How to Build a Modern AI Revenue Engine: Move Beyond Leads to Buying Groups

I recently sat down with Jeremy Schwartz, Head of Global Sales Strategy at Palo Alto Networks, for a conversation that I think every revenue leader should hear. We talked about how sales has evolved beyond chasing leads. And the teams that win are the ones engaging full buying groups with AI-powered workflows that create visibility, scalability, and predictability across the revenue cycle. 

It’s the conversation I wish I’d had years ago when my own team was buried in disconnected tools and partial pipeline visibility. The world of B2B buying has changed. Today, no single contact makes the decision, and no single rep can carry the deal alone. 

Here’s a look at what Jeremy and I discussed, and how you can start building your own modern AI revenue engine. (Or, if you’d rather watch the full discussion, check out the Modern AI Revenue Engine on-demand webinar.) 

Why buying groups beat MQLs for complex B2B deals  

I’ve seen it time and again: teams still running plays designed for MQLs where they treat one person as the “lead”, even though enterprise buying decisions involve 8, 10, sometimes 15 people. 

As Jeremy put it during our chat, “You can’t win modern deals with a single-threaded mindset.” I couldn’t agree more. The “one-lead trap” gives you a false sense of progress — you’re nurturing one contact while the rest of the buying committee is invisible, moving the deal forward (or stalling it) behind the scenes. 

When we shifted to engaging buying groups, everything changed. Suddenly, reps weren’t guessing who was involved or where the blockers were. They had visibility into roles, relationships, and engagement patterns across accounts, which translated into better forecast predictability. 

At Outreach, we’ve operationalized this mindset through multi-threading sales motions and AI workflows that surface the entire buying committee, so reps can act faster and smarter. 

Start small, prove impact, then scale

One of my favorite parts of the conversation with Jeremy was his story about piloting buying-group engagement at Palo Alto Networks. Instead of flipping the whole process overnight, he started with one motion and used results to prove impact. 

That approach resonates deeply with me. Whenever I roll out new motions with my own team, I say the same thing: Start small, show results, then scale. 

Here’s what that looks like in practice: 

• Pick a focused segment — where you have clear ICP alignment and active deals. 
• Define your buying group — identify known champions and likely influencers. 
• Use AI to fill in the gaps — don’t waste cycles guessing who’s involved. 
• Measure coverage and velocity — prove that engaging full groups shortens cycles or boosts win rates. 

Once you have data to back it up, you’ll have a much easier time getting broader buy-in across teams. 

The 3 AI Agents that make buying groups executable 

I’m a big believer in execution over theory. Defining a buying group is great, but if your team can’t act on that information at scale, it doesn’t move the needle. 

That’s where AI Agents come in. These agents make buying-group strategies repeatable and scalable across your entire revenue motion. 

Research Agent: Identify the group and the gaps 

Before any outreach, I want my reps to know who’s in the room. The Research Agent helps us do exactly that: surfacing decision-makers, influencers, and missing contacts based on signals from emails, meetings, and company data. 

One of my favorite shortcuts is the “Executive Breakdown” prompt. In seconds, it maps the full buying committee so reps don’t have to guess who’s in the room. Suddenly, multi-threaded outreach isn’t just possible, it’s efficient and repeatable, giving your team a clear plan for engaging every stakeholder that matters. 

Revenue Agent: Multi-thread at scale without losing relevance 

Engaging a buying group manually is time-consuming. Crafting tailored messages for 10–15 stakeholders could eat an entire day. The Revenue Agent automates this motion, allowing reps to reach multiple stakeholders with targeted, role-based messaging across email and LinkedIn. 

I meant it when I said, “If you’ve ever spent two hours crafting one email, this will change your world.” Reps stay personal and relevant while scaling engagement across the group. 

Deal Agent: Keep methodology fields clean and forecasts trustworthy 

As a sales leader, I know firsthand that forecast accuracy can make or break a quarter. One missed update or a stale deal stage can ripple across the entire revenue plan. That’s where the Deal Agent comes in.  

It automates deal hygiene by scanning calls, emails, and meetings to recommend updates to methodology fields, so reps can stay focused on selling instead of data entry. The result? Managers and leaders get trustworthy, real-time data to make confident decisions, pipelines stay cleaner, and forecasts become far more predictable. 

In my experience, having that visibility doesn’t just reduce the Sunday scaries for my team. It actually helps the team close deals faster because everyone knows exactly what’s next and where to focus their energy. 

How to operationalize buying groups in your org

If I were rolling this out tomorrow, here’s exactly how I’d start: 

1. Pick your target segment – Focus on accounts where engagement will move the needle. Active deals and clear ICP alignment make it easier to prove impact fast. 
2. Map the buying group – List known stakeholders and let AI fill in the gaps. Who’s missing from the conversation? Who really influences the deal? 
3. Launch multi-threaded outreach – Reach everyone in the group with role-based, personalized messaging. Connect the dots across contacts instead of blasting generic emails. 
4. Capture and connect meeting insights – Every call, email, and touchpoint matters. Feed those signals back into your CRM and share with marketing so campaigns stay aligned. 
5. Review weekly – Track coverage, velocity, and next steps. Ask: Are we engaging the right people? Are deals moving? Adjust fast, keep the motion disciplined. 

Start small, repeat the sequence, prove results, then scale. Use this as a playbook for turning buying groups into visible, predictable, actionable revenue. 

4 Common pitfalls and how to avoid them 

Sales teams often stumble in the same spots when tackling buying groups. Here’s what trips people up: 

• Waiting for the champion’s permission – Too many reps freeze, thinking they can’t engage other stakeholders without a single contact’s green light. Truth? Start mapping and reaching the group in parallel. Outreach flags coverage gaps so you never miss a key player. 
• Over-personalizing for one role – Spending hours crafting the “perfect” message for one person kills momentum. With AI-driven multi-threading, you can hit every stakeholder with the right touch, without reinventing the wheel. 
• Disconnected tools and messy workflows – Spreadsheets, scattered notes, and siloed systems make it impossible to see the full picture. Outreach unifies every touchpoint so engagement is visible, predictable, and easy to track. 
• Manual follow-up chaos – Forgotten follow-ups, repeated tasks, missed signals slow momentum. Deal Agent automates pipeline hygiene and next-step prompts so reps can focus on selling, not tracking. 

Key takeaways from the webinar 

I know I shared a lot, but here’s what Jeremy and I want every revenue leader to remember from our conversation: 

• Buying groups reflect how complex deals actually get done – One contact doesn’t equal one decision. Map the group early. 
• Start small, then scale with proof – Pilot, measure results, and expand what works. 
• AI Agents operationalize strategy – Research, Revenue, and Deal Agents turn messy manual work into repeatable, scalable actions. 
• Unified workflows create visibility and predictability – Connect engagement signals across the revenue cycle to boost forecast accuracy and deal velocity. 
• Multi-threading is non-negotiable – Engaging the full buying committee keeps momentum alive and reduces stalled deals. 

If you take one thing away, let it be this: Start small, use AI to simplify the motion, and keep the full buying group visible. That’s how you build a revenue engine that actually works.