Scan • Download • Personalize Find more content like this on the McKinsey Insights App The widening performance gap documented in this year’s survey—most visible in revenue growth and sales effectiveness—is not the result of incremental optimization. It reflects a deeper redesign of the commercial engine. Leaders are connecting hyperpersonalization, scaled AI, and disciplined account-based sales governance into reinforcing systems that learn, adapt, and compound advantage over time. This shift raises the stakes for B2B executives. The question is no longer whether to invest in AI, personalization, or account-based marketing. Most organizations already have. The question is whether those investments are integrated into a coherent commercial architecture capable of sustained growth. — — — — — — — — In an environment defined by macroeconomic uncertainty, rising buyer expectations, and accelerating technological change, incremental improvements will not close the gap. The companies pulling ahead are redesigning how revenue is generated, managed, and scaled. They are embedding intelligence into workflows, clarifying accountability, and treating the commercial system itself as a source of competitive advantage. The market has entered a new phase. For B2B leaders, the path forward—while demanding—is increasingly well defined. Clearing the baseline keeps organizations in the game. Building an integrated, data-driven revenue engine determines who sets the pace. 18 The surprising economics of B2B growth: The new survival threshold—and what it takes to thrive Designed by McKinsey Global Publishing Copyright © 2026 McKinsey & Company. All rights reserved. Candace Lun Plotkin is a partner in McKinsey’s Boston office; Enrique Gonzalez Campuzano is a senior partner in the Madrid office, where Victor Garcia de la Torre is a partner; Greg Kelly and Steve Reis are senior partners in the Atlanta office; Tjark Freundt is a senior partner in the Hamburg office; and Jennifer Stanley is a partner in the London office. The authors wish to thank David Greenawalt, Kate Piwonski, and Mandar Harshe for their contributions to this article. The article was edited by Larry Kanter, a senior editor in the New York office.