Brent Adamson is a world-renowned researcher, author, presenter, trainer, and advisor to B2B commercial executives around the world. 

He is the Co-Founder of both A to B Insight, a B2B sales and marketing research, advisory, and training company, as well as Co-Founder of Qoos, providing B2B sellers micro-guidance and AI-guided coaching, seamlessly embedded within HubSpot CRM.

Brent's next book, The Framemaking Sale, is available Sept. 9, 2025.

Known as having the “biggest crystal ball in B2B sales,” Brent is the co-author of the best-selling, industry changing The Challenger Sale and The Challenger Customer.  He is also a frequent contributor to well-known business publications, including the Harvard Business Review, featuring his recent articles, “Sensemaking for Sales” and “Traditional B2B Sales and Marketing Are Becoming Obsolete.” 

Across the last 19 years, Brent has been privileged to work with some of the greatest thought leaders in B2B and B2C sales and marketing, building and leading exclusive communities of highly progressive commercial executives.  Known as a world-class facilitator and speaker, Brent has presented to tens of thousands of commercial leaders both in-person and virtually all over the world, ranging from executive leadership teams to large keynote audiences.  

Especially well known for his passion for “productive disruption,” Brent served as the “chief story teller” for CEB, now Gartner’s, sales, marketing, and customer service practices from 2003 to 2022.  Across that time, Brent’s research has focused most closely on the critical, boundary-spanning intersection of selling and buying, seeking to understand the rapidly changing nature of effective commercial collaboration.  Most recently, Brent and his colleagues at CEB, now Gartner, have introduced industry-leading concepts such as Buyer Enablement, Sense Making, and Customer Decision Confidence. 

A native of Omaha, Neb., Brent joined CEB, now Gartner, from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business where he received his MBA with distinction. Prior to that, he served on the faculty of Michigan State University as a Professor of German and Applied Linguistics. In addition to his MBA, Brent holds a B.A. with distinction in political science from the University of Michigan along with M.A.s in political science and German, and a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from the University of Texas. Brent resides in Leesburg, VA with his wife, two daughters, and rescue dog.

Brent Adamson

Powering

ACCELERATING SALES. At Powering, we help our clients grow their topline. We work on the levers that generate maximum impact and concrete results. We build and implement with our customers Sales Acceleration and Sales Transformation programmes. We work on the system and on the human factors in order to generate lasting change and improvement leading to a sustained commercial performance.

My contribution consists in designing and implementing acceleration initiatives focused on Key & Global Account Management, Sales Excellence, Sales Enablement, Complex Sales and on the shift from products to solutions. 

Audit, design of systems and tools, roll-out, mobilisation, training, coaching, change management.

Managing Partner, KAM, Sales Enablement & Complex Sales

KAM WITH PASSION

Consulting, Training and Coaching on; Key Account Management, Account Management, Complex Sales & Sales Enablement. 

Our coherent and comprehensive service offering is also available through Powering.

Typical Clients: International companies of all size selling complex products, services and solutions, Marketing & Communication Agencies.

Founder

Association for Key Account Management

AKAM - Association for Key Account Management - is a non-profit organisation aiming at contributing to professionalising Key & Global Account Management. AKAM organises 3 one-day events a year in a European city, publishes a Bulletin, makes valuable resources available to its member and helps universities and business schools create KAM-focused education programmes.

Board Member

ESSEC Executive Education

Pedagogical Director and lecturer on Key Account Management and Complex Sales

Adjunct Faculty Member

INVALIO

Leading a global team of senior consultants focused on helping companies design, implement or enhance their KAM, GAM, Prescription and Solution Selling organisations and programs.

Head of KAM & Solution Selling Practice

Text 100 Public Relations

Development of international key clients (such as IBM, Avaya, Linde Gas, ...) with focus on;  revenue growth, strengthened relationship, improved profitability and satisfaction, staff skills development, strategic PR consulting, virtual team dynamic - Introduction of new advanced consulting services - Organisational and team skills development (Web 2.0, CSR, Competitive programme, intercultural, ...) - Consulting activity with key clients - Coaching to senior staff

Director Global Client Service & Key Accounts

IXOS Software AG

(IXOS is now part of OpenText) Re-structuring of the global marketing teams and successful repositioning of the company in the Entreprise Content Management market (SAP focus) - Introduction of new marketing & PR programmes and dramatic increase of the global visibility - Revamping of the Global Account Management program - M&A communication

As interim General Manager in France, turned around the local subsidairy to achieve year at 120% of plan

VP Global Corporate Marketing & General Manager France

Intel

Introduced several generations of Intel processors in the EMEA market: Pentium III, Xeon, Itanium - Market analysis - Technical marketing to drive sales to system vendors - Comprehensive advocacy and demand generation programs with systems and software vendors, and end users, to establish the Intel Architecture in the Datacentre - B2C programs with key Retailers - , Intensive PR programs with press and analysts, Lead EMEA spokesperson

Marketing Manager EMEA

Wang Services

Driving sales and marketing of customer and professional services;  on-site maintenance, desktop services (call centers), networking services. Lead the team to develop its own CRM (cheap, fast, efficient). Developed a methodology and tool for pricing. Created the very first on-site maintenance service offering for retailers selling PCs.

Services Sales Manager, France

Dassault Systemes

Created and operated a worldwide network of service partners: 15 companies on 3 continents - Sales of Services and add-on products - Managing support services to the subsidiaries in the US, Germany, and Japan. Resolved recurring conflicts between the subsidiaries  and the Headquarters and significantly improved the quality of collaboration.

International Partner Programs Manager

Managing the development and marketing of an innovative entry-level CAD/CAM program - Project in collaboration with Boeing, PSA, Daimler, and IBM

Product Manager

Do you REALLY want to improve the sales performance of your organisation in a sustainable way?

If you do, my partners and I share can serve your ambition.  

I/We help Sales and Marketing leaders and their teams operating in COMPLEX B2B and B2G ENVIRONMENTS improve SALES PERFORMANCE and CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT for RETENTION and GROWTH.  

YOU LEAD: A Business Unit, a Sales or Marketing organisation, a KAM/GAM programme, a Sales Enablement & Effectiveness Team or a Sales Academy.

IN A SECTOR where the business ecosystem and the buying and sales processes are truly complex (for example: Infrastructure and Construction, Concessions, Industrial Solutions & Services, Advanced Materials & Equipment, IT Infrastructure and Entreprise software, Consulting, Financial Services, …).

YOU HAVE RECURRING CHALLENGES and also AMBITIONS TO:

-	Improve win rates and the overall sales performance. 
-	Reduce customer churn and grow revenue on the whole customer portfolio.
-	Create more value with and for your truly strategic customers.
-	Enable your Sales Managers and Sales Reps develop their Competencies, work more efficiently and  perform better .

I/WE BRING YOU: 
- A state-of-the art collaborative approach to develop your capabilities and competencies.
- A very deep and broad experience across various global companies.
- The combination of System Thinking with a focus on human factors and change management.
- Rock solid flexible methodologies and solutions co-constructed with your team.
- The capacity to mobilise an international teams of people like me. 

THE BENEFITS: a stronger TEAM DYNAMIC, improved SALES PERFORMANCE, more GROWTH on a portfolio of SATISFIED CUSTOMERS, a higher STRATEGIC IMPACT of your most important accounts.  

MY CONVICTIONS: I believe in purpose and passion, in the right combination of ambition and humility. I do not believe in secret sauces and one-fit-all approaches. 

Discover my/our approach to sales performance on the web sites of KAM-WITH-PASSION and POWERING.



IF YOU FANCY READING A BIT MORE ABOUT ME 

Creator of the KAM RELOADED and BUSINESS ECOSYSYTEM SELLING methodologies, I am a strong believer of the value of sharing experience between practitioners. Therefore, I have created the KAM Club France and I am Board Member at AKAM, the association for Key Account Management.

I also have the honour and pleasure of being adjunct faculty at ESSEC Executive Education (Paris) and at the ESB Business School, Reutlingen University (Germany).

Trilingual (F, D, EN), I live in Munich and Paris and feel European first.

taplio

The Battle

Brent Adamson

Olivier RIVIERE

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?