State of HubSpot 3.0: How The Best Do it Different — Panel Recap

At INBOUND 2025, New Breed hosted a packed session on what separates today’s top-performing companies from the rest. Our SVP of Revenue, Jonathan Burg, led a lively discussion with three of the brightest minds in the industry: Sydney Sloan (CMO, G2), Kerry Cunningham (Head of Research & Thought Leadership, 6sense), and Cathy McPhillips (CMO, SmarterX).

The conversation was grounded in findings from the State of HubSpot 3.0 report, which revealed a sobering truth: only 6% of revenue leaders feel confident about hitting their goals for the year. Yet a select group of companies is bucking that trend — growing faster, lowering CAC, and proving that it pays to do things differently.

Here are the big ideas that stood out.

Reinvention Isn’t Optional

Jonathan set the tone by reminding the audience that this year isn’t just about disruption or change. It’s about inventing an entirely new motion for how companies go to market.

• Sydney Sloan urged leaders to “burn it all down” — to replace outdated funnels with AI-first systems that move at the speed of the buyer. With 80% of buyers using AI in their research, if you’re not already on the shortlist, you may not get a shot.

• Kerry Cunningham observed that reinvention is already happening inside the tools we use, but too many still default to lead-based funnels. The opportunity lies in questioning those defaults and building strategies that reflect today’s buying groups.

• Cathy McPhillips stressed that iteration is the new normal. “Your AI strategy is only as strong as your courage to act before you’re comfortable,” she said.

Talent Is the True Differentiator

Jonathan highlighted one of the most important findings from the research: top performers aren’t just investing in tools — they’re investing in people and partners.

• Sydney defined top talent as adaptable, curious, and unafraid to write the next playbook. It’s not about age or tenure, but the ability to connect signals and act fast.

• Cathy explained how AI should amplify human impact, not replace it. At SmarterX, her team built internal agents like “PaulGPT” and “CathyGPT” to scale leadership knowledge, proving small teams can operate like enterprise engines when paired with AI.

GTM Shifts: From Funnels to Buying Groups

Jonathan reminded the room that last year he declared “Inbound is dead.” This year’s data confirms the pivot: companies are leaning into account-based and buyer-led strategies.

• Kerry shared that buying groups, not individuals, are the real unit of decision-making. AI is making those groups smaller and faster, and the job of GTM teams is to be ready when intent shows up.

• Sydney underscored the growing importance of brand. In an AI-driven world where buyers consult review sites, communities, and even LLMs before ever reaching your site, brand presence is how you earn a place in the conversation.

Data Is the Foundation of AI

“If you don’t have a data strategy, you don’t have an AI strategy,” Jonathan reminded the audience.

• Cathy pointed out that clean, consistent data without curious, trained people is just an expensive spreadsheet. Her advice: start small, remediate one dataset, test a use case, and build adoption from there.

• Kerry encouraged leaders to align boards around the metrics that matter, like buying group engagement, rather than falling back on outdated MQL counts.

Curious how your company stacks up? Talk to the Report — our interactive agent lets you explore the State of HubSpot 2025 data directly and get tailored insights for your team.

AI Maturity: We’re All at the Starting Line

Jonathan noted that 68% of companies admit they aren’t ready to capitalize on agents and autonomous AI.

• Cathy shared that lack of training is the biggest barrier. Many leaders are still playing catch-up, but “AI isn’t waiting. Your team doesn’t need another workshop; they need leadership,” she said.

• Sydney emphasized that while few organizations consider themselves experts, maturity is accelerating quickly. Enterprises may be slightly ahead, but AI is an equalizer, and the winners will be those who rethink their data strategy and align their teams holistically.

Bringing It Back to the Customer

Jonathan closed by underscoring what sets the best apart: mindset. Top-performing companies are more likely to describe HubSpot not as a CRM, but as a customer platform. That’s more than branding: it’s about aligning platforms, people, and strategy to serve customers end-to-end.

One-Sentence Advice From the Panelists

The panelists left the audience with memorable soundbites:

• Kerry Cunningham: Focus on enabling buyers, not forcing them.

• Cathy McPhillips: AI isn’t waiting — empower your team now.

• Sydney Sloan: Build your brand before you need it.

• Jonathan Burg: Put the customer first. Align people, data, and AI around outcomes that matter

The takeaway from the session was clear: the best don’t just work harder, they work differently. They rethink talent, brand, data, and AI maturity with the customer at the center — and that’s what allows them to thrive while others struggle.

👉 Dive deeper into the research: Download the State of HubSpot 2025 Report.