropositiononthefly,leadingtoinconsistentwinrates;

•channelspendingthatdoesn’tconvertbecausetheofferisn’ttargeted;

•productinvestmentmisallocatedtowardfeaturesthatcustomersdon’tvalue;

•pricingdriftanddiscountingthatcontradictstheintendedposition;and

•internalfrictionacrossproduct,marketing,andsales.

Topperformerstreatvaluepropositionasstrategy,notmessaging.Inoursurvey,companieswithtop-quartilerevenuegrowththatalsoexceededtheirownmargintargetsrankedvalueproposition

differentiationastheirNo.1challenge,andtheymanageditdeliberately.Meanwhile,laggardsunderweighteddifferentiationortreateditasasalesexecutionissue.Winnersoutgrew

laggards25%to5%.

ValuepropositionbelongsontheCEOandboardagendabecauseitdirectlygovernstwoofthehardeststrategicquestionsregardingresourceallocationandcompetitiveadvantage:

•Resourceallocation:Wheretoinvest,whattobuild,whichbetstostop?

•Competitiveadvantage:Whatcanyoucrediblywinon,andhowdoyouproveit?

Further,nearlyhalf(49%)ofcompaniessaytheirbiggestvaluepropositionproblemsrelatetothecoreproductorservice.That’sanexistentialissue,notacommunicationsone(seeFigure2).

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Figure2:Whereexecutivessaytheirvaluepropositionbreaksdown

Biggestchallengestodifferentiatingvalueproposition,bypercentageofrespondents

12%

14%

24%

49%

Pricing

Customerexperience

Communicationsandbrand

Core

product/servicedifferentiation

1%

12%

14%

11%

13%

7%

16%

26%

Others

Pricingandcommercialmodeldonotreflectdeliveredvalue

CustomerexperienceisinconsistentacrosstouchpointsCompetitorscommunicatetheirvaluemoreeffectively

Messagingandbranddonotclearlyconveyourdifference

Ourofferingdoesnotmeetcustomerneedsbetterthancompetitors

Innovationpipelineistoolimitedtosustaindifferentiation

Productorservicebenefitsarenotdistinctiveenough

Source:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)

Startwithwhoyouselltoandwhytheybuy

Manycompaniesjumptothewhat—namely,features,bundles,andmessaging—beforealigningonthewhoandthewhy.Inengineering-ledorganizations,thatcancreateyearsoffeatureimprovementswithlimitedmarketpull.Whenresultsdisappoint,thefinger-pointingacrossproduct,marketing,andsalescanbecomecorrosive.

Evenwhencompaniestrytodefinethewho,theyoftendefaulttostraightforwardfirmographic

characteristicssuchascompanysizeorgeography.Butgrowthistypicallywon(orlost)onaddressingneeds,constraints,andbarrierstoswitching.

Historically,needs-basedsegmentationcouldbedifficulttomaintain.Today,companiescanusericher

internalandexternalsignalstoidentifyneeds-basedsegmentsearlierandrefreshthemfaster.Thesecanincludeusagepatterns,customerfeedback,win/lossinsights,digitalbehavior,andmarketsignals.SomeB2Binnovatorsarealsoexperimentingwithsyntheticcustomerpanelstodesignproducts,createasalespitch,optimizemessaging,andtraintheirfrontline.Thegoalisn’tnovelty;it’sspeedandprecisionin

definingthedesigntarget.

Oncethewhoisclear,thenextquestionis:Whydobuyerspurchasemyproductsorservicesover

competitors’productsorservices?Leadershipteamsoftenfallbackonconvenience,distribution,orprice.Thosecanmatterandoftenaretablestakes,buttheycanalsobeasurfaceexplanation.Ifyou’venever

seenshareshiftaftermatchingacompetitor’sprice,youdon’tyetknowwhetherpriceistrulydecisive.

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Designtheofferasasystem,notasalistoffeatures

Whencompaniesdofacethefactsonwhoandwhy,theyoftendiscoverthattheyneedtoadjustmorethanmessaging.Therightanswermightinvolverethinkingthecoreproductorservice,reworkingthepricingorpromotionstrategy,updatingmessaging,orrebranding.Toreapfullbenefits,allofthese

factorsneedtobeconsideredtogetherinanintegrated,cross-functionalway.

WhoandwhyshouldbetheguidinglightforinnovationandR&Dteams,steeringwhattheyspendtheirtimedeveloping.Features,brands,pricing,messaging,andcustomerexperiencearen’tworthanythingiftheyaren’tproperlytargeted.

Activatethevaluepropositionthroughcommercialteams

Commercialteamsdeliverthevaluepropositionthroughconversations,proposals,andnegotiations.

Thatactivationmuststartupstreamwithacleardigitalpresenceandcommercialleadershipinvolvedinstrategicchoices,including:

•wheretoplayandwherenottoplay;

•offerdesignandinnovationpriorities;and

•pricingstrategy.

Thatisthenoperationalizeddownstreamwith:

•messagingthatsellerscanuseconfidently;

•frontlineenablement;and

•customerengagement.

Whenthevaluepropositionisclear,sellerscanstopimprovisingandperformancebecomesmoreconsistent.

Makevaluepropositionsliving,notstatic

Winningcompaniestreattheirvaluepropositionassomethingtoconstantlytestandrefine.

Inoursurvey,40%ofrevenueandmarginleadershaveaprocesstotracktheirvalueproposition’s

relevanceandrefineitasneededcomparedwith26%oflaggards.Theheadofproductataglobalfinancialservicescompanynotedthathercompanyoncerefreshedmarketleadingcreditcardvaluepropositions

everytwoyearsandnowdoessoeverysixmonths.AIisfurtheracceleratingthiswiththemostagileandinnovativecompaniesrefreshingthemeveryfewweeks,days,orevenhours.

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Revisitingthevaluepropositionisn’tameasurementexercise.Donewell,itbringsfunctionstogether,

reengagescustomers,andpressuretestsdifferentiationagainstcompetitors’directions.Answerstobasicquestionssuchwhycustomersbuyfromusandnotourcompetitorscanbesurprising.

Revisitingthevaluepropositionisn’tameasurementexercise.

Leadingcompaniesembedcustomerfeedbackloopsandcompetitorresponsesintotheirday-to-day

workflows.Theyaresignificantlymorelikelytoemployadvancedresearchtechniquestomodelchoices,simulatedemand,analyzewinsandlosses,andmore.AndtheyuseAIanddigitaltoolstoautomate

testing,behavioranalysis,real-timeoptimization,andeventorefinetheirvalueproposition(seeFigure3).

Figure3:WinnersfrequentlyrefinetheirvaluepropositionanduseAI,customerfeedback,andprototypingtotestandrefineit

Source:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Wheretostart?

Executiveswhowanttogetabetterhandleontheirvaluepropositioncanstartwiththreepractical

moves:pickingoneofferandaligningonthebasics,testingandlearning,andmakingonesmallchange.

•Pickoneofferandalignonthebasics.Chooseanofferingindevelopmentoronethat’sstruggling.Then,askyourleadershipteamthefollowingquestions.

-Whoistheindividualdecisionmakerwearedesigningfor?

-Whataretheirrawneedsorproblemsthatwearesolving?

-Whywillthisdesigntargetdecisionmakerstochooseusoveralternatives?

Measurethedivergenceintheanswersyoureceive,andpushtoaligntheleadershipteamarounda

sharedanswerbackedupbydata.Then,usethattodiagnosewhereyourfeatures,pricing,customer

experience,gotomarket,ormessagingdon’tmatch.Pushtheteambeyondcommoditypositioningandtowardspecificity.

•Testandlearn.Pickaterritory,region,ormarket,andtestnewmessaging,pricing,promo,orfeaturesetsusingotherregionsasacontrol.Track,learn,pivot,andtryagain.

•Makeonesmallchangetohowyouoperate.Instituteacustomerfeedbacklooporinvitesalesrepstoyournextinnovationdebate.Everyjourneystartswithasinglestep.

Aclearvaluepropositiondrivescommercialperformanceandinnovationsuccess.Ifyoucan’tanswerwhothisisforandwhywewinwithconviction,yourgrowthplanwillstallout.

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B2BGrowthMasters’FormulaforRepeatably

CapturingNewCustomers

Surveydatashowswhatrevenueandmarginwinnersdodifferently—andhowtobuildasimilarsystem.

ByRishiDave,JordanLee,SimonKloeckner,MukarramBhaiji,andFionaWolnicki

AtaGlance

、Revenuegrowthwinnersusedata-drivenmodelstoprioritizeandfocusontherightcustomers,ourannualsurveyshows.

、Companiesthatexecuteeffectivesalesplaysincreaserevenueupto1.9timesfasterthanpeers.

、Companieswithastructuredoperatingrhythmdelivertwiceasmuchrevenuegrowthastheirpeers.

Ifyouwantmoreorganicgrowth,focuslessonthefinalstepsofthedealandmoreonthefullcustomerjourney.That’sthemessagefromthe1,125commercialleaderswhorespondedtoourlatestglobalcross-industryCommercialExcellencesurvey.Organizationswiththefastestrevenuegrowthandstrongest

margins—the“winners”—runarepeatablesystemacrossthejourney,frompresalethroughrenewal.

Manyorganizationsstilldon’toperatethisway.Forthosethatdo,thepayoffismaterial:Companiesthatexecutefourormoreprogrammaticsalesplaybestpracticesgrowrevenueupto1.9timesfasterthan

theirpeers(seeFigure1).Andwhenitcomestowinninganewcustomer,consistencymatters.

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B2BGrowthAgenda2026

Figure1:Organizationsexecutingsuccessfulsalesplaysgrowrevenueupto1.9timesfaster

Source:BainCommercialExcellenceLongitudinalSurvey,January2026(n=1,125)

Thedecisivemomentshappenearlierthanmostteamsthink

Manycompaniesconcentrateenergywherevalueisrealized—late-stagenegotiation—while

underinvestingintheearlierstepsthatcreatevalue.Inthesurvey,laggingorganizationspointedtopricingnegotiationasthedecisivemomenttowinnewcust