Value management (VM) is undergoing a meaningful transformation. Once positioned primarily as a sales support function, it is increasingly recognized as a strategic capability that directly influences competitive positioning, revenue growth, buyer journey velocity, and customer success.
To better understand how the discipline is evolving, we conducted this year’s Value Management Programs Industry Survey, gathering insights from value management leaders across a wide range of company sizes and industries. The results point to an industry at a clear inflection point—marked by cautious optimism, operational change, and accelerating adoption of new technologies.
While the full findings are available in the complete report, several high-level themes stand out.
Value Management Is Maturing—But Not Evenly
One of the most consistent signals from the survey responses is that value management programs are maturing, yet this progress varies widely across organizations. Many companies have moved beyond ad hoc value activities and established formal programs aligned to customer-facing functions (e.g., sales, marketing and customer success). Others are still in earlier stages, experimenting with structure, staffing, and scope.
This uneven maturity creates both risk and opportunity. Organizations with more established programs are finding ways to extend value management across the customer lifecycle, while less mature teams often struggle to scale impact beyond a limited set of deals. Understanding where your program sits relative to peers is one of the more valuable takeaways from the full survey.
Doing More With Less Is the New Reality
Another defining theme of 2025 is efficiency. Economic uncertainty continues to shape investment decisions, and value management leaders are being asked to increase impact without significant budget expansion. As a result, many programs are rethinking how they deploy talent, tools, and processes.
The survey highlights emerging operating models designed to stretch resources further—without sacrificing quality or credibility. For VM leaders, the challenge is no longer just proving value to customers, but proving the scalability of the function internally.
Business Cases Remain Central—Yet Underutilized
Business cases are widely viewed as one of the most powerful assets in value management. They help sellers articulate impact, quantify outcomes, and align stakeholders around economic value. However, the survey reveals a persistent gap between belief and practice. Many organizations still struggle to embed business cases consistently into sales motions. Complexity, time-to-build, and limited seller adoption remain common barriers. The report explores how leading teams are addressing these challenges and where the biggest opportunities for improvement lie.
Tools and Enablement Are the Next Frontier
Value management tools—such as ROI models, calculators, and automation platforms—are now commonplace, but adoption varies significantly. The survey suggests that technology alone is not enough. Programs that pair tools with structured enablement, training, and internal marketing see far greater impact than those that simply make tools available.
For many organizations, improving adoption—not adding more tools—represents the fastest path to increased ROI from value management investments.
AI Is Accelerating Change
Perhaps the most disruptive force shaping value management today is AI. Many VM teams are already experimenting with AI-driven research, content creation, and insight generation. While adoption levels vary, the direction is clear: AI is beginning to reshape how value teams work, collaborate with sales, and scale personalized value stories.
The full survey examines where AI is being used today, where it shows the most promise, and how it fits alongside modern value management platforms.
Why Benchmarking Matters Now
As value management becomes more strategic, leaders need data to guide decisions—about staffing, funding, tooling, and priorities. The 2026 State of Value Management Programs provides that benchmark, offering a snapshot of how peer organizations are structuring programs, measuring success, and adapting to change.
To explore the full findings—including detailed metrics, year-over-year trends, and practical implications for VM leaders—access the complete 2026 Value Management Research Report. Whether you are building a new program or scaling a mature one, the insights can help you chart a more confident path forward.
