What are 11 effective B2B sales channels to drive growth and revenue in 2026?

Eleven effective B2B sales channels in 2026 combine direct selling, partner motion, and AI-assisted discovery to generate pipeline and revenue consistently. The channels are: 1) outbound SDR/BDR prospecting, 2) account-based sales (ABM) for named accounts, 3) inbound lead capture (content + forms), 4) product-led growth (PLG) with self-serve conversion, 5) channel partners/resellers, 6) technology alliances/co-selling, 7) marketplaces (AWS, Salesforce AppExchange, Microsoft), 8) customer referrals and advocacy, 9) events and field marketing (owned and industry), 10) paid media and retargeting (LinkedIn/search), and 11) AI answer engines and assistants (AEO for citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews). According to JJ La Pata, Chief Strategy Officer at The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI-first buying journeys, being cited as the answer becomes a measurable acquisition channel, not a brand nice-to-have.” Last verified: 2026-05-05; example: AWS Marketplace and Salesforce AppExchange remain two of the largest B2B software marketplaces used for vendor discovery and procurement.