The great B2B marketing reset: Why your team’s skills will define your success and growth trajectory

Today’s buyers are more demanding, more informed, and less patient. They’re forming opinions and evaluating providers well before they engage with them. Our 2024 Client Buying Index (CBX) survey revealed that 71% of winning providers emerge before the short-list stage of the buying process. That means that every engagement, every interaction must be timely, relevant, and deeply aligned with customer needs.

On top of that, tech is moving faster than ever. AI isn’t just changing the game – it’s rewriting the rules. And with new tech comes the need for new skills, new ways of working, and new ways of thinking.

Add in declining buyer trust, untapped opportunities across the partner ecosystem and shifting employee expectations – and it’s clear: B2B marketing isn’t just evolving. It’s being redefined.

To better understand how marketers are preparing for this future, we spoke to over 100 CMOs in Q1 2025 across NA, EMEA and APAC.

What we found: the skills gap is real – and growing.

Strategic capabilities are in high demand. CMOs are doubling down on areas like GTM strategy, campaign leadership, thought leadership, content and martech strategy, and customer advocacy.

Equally important: insight and analytics skills. Think market analysis, buyer journeys, financial fluency, and pricing. You can’t be client-led without them.

But hard skills are only half the story.

Soft skills are becoming make-or-break. The top three reported in our study:

• Communication – to clearly articulate value, vision, and strategy
• Collaboration – to break silos and work across functions and partners
• Business acumen & active listening – to align with the C-suite and customer reality

The takeaway? As leaders we need to invest in our teams to develop not only solid marketers but also business leaders. Strategic and soft skills are the dual engines of modern B2B marketing leadership.

Next, we turned our attention on how marketing leaders enable their teams and here's where things get uncomfortable.

Sales teams typically get structured onboarding, training, coaching, and clear career paths.

B2B marketing teams? Not so much.

Too often, marketers are handed a laptop and told to “just get going.” Sporadic training. Limited mentoring. Little alignment. It’s no wonder many teams struggle to elevate impact.

While nine in 10 CMOs say they now have a marketing enablement function, over half report that it sits outside the marketing org. And that matters.

In fact, high-growth companies are 50% more likely to house enablement inside marketing – where enablement can be tailored to marketing strategy, to skill gaps and not just generic L&D.

Even more telling? Just 41% of companies have reached the upper tiers of enablement maturity. That leaves a whopping 59% still in the early or sporadic stages.

We compared companies growing 6%+ annually with those that are flat or declining. The results were striking.

High-growth marketing organisations invest in:

• Bespoke, tailored training
• Formal external mentorship
• Internal SME coaching and peer learning

And how about low-growth companies? They lean on:

• Off-the-shelf content
• Conferences for a select few
• Self-directed learning with limited structure

The difference is clear: the best teams don’t just train – they enable. They connect learning to execution. And they make it tailored, ongoing, and embedded.

So, what can you do now?

If marketing is going to lead the business forward, we need to get serious about enablement. Start here:

1. Assess and identify the skills that matter most – hard and soft – and build plans to grow them.
2. Ditch one-off training. Build a structured, holistic enablement strategy – one that is assessment-led and competency outcome-led owned by marketing.
3. Create a culture of learning and accountability. Invest in your first-line managers to drive it (let’s take a page out of the sales playbook).

You don’t need to transform overnight. But you do need to start.

The next chapter of B2B marketing will belong to those who invest in their teams – and build the capabilities to lead through change.

Want to see how your team stacks up? Want to learn how to strengthen your marketing enablement strategies and design transformative learning experiences? Get in touch to learn more about the 2025 CMO Skills Study and where your biggest growth opportunities may lie.