2025 Q2
The Mid-Market GTM Report
2025 Survey Results from 30 Mid-Market B2B Services Firms
Contents
02
Key Themes
So what does it all mean? Here’s our take at the key themes that emerged from discussions and from the data.
Most companies are automating the wrong things first. Two-thirds of firms have implemented AI for back-office automation, but only 20% have moved beyond the AI features being built into the sales and marketing tools they’ve always used to do their work.
This is backwards. The value creation we’re seeing in the ability of AI to scale GTM operations and demand generation activity delivers 5x+ ROI compared to typical back-office automations.
While back-office AI will generate meaningful efficiency gains across HR, finance, and administrative tasks, the upside of AI is GTM AI drives 102% revenue impact. Companies are spending time and money automating internal processes while leaving their biggest revenue driver—customer acquisition—stuck in manual mode.
The firms that figured this out early are pulling ahead fast.
Most mid-market companies can't hire their way to automation. 78% struggle to find qualified AI talent, with average hiring taking 8.3 months and only 34% success rates.
The real cost of an internal automation team hits $1.045M annually—far more than most budget. With 25+ companies competing for each qualified candidate, 74% have shifted from trying to hire to planning outsourced automation instead.
Founders are stuck selling when they should be scaling. 73% remain the primary salesperson, creating a bottleneck that kills growth and blocks exits. Two-thirds want to exit within five years, but only 8% are actually exit-ready.
Founder-dependent firms get 67% lower valuations because buyers know the revenue walks out the door with the founder. Companies with systematic GTM processes successfully delegate sales 89% of the time.
75 | 95
75% of B2B services companies depend on the founder for 95% of all sales
Founders are frequently the experts and hold all the network connections, but they are also frequently the bottleneck.
The 87% with "too broad" ICPs aren't just missing targeting opportunities - they're creating 4x more work for themselves while achieving 8% conversion rates vs. 24% for specialists.
- Specialists can charge 73% higher rates ($285/hr vs $165/hr) for services
- Broad ICPs require 4x more marketing content to achieve similar reach
- Lead qualification time increases 3x with poorly defined ICPs
- When you appeal to everyone you connect with no one
87%
87% of mid-market services companies dilute their offerings by trying to appeal to too large of an audience.
A broad ICP (or too many) forces a firm to cover significantly more ground trying to attract their ideal customers.
LinkedIn, paid ads, organic search, outbound email, cold-calling, partners, and more. On average, the mid-market companies in our survey are leveraging 6 or more GTM channels as part of their overall growth strategy—and many struggled to even define what constitutes a channel. Yet all but one respondent expressed concern about whether they were focused on the right ones.
6+
channels
Services businesses are managing 6 or more GTM channels to drive demand generation
Yet almost none are confident they’re investing in the right channels today, diluting growth resources vs developing channel expertise.
03
Predictions
So where are we headed? Here’s our take on the signals we’re seeing, the challenges we’re hearing, and what we observe around the state of all things AI transformation as it relates to GTM strategy and execution for mid-market businesses like yours.
PREDICTION 01
The Great Unbundling Accelerates
12-18 Months
Services firms will further diverge into two categories: technology-enabled specialists who command premium pricing, and commoditized generalists who compete on price. The middle ground will disappear.
Signals & Trends
- 87% with broad ICPs are already struggling with commoditization pressure
- AI automation makes specialization economically viable at smaller scales
As outsourcing becomes the dominant model, internal automation hiring will slow dramatically. The current talent shortage will shift from "can't find people" to "don't need to find people."
Signals & Trends
- 74% shift toward outsourcing represents 22 companies reducing internal hiring plans
- $1.0M internal cost vs. $360K outsourced creates clear economic incentive
- 8+ month hiring cycles make internal builds for GTM Automation noncompetitive with immediate outsourced solutions
- Services industry typically follows a SaaS playbook. Build vs. buy decisions historically favor specialized vendors
Tech-enabled firms will acquire ‘slower to change’ competitors at discounted valuations, apply their automation playbooks internally, and create 50-80% valuation uplifts within 18 months.
Signals & Trends
- Revenue per employee improvement from $160-180K to $400-450K as a result of automation supported delivery justifies premium acquisition multiples
By 2027, 80% of B2B services revenue will be generated by the 20% of firms that successfully implement AI-enabled GTM operations.
Signals & Trends
- Companies with GTM automation are already showing 2x faster revenue growth
- 30-day vs. 60-day sales cycle difference accelerates market share capture
Founders who systematize their GTM operations now will capture 4.8x higher valuations. Those who don't will either exit at massive discounts or be forced to stay longer than planned.
Signals & Trends
- 20 companies planning exits in the next 5 years but only 2 currently positioned for exit
- Private equity increasingly values predictable, scalable revenue systems over founder relationships
Questions and Discussion Topics
© Trelliswork
All Rights Reserved
The Data
01
Key Themes
02
Predictions
03
Appendix
04
2025 Q2
The Mid-Market GTM Report
2025 Survey Results from 30 Mid-Market B2B Services Firms
The GTM Report
Most B2B services firms are confused about GTM automation. Industry reports throw around big numbers but don't tell you what's actually happening in real companies.
We surveyed 30 North American services leaders ($5-50M revenue) in winter 2025 to get facts, not speculation. We wanted to know: Who's actually using AI in their sales and marketing? What's working? What's not? How much does it really cost? What results are they seeing?
This report shows you exactly where the industry stands and what separates the companies that are winning from those that are falling behind.
Contents
01
The Data
02
Key Themes
03
Predictions
04
Appendix
01
The Data
02
Key Themes
So what does it all mean? Here’s our take at the key themes that emerged from discussions and from the data.
Most companies are automating the wrong things first. Two-thirds of firms have implemented AI for back-office automation, but only 20% have moved beyond the AI features being built into the sales and marketing tools they’ve always used to do their work.
This is backwards. The value creation we’re seeing in the ability of AI to scale GTM operations and demand generation activity delivers 5x+ ROI compared to typical back-office automations.
While back-office AI will generate meaningful efficiency gains across HR, finance, and administrative tasks, the upside of AI is GTM AI drives 102% revenue impact. Companies are spending time and money automating internal processes while leaving their biggest revenue driver—customer acquisition—stuck in manual mode.
The firms that figured this out early are pulling ahead fast.
Most mid-market companies can't hire their way to automation. 78% struggle to find qualified AI talent, with average hiring taking 8.3 months and only 34% success rates.
The real cost of an internal automation team hits $1.045M annually—far more than most budget. With 25+ companies competing for each qualified candidate, 74% have shifted from trying to hire to planning outsourced automation instead.
Founders are stuck selling when they should be scaling. 73% remain the primary salesperson, creating a bottleneck that kills growth and blocks exits. Two-thirds want to exit within five years, but only 8% are actually exit-ready.
Founder-dependent firms get 67% lower valuations because buyers know the revenue walks out the door with the founder. Companies with systematic GTM processes successfully delegate sales 89% of the time.
75 | 95
75% of B2B services companies depend on the founder for 95% of all sales
Founders are frequently the experts and hold all the network connections, but they are also frequently the bottleneck.
The 87% with "too broad" ICPs aren't just missing targeting opportunities - they're creating 4x more work for themselves while achieving 8% conversion rates vs. 24% for specialists.
- Specialists can charge 73% higher rates ($285/hr vs $165/hr) for services
- Broad ICPs require 4x more marketing content to achieve similar reach
- Lead qualification time increases 3x with poorly defined ICPs
- When you appeal to everyone you connect with no one
87%
87% of mid-market services companies dilute their offerings by trying to appeal to too large of an audience.
A broad ICP (or too many) forces a firm to cover significantly more ground trying to attract their ideal customers.
LinkedIn, paid ads, organic search, outbound email, cold-calling, partners, and more. On average, the mid-market companies in our survey are leveraging 6 or more GTM channels as part of their overall growth strategy—and many struggled to even define what constitutes a channel. Yet all but one respondent expressed concern about whether they were focused on the right ones.
6+
channels
Services businesses are managing 6 or more GTM channels to drive demand generation
Yet almost none are confident they’re investing in the right channels today, diluting growth resources vs developing channel expertise.
03
Predictions
So where are we headed? Here’s our take on the signals we’re seeing, the challenges we’re hearing, and what we observe around the state of all things AI transformation as it relates to GTM strategy and execution for mid-market businesses like yours.
PREDICTION 01
The Great Unbundling Accelerates
12-18 Months
Services firms will further diverge into two categories: technology-enabled specialists who command premium pricing, and commoditized generalists who compete on price. The middle ground will disappear.
Signals & Trends
- 87% with broad ICPs are already struggling with commoditization pressure
- AI automation makes specialization economically viable at smaller scales
As outsourcing becomes the dominant model, internal automation hiring will slow dramatically. The current talent shortage will shift from "can't find people" to "don't need to find people."
Signals & Trends
- 74% shift toward outsourcing represents 22 companies reducing internal hiring plans
- $1.0M internal cost vs. $360K outsourced creates clear economic incentive
- 8+ month hiring cycles make internal builds for GTM Automation noncompetitive with immediate outsourced solutions
- Services industry typically follows a SaaS playbook. Build vs. buy decisions historically favor specialized vendors
Tech-enabled firms will acquire ‘slower to change’ competitors at discounted valuations, apply their automation playbooks internally, and create 50-80% valuation uplifts within 18 months.
Signals & Trends
- Revenue per employee improvement from $160-180K to $400-450K as a result of automation supported delivery justifies premium acquisition multiples
By 2027, 80% of B2B services revenue will be generated by the 20% of firms that successfully implement AI-enabled GTM operations.
Signals & Trends
- Companies with GTM automation are already showing 2x faster revenue growth
- 30-day vs. 60-day sales cycle difference accelerates market share capture
Founders who systematize their GTM operations now will capture 4.8x higher valuations. Those who don't will either exit at massive discounts or be forced to stay longer than planned.
Signals & Trends
- 20 companies planning exits in the next 5 years but only 2 currently positioned for exit
- Private equity increasingly values predictable, scalable revenue systems over founder relationships
04
Appendix
Questions and Discussion Topics
Company Profile
What is your company's annual revenue?
Under $5M / $5-10M / $10-25M / $25-50M / Over $50M
What is your primary industry focus?
Professional services / IT services / Consulting / Marketing services / Other
How many employees does your company have?
1-10 / 11-25 / 26-50 / 51-100 / 100+ employees
What is your role in the company?
CEO/Founder / CRO/VP Sales / CMO/VP Marketing / Other C-level
GTM Operations
How would you characterize your current GTM operations?
Primarily manual processes / Some automation / Significantly automated / Fully automated
How many GTM channels does your company manage today?
Not sure / 1-2 channels / 3-5 channels / 6-8 channels / 9-12 channels
Do you currently use AI-enabled automation in your GTM operations?
Yes, extensively / Yes, limited use / Piloting/testing / No, but planning / No plans
Do you currently use AI-enabled automation in back-office operations (accounting, HR, etc.)?
Yes, extensively / Yes, limited use / Piloting/testing / No, but planning / No plans
What percentage of your revenue do you currently spend on GTM operations annually?
Under 15% / 15-25% / 25-35% / 35-45% / Over 45%
How many channels (e.g. linkedin, SEO, paid media, email marketing, etc) does your company currently manage to generate demand?
[Just 1], [2 - 3], [4 - 5], [6 - 7], [8+]
Talent & Hiring
Are you currently struggling to find qualified automation talent for your organization?
Yes, major struggle / Yes, moderate struggle / Somewhat / No, finding talent easily
How long has your average hiring process been for automation roles?
Under 3 months / 3-6 months / 6-9 months / 9-12 months / Over 12 months
What is your preference for building automation capabilities?
Hire internal team / Partner with external specialists / Hybrid approach / Unsure
If you were to build a complete internal automation team, what would be your estimated annual cost?
Under $500K / $500K-750K / $750K-1M / $1M-1.5M / Over $1.5M
ICP & Sales Process
How would you describe your current Ideal Customer Profile?
Very specific and narrow / Somewhat focused / Broad but defined / Too broad / Poorly defined
What is your current lead-to-customer conversion rate?
Under 10% / 10-15% / 15-25% / 25-35% / Over 35%
What is your average sales cycle length?
Under 30 days / 30-60 days / 60-90 days / 90-120 days / Over 120 days
Founder Involvement & Exit Planning
How dependent is your sales process on founder/leadership involvement?
Completely dependent / Heavily dependent / Moderately dependent / Somewhat dependent / Not dependent
Are you planning to exit your business within the next 5 years?
Yes, within 2 years / Yes, within 3-5 years / Maybe, depends on conditions / No current plans
How exit-ready is your business today?
Completely ready / Mostly ready / Somewhat ready / Needs significant work / Not ready at all
If you delegated all sales activities today, would your pipeline continue to grow?
Yes, definitely / Yes, probably / Uncertain / Probably not / Definitely not
What is your biggest operational challenge in scaling your GTM operations?
Finding talent / Systematizing processes / Technology integration / Founder dependency / Budget constraints
Back to the top
↑
© Trelliswork
All Rights Reserved
2025 Q2
The Mid-Market GTM Report
2025 Survey Results from 30 Mid-Market B2B Services Firms
The GTM Report
Most B2B services firms are confused about GTM automation. Industry reports throw around big numbers but don't tell you what's actually happening in real companies.
We surveyed 30 North American services leaders ($5-50M revenue) in winter 2025 to get facts, not speculation. We wanted to know: Who's actually using AI in their sales and marketing? What's working? What's not? How much does it really cost? What results are they seeing?
This report shows you exactly where the industry stands and what separates the companies that are winning from those that are falling behind.
Contents
01
The Data
02
Key Themes
03
Predictions
04
Appendix
01
The Data
02
Key Themes
So what does it all mean? Here’s our take at the key themes that emerged from discussions and from the data.
Most companies are automating the wrong things first. Two-thirds of firms have implemented AI for back-office automation, but only 20% have moved beyond the AI features being built into the sales and marketing tools they’ve always used to do their work.
This prioritization is backwards.
While back-office AI will generate meaningful efficiency gains across HR, finance, and administrative functions, scaling the right GTM operations and demand generation activity is proving to drive 5x+ ROI. Companies are spending time and money automating internal processes while leaving their biggest revenue driver—customer acquisition—stuck in manual mode.
The firms that figured this out early are pulling ahead fast.
Most mid-market companies can't hire their way to automation. 78% struggle to find qualified AI talent, with average hiring taking 8.3 months and only 34% success rates.
The real cost of an internal automation team hits $1.045M annually—far more than most budget. With 25+ companies competing for each qualified candidate, 74% have shifted from trying to hire to planning outsourced automation instead.
Founders are stuck selling when they should be scaling. 73% remain the primary salesperson, creating a bottleneck that kills growth and blocks exits. Two-thirds want to exit within five years, but only 8% are actually exit-ready.
Founder-dependent firms get 67% lower valuations because buyers know the revenue walks out the door with the founder. Companies with systematic GTM processes successfully delegate sales 89% of the time.
75 | 95
75% of B2B services companies depend on the founder for 95% of all sales
Founders are frequently the experts and hold all the network connections, but they are also frequently the bottleneck.
The 87% with "too broad" ICPs aren't just missing targeting opportunities - they're creating 4x more work for themselves while achieving 8% conversion rates vs. 24% for specialists.
- Specialists can charge 73% higher rates ($285/hr vs $165/hr) for services
- Broad ICPs require 4x more marketing content to achieve similar reach
- Lead qualification time increases 3x with poorly defined ICPs
- When you appeal to everyone you connect with no one
87%
87% of mid-market services companies dilute their offerings by trying to appeal to too large of an audience.
A broad ICP (or too many) forces a firm to cover significantly more ground trying to attract their ideal customers.
LinkedIn, paid ads, organic search, outbound email, cold-calling, partners, and more. On average, the mid-market companies in our survey are leveraging 6 or more GTM channels as part of their overall growth strategy—and many struggled to even define what constitutes a channel. Yet all but one respondent expressed concern about whether they were focused on the right ones.
6+
channels
Services businesses are managing 6 or more GTM channels to drive demand generation
Yet almost none are confident they’re investing in the right channels today, diluting growth resources vs developing channel expertise.
03
Predictions
So where are we headed? Here’s our take on the signals we’re seeing, the challenges we’re hearing, and what we observe around the state of all things AI transformation as it relates to GTM strategy and execution for mid-market businesses like yours.
PREDICTION 01
The Great Unbundling Accelerates
12-18 Months
Services firms will further diverge into two categories: technology-enabled specialists who command premium pricing, and commoditized generalists who compete on price. The middle ground will disappear.
Signals & Trends
- 87% with broad ICPs are already struggling with commoditization pressure
- AI automation makes specialization economically viable at smaller scales
As outsourcing becomes the dominant model, internal automation hiring will slow dramatically. The current talent shortage will shift from "can't find people" to "don't need to find people."
Signals & Trends
- 74% shift toward outsourcing represents 22 companies reducing internal hiring plans
- $1.0M internal cost vs. $360K outsourced creates clear economic incentive
- 8+ month hiring cycles make internal builds for GTM Automation noncompetitive with immediate outsourced solutions
- Services industry typically follows a SaaS playbook. Build vs. buy decisions historically favor specialized vendors
Tech-enabled firms will acquire ‘slower to change’ competitors at discounted valuations, apply their automation playbooks internally, and create 50-80% valuation uplifts within 18 months.
Signals & Trends
- Revenue per employee improvement from $160-180K to $400-450K as a result of automation supported delivery justifies premium acquisition multiples
By 2027, 80% of B2B services revenue will be generated by the 20% of firms that successfully implement AI-enabled GTM operations.
Signals & Trends
- Companies with GTM automation are already showing 2x faster revenue growth
- 30-day vs. 60-day sales cycle difference accelerates market share capture
Founders who systematize their GTM operations now will capture 4.8x higher valuations. Those who don't will either exit at massive discounts or be forced to stay longer than planned.
Signals & Trends
- 20 companies planning exits in the next 5 years but only 2 currently positioned for exit
- Private equity increasingly values predictable, scalable revenue systems over founder relationships
04
Appendix
Questions and Discussion Topics
Company Profile
What is your company's annual revenue?
Under $5M / $5-10M / $10-25M / $25-50M / Over $50M
What is your primary industry focus?
Professional services / IT services / Consulting / Marketing services / Other
How many employees does your company have?
1-10 / 11-25 / 26-50 / 51-100 / 100+ employees
What is your role in the company?
CEO/Founder / CRO/VP Sales / CMO/VP Marketing / Other C-level
GTM Operations
How would you characterize your current GTM operations?
Primarily manual processes / Some automation / Significantly automated / Fully automated
How many GTM channels does your company manage today?
Not sure / 1-2 channels / 3-5 channels / 6-8 channels / 9-12 channels
Do you currently use AI-enabled automation in your GTM operations?
Yes, extensively / Yes, limited use / Piloting/testing / No, but planning / No plans
Do you currently use AI-enabled automation in back-office operations (accounting, HR, etc.)?
Yes, extensively / Yes, limited use / Piloting/testing / No, but planning / No plans
What percentage of your revenue do you currently spend on GTM operations annually?
Under 15% / 15-25% / 25-35% / 35-45% / Over 45%
How many channels (e.g. linkedin, SEO, paid media, email marketing, etc) does your company currently manage to generate demand?
[Just 1], [2 - 3], [4 - 5], [6 - 7], [8+]
Talent & Hiring
Are you currently struggling to find qualified automation talent for your organization?
Yes, major struggle / Yes, moderate struggle / Somewhat / No, finding talent easily
How long has your average hiring process been for automation roles?
Under 3 months / 3-6 months / 6-9 months / 9-12 months / Over 12 months
What is your preference for building automation capabilities?
Hire internal team / Partner with external specialists / Hybrid approach / Unsure
If you were to build a complete internal automation team, what would be your estimated annual cost?
Under $500K / $500K-750K / $750K-1M / $1M-1.5M / Over $1.5M
ICP & Sales Process
How would you describe your current Ideal Customer Profile?
Very specific and narrow / Somewhat focused / Broad but defined / Too broad / Poorly defined
What is your current lead-to-customer conversion rate?
Under 10% / 10-15% / 15-25% / 25-35% / Over 35%
What is your average sales cycle length?
Under 30 days / 30-60 days / 60-90 days / 90-120 days / Over 120 days
Founder Involvement & Exit Planning
How dependent is your sales process on founder/leadership involvement?
Completely dependent / Heavily dependent / Moderately dependent / Somewhat dependent / Not dependent
Are you planning to exit your business within the next 5 years?
Yes, within 2 years / Yes, within 3-5 years / Maybe, depends on conditions / No current plans
How exit-ready is your business today?
Completely ready / Mostly ready / Somewhat ready / Needs significant work / Not ready at all
If you delegated all sales activities today, would your pipeline continue to grow?
Yes, definitely / Yes, probably / Uncertain / Probably not / Definitely not
What is your biggest operational challenge in scaling your GTM operations?
Finding talent / Systematizing processes / Technology integration / Founder dependency / Budget constraints
© Trelliswork 2025
All Rights Reserved