#44 - You're feeling the pressure. Every board meeting, every LinkedIn scroll, every all-hands - AI is the expectation. But here's what the data actually shows: as of mid-2025, only 7% of companies had truly operationalized AI. Not just handed out a ChatGPT license. Actually embedded it into how their teams work.
So if you've been wondering whether everyone else is further ahead than you - they're not. And what you do in 2026 to close that gap will determine how far ahead you get to be.
In this episode, Jonathan Kvarfordt (Coach K) joins Mandy Hornaday to break down what operationalizing AI actually looks like inside go-to-market teams - not the hype version, but the version backed by real conversation and pipeline data. Jonathan is VP of Go-to-Market Strategy and Marketing at Momentum.io, a conversational data platform recently acquired by Salesforce. He also teaches AI and sales at Bryant University and advises over ten companies on AI strategy and go-to-market.
If you're a CMO or marketing leader trying to figure out where to place your bets right now, this conversation will give you a much clearer lens.
In this episode:
- The 3 levels of AI change — optimization, amplification, and reinvention — and how to know which one your team is ready for
- Why operationalizing AI amplifies what already exists in your systems (good and bad) — and what to fix first
- A real example: how one sales team went from 15 BDRs generating 15% of pipeline to 4 BDRs generating 30% — and what it actually took
- Why your human genius may be the most durable competitive moat you have — even as AI gets smarter
- The AI tools Jonathan recommends for marketing leaders right now, including MindStudio, Profound, and Searchable
- How to stay cutting-edge when you're in a security-constrained enterprise environment
Chapter Markers:
(00:00) Welcome & Guest Introduction
(05:43) The Real State of AI Adoption
(09:08) 3 Levels of AI Change for GTM Teams
(19:14) Favorite AI Use Cases in Marketing
(27:14) Tools, Skills, and Where CMOs Should Start
Connect with Jonathan Kvarfordt:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmkmba/
- GTM AI Podcast
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Growth Activated is produced by Mandy Hornaday.
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