What Today’s CROs Need to Know: Takeaways from the 2025 Pavilion CRO Summit

At this year’s Pavilion CRO Summit, one thing was clear: revenue leaders are navigating a very different go-to-market environment than just a few years ago. From AI to shifting buyer expectations to evolving pricing models, the CRO role has never been more complex — or more essential.

Here are six key takeaways and what they mean for growth-minded teams.

1. Buyer behavior has changed — permanently.

Millennial and Gen Z buyers now influence the majority of B2B buying decisions. And 65% begin their journey on social media. They self-educate, self-serve and expect to get 80-90% of the way through their journey before ever talking to sales. They trust peers over brands, and increasingly rely on AI tools to assess value before booking a demo.

What this means: Your GTM strategy must prioritize authenticity, credibility and peer-driven influence. Traditional outbound is less effective. Community, content and referrals are far more powerful.

2. AI is a GTM advantage, but only if it’s adopted strategically.

AI came up often at the summit, but less as a product trend and more as an operational strategy. Most companies still struggle to package AI meaningfully into their offering. Just 20% of buyers opt for AI add-ons, and only 8% actively use them.

What this means: AI isn’t a feature. It’s a strategy. It should shape how your team works through improved productivity, scalable workflows and smarter GTM execution.

3. Full-cycle selling is making a comeback.

Nearly half of companies now expect sellers to own the entire funnel, from prospecting to expansion. This shift is less about headcount and more about smarter, more effective systems through stronger discovery, better data and AI-enhanced workflows.

What this means:  Efficiency is the new scale. Rather than adding headcount, teams are building smarter systems and rethinking how to drive productivity across the funnel.

4. Pricing is a growth lever, not a finance function.

Traditional seat-based pricing is on its way out. More companies are embracing usage- and outcome-based models that align with customer value.

What this means: Pricing is strategic. It communicates value, signals your brand’s priorities and influences growth. It belongs in your GTM conversations.

5. GTM alignment is the difference between growth and chaos.

Only 11% of companies have strong sales–marketing alignment. Most still operate in silos, with disconnected handoffs, audiences and goals.

What this means: Ditch vanity metrics. Align around pipeline and revenue. Replace overlapping plans with integrated ones. The most effective GTM teams work as one.

6. User-led growth is the next frontier.

The traditional lead-gen model is shifting. Today’s most effective companies are creating value for users first, then scaling through experience, advocacy and network. If 500 customers bring in 10,000 users, and even 1% refer new business, that’s a system that scales itself.

What this means: This isn’t about short-term acquisition. It’s about long-term, sustainable growth built on value, experience and community.

The Bottom Line

This year’s summit wasn’t just about trends — it was about transformation. CROs today are expected to do more with less, think long-term while executing short-term and lead their teams through ambiguity with clarity.

For companies looking to thrive in this new era, the opportunity is clear— align your GTM teams, operationalize AI and obsess over how your buyers actually buy.

Want to see how today’s GTM strategies come to life in product? Let’s chat.