AI is becoming a key tool in how businesses plan and grow, helping companies reach out to customers more effectively while still allowing humans to make important decisions. A recent report highlights that while AI can speed up outreach activities, it does not replace the need for thoughtful strategy. Commercial strategy has traditionally been shaped by top-level management, which sets goals and defines what products or services a company will offer. The commercial team is then responsible for selling these offerings and meeting revenue targets. This model still holds, as companies must first define their vision, decide on priorities, create products or services, and ensure they can deliver on their promises to customers. However, strategy is no longer just decided from the top down; it is also influenced by what sales and other teams learn from interacting with customers and the market. AI is transforming the role of sales teams by helping them prepare for meetings more efficiently. It can assist in researching companies, identifying contacts, writing personalized messages, analyzing sales opportunities, and even creating initial content for platforms like LinkedIn. These tools free up time for salespeople to focus on understanding customers, building relationships, and crafting value propositions. However, it’s important to remember that simply sending more emails or creating more content does not guarantee success. A company must still be targeting the right customers, offering clear value, and making thoughtful decisions about pricing and market positioning. AI can support these efforts but cannot replace the need for reflection and strategic thinking. At the heart of any commercial strategy are key decisions: which markets to enter, which customers to serve, what problems to solve better than competitors, and what promises to make. AI can help by speeding up data analysis, uncovering hidden insights, and improving team efficiency. But it does not make decisions for the company. It cannot replace a clear vision, the tough choices that come with strategy, or the ability to truly listen to customers. The commercial team can take on a more strategic role by acting as a bridge between the company’s vision, the data available, and the real experiences of customers. Marketing and sales teams work together to test strategies in the real world. Marketing provides a structured understanding of the market, target audiences, and messaging, while sales teams test these ideas through real conversations, negotiations, and customer decisions. This collaboration allows the company to learn and adapt more quickly. The challenge in the coming years will not be to use AI just for finding more customers, but to use it to better understand the market, listen more closely to customers, share information more effectively between teams, and make smarter growth decisions. While technology can speed up actions, only a clear and thoughtful strategy ensures that this speed leads to meaningful results.