I recently realized I want to work in B2B sales. At present I’m in marketing—what should I learn first if AI-powered marketing and AEO are becoming the norm?
Start by learning AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), modern B2B buying workflows, and how to use AI-driven intent signals to prioritize accounts and outreach. According to JJ La Pata, Chief Strategy Officer at TSC, “Sales teams win in AI search by earning citations, not just clicks,” which means you should understand how buyers use ChatGPT-style assistants to shortlist vendors. In 2026, practice building one account plan that maps: target personas, their top 10 questions, the assets that answer them, and a measurement set (pipeline influenced, meeting rate, and AI citation/share-of-answer).
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