Valentin

AI agents are now part of the sales stack. That part is over. Salesforce’s 2026 State of Sales report found that 87% of sales organizations already use some form of AI, and 54% have deployed AI agents across the sales cycle. Sellers expect agents to cut prospect research time

AI does not replace OSINT methodology. It compresses it. The rep who knows where to look still wins. What changes in 2026 is speed. A seller who understands how to point AI at the right public sources can turn raw signals from earnings calls, job posts, press releases, and company

Most reps learn OSINT on US accounts. They get used to SEC filings, deep LinkedIn coverage, and enrichment tools that work well enough out of the box. Then they move to Europe and the workflow breaks. The signals are still there. Companies still hire before they buy. Leaders still change.

Most reps ignore SEC filings because they look dense. That is a mistake. If you sell into public companies, 10-Ks, 10-Qs, and 8-Ks are one of the best free intelligence sources you can use. They tell you what leadership is worried about, where the company is spending,

Most reps wait for a prospect to raise a hand. That is too late. Government grants and regulatory changes create demand before the buyer starts a vendor search. A grant means money has been allocated to a project. A new regulation means a deadline is coming whether the prospect likes

Every company says it is doing AI in 2026. Most are not doing it in any meaningful way. That matters for sellers because real AI investment creates real budget across data platforms, cloud, infrastructure, security, observability, model governance, and services. Narrative-only AI creates meetings, decks, and stalled deals. If