Faced with the complexity of the integration of AI into the company, the sales models based on viral adoption by the end user show their limits. The return of a top-down decision-making logic seems to be imposing itself, at least temporarily.
For more than a decade, the Product-Led Growth (PLG) has redefined Go-to-Market’s strategies in B2B software. Slack, zoom, concept, figma: so many school cases where adoption begins with users, before stretching organically to the rest of the organization. But the boom in artificial intelligence, and more specifically IA agents in business, seems Reintroduce a much more classic model: top-down sale, controlled by directions. With AI, it is a return to a descending sale. It is CIOs, function directors, decision -makers who buy and not users.
Why the product LED Growth reaches its limits in AI?
The Product LED Growth is based on three pillars: a simple to use product, an immediate value proposal for the user, and organic virality on a business scale. However, the integration of AI, in particular in sensitive environments (HR, finance, data governance), does not satisfy these three conditions ::
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- Use is often complex, interconnected with other systemsand difficulty isolated;
- The value is often indirect, collective, or deferred in time ;
- The issues of Compliance, security and governance slow down any spontaneous adoption.
So these are business directions and support functions (CIO, CFO, HRD) which are called upon to structure adoption, define the perimeters, validate suppliers, and control the king.
AI revalues the “business” sales cycle
As well as The sales teams capable of carrying out complex, long, and involving several stakeholders, take up a central place in the sale of IA solutions.
This top-down return does not mean an abandonment of the PLGbut a reassessment of its relevance according to the contexts. In the case of AI:
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- The created value often concerns the entire organization (cost reduction, redistribution of roles, process transformation).
- The implementation requires technical integrations, legal safeguards, change management.
- The data manipulated is often strategic, subject to strict rules of use.
So many reasons why The membership of the land is not enough, You need framing, validation and strategic management.
A new three -step adoption cycle
This dynamic could inaugurate a new cycle of deployment of AI technologies in business ::
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- Top-Down decision : the direction validates the introduction of an AI agent or an integrated AI platform.
- Transverse framing : CIO, Mets, Compliance and HR define the rules of use and value indicators.
- Progressive adoption : Users take charge of the tool, sometimes after a supervised training process.
The generalization of this cycle call into question certain reflexes modern SaaS publishers. Interfaces must be designed Not only for the end userbut also for IT teams, security, purchasesoften decisive in the choice.
A rebalancing more than a backtracking
It would be excessive to speak of a final burial of the PLG. The approach will remain relevant for simple, individual or low risk products. But in the case of IA technologies, the organizational impact level is such that the return to a structuring top-down logic is essential, If only to guarantee security, consistency and governance.
For IA startups, this means a skill rise on complex sale, management of strategic accounts, and dialogue with C-Level. For buyers, this supposes increased vigilance on the real value of IA agentsbeyond promotional discourse.
The AI era above all recalls thatNo sales model is universal And that the complexity of technologies requires permanent adaptation of sales methods.
