GTM Confidence Is Not a Strategy. It Is an Operating Discipline.
Last week, Magnus Consulting co-hosted a closed-door breakfast roundtable with Sojourn Solutions at The Ivy Tower Bridge in London. Senior GTM leaders from mid-market B2B organisations, each with ambitious FY26 growth targets joined the discussion.
The conversation was candid and constructive. The central tension was clear: growth ambition is rising, but confidence in execution is lagging.
The discussion aligned closely with Marcus Consulting’s GTM Confidence Index for FY26, which highlights a widening gap between target setting and belief in the GTM engine’s ability to deliver predictable results. A post-session survey captured leaders’ perspectives, providing a snapshot of where GTM confidence truly stands.
1. Alignment Is the Primary Constraint
Even after 90 minutes of discussion, 43% of leaders cited GTM alignment as the biggest barrier to growth over the next 12 months. Investment, data, and systems did not register as primary constraints.
The issue is structural: different targets, definitions, and incentives. The shift discussed in the room was clear: shared revenue KPIs, complementary objectives across leadership, and weekly commercial reviews focused on collective performance rather than functional defence.
For scaling mid-market businesses, alignment isn’t cultural, it’s commercial risk mitigation.
2. Confidence Is Improving, but Investment Discipline Lags
71% of leaders reported slightly higher confidence in executing their GTM strategy than a year ago, but only 29% were very or extremely confident that investments focus on the most critical components of the GTM engine.
Momentum is building, but allocation often remains disconnected from operational reality. Shared definitions, data hygiene, and enablement are frequently under-resourced, yet they are foundational. GTM confidence is deliberate: it comes from aligning ambition, capital, and capability.
3. Strategy Drift and the ICP Problem
Leaders cited difficulty maintaining a consistent ideal customer profile (ICP) when board direction shifts toward the latest opportunity. Broad ICPs dilute focus, fragment messaging, and weaken sales enablement.
Mid-market organisations under investor pressure feel this tension acutely. Quick wins may seem necessary, but without a three-year north star, constant pivoting compounds long-term costs. GTM confidence requires discipline, which requires executive guardrails.
4. Technology Is Not the Problem – Definitions Are
No one argued for more tools. Survey results confirmed that data and systems aren’t top constraints. The issue is inconsistent definitions: MQLs, lifecycle stages, and business logic often differ between sales and marketing.
The solution is operational, not glamorous: lock senior leaders with operations, agree definitions, hard-code them into systems, and create co-ownership. Technical debt often masks definition debt.
5. Brand Investment Versus Immediate Demand
Sustained brand investment and demand generation are complementary, not competing. In mid-market B2B, long-term advocacy, retention, and awareness often accelerate buyer journeys more effectively than constant top-of-funnel acquisition. Confidence grows when brand strategy is tied to commercial outcomes, not defended emotionally.
6. AI: Widespread Experimentation, Limited Transformation
Survey results:
- 57% report AI impact as early or limited
- 29% see a clear positive impact
- 14% describe AI as transformational
Experimentation is common; transformation is rare. Leaders are moving from productivity hacks to governance, establishing AI councils and centers of excellence. For mid-market teams, AI is augmentation, not a threat, it removes friction and protects brand consistency.
7. The Human Constraint
Change fatigue is real: repeated restructures, layered systems, and executive indecision burden teams. Technology rarely fails on capability, it fails on adoption. GTM confidence depends on stability, clarity, and consistent leadership.
What This Means for Mid-Market GTM Leaders in 2026
The roundtable concluded with five actionable paths to GTM effectiveness:
1. Hard-code shared definitions into systems.
2. Integrate sales and marketing operationally and physically.
3. Form cross-functional task forces with clear accountability.
4. Set executive guardrails to prevent strategic drift.
5. Move AI from experimentation to governed execution.
Insights reinforce the GTM Confidence Index: alignment remains the biggest constraint, investment confidence is uneven, and AI shows promise but is still maturing. Leaders are slightly more confident than last year, but full assurance is not yet achieved.
GTM confidence isn’t built on optimism – it comes from shared accountability, disciplined focus, and operational rigor. For mid-market GTM leaders entering FY26, the question isn’t whether targets are ambitious – it’s whether your organisation can deliver them.
Closing the GTM Confidence Gap
The gap between ambition and execution isn’t inevitable – it’s operational. Alignment can be engineered, definitions standardised, investments rationalised, and AI governed. Confidence can be deliberately built.
If you have ambitious growth targets but your GTM engine isn’t delivering, now is the time to act.
Magnus Consulting partners with mid-market B2B organisations to design, align, and operationalise revenue strategies that deliver predictable growth. If your GTM strategy is underperforming, our team is ready to help.
