If AI can find the lead and write the email… what still separates the best GTM teams from everyone else?

In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran talks with Derek Evjenth, longtime go-to-market leader and current enterprise sales lead at Adobe, about what it really takes to build a successful GTM strategy in the age of AI. Derek draws on his journey from bootstrapped founder at Second Media to Salesforce enterprise rep, startup advisor, and now Adobe leader to explain why mastering fundamentals still beats chasing shortcuts. Together, they dig into how AI changes research and outreach, where human connection still wins, how to manage change inside sales orgs, and why maybe, just maybe, AI isn’t the secret to the last mile of selling.

Topics covered include:

• Fundamentals over shortcuts: Why a clear sales process, ICP definition, and stage discipline matter more than any single AI tool.
• AI as a force multiplier, not a closer: How AI can collapse hours of research into minutes — but can’t replace real conversations, trust, and in-person connection.
• The new AI-literate seller: Why BDRs, SDRs, and AEs need prompt engineering, call recording, and data hygiene as part of their core skill set.
• Beyond the sale: How post-sale partnership, call insights, and customer success alignment turn wins into long-term, referenceable relationships.

Episode ID: 18298698-the-role-of-ai-in-gtm-derek-evjenth-adobe

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