How Mid-sized Businesses Are Outpacing Giants with Smarter Tech and AI
There’s a quiet revolution happening in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and it’s not about headcount.
The latest Salesforce Small & Medium Business Trends report surveyed 3,350 SMB leaders across 26 countries. The findings are clear: mid-sized companies aren’t just surviving, they’re scaling with precision. And the ones growing fastest? They’re doing things very differently.
Here’s what the data reveals:
SMBs Are Bold About the Future
81% of SMB leaders are optimistic about their future.
62% reported revenue growth over the past 12 months.
In contrast, 30% remained flat, and 8% experienced a decline.
Interestingly, growing SMBs focus more on improving customer experience (vs. just acquiring new ones), and they prioritize tech investment and tool optimization. Declining businesses? They're chasing leads while cutting costs.
Tech Investments Are Up — and Paying Off
76% of SMBs are spending more on technology compared to last year.
Only 5% are spending less.
73% of SMB leaders believe they’re keeping up with peers; 59% feel they’re on par with larger companies.
Still, nearly 47% admit feeling overwhelmed by tech changes, and 46% express frustration with current limitations. The average SMB uses 7 business applications, and 53% report inconsistent data across tools.
High-performing SMBs are more likely to consolidate tools into integrated suites, reducing context-switching and improving efficiency.
AI Isn’t a Maybe — It’s a Multiplier
75% of SMBs are using or evaluating AI.
85% of AI users expect a return on their investment.
90% say AI made operations more efficient.
AI investments are expected to increase by 71% of SMBs next year, with only 4% planning to scale back.
Top AI Use Cases:
Marketing campaign optimization
Content generation (emails, blogs, etc.)
Personalized product/service recommendations
Natural language search
Automated chatbots
Among AI adopters:
86% say AI helps them compete better.
87% say it improves margins.
78% believe it will fundamentally reshape their operations.
But it's not without risk. 41% cite security as their top concern, followed by customer distrust, compliance, and lack of technical expertise.
Data: The Make-or-Break Factor for AI and Growth
66% of SMBs are increasing investment in data management.
84% say complete, accurate data is now essential for success.
82% believe improving data quality boosts productivity.
80% say it would directly increase revenue.
Yet, only 47% of SMBs say they’re very data-driven. The rest struggle with:
Lack of resources or expertise to extract/analyze data
Integrating multiple data sources
Acting on insights
Security also remains under-addressed:
Only 48% use cloud backups
Just 44% update apps regularly
Less than 40% use two-factor authentication
SMBs Want Tech That Scales and Earns Trust
81% are willing to pay more for scalable solutions
81% would pay more for tech from trusted vendors
77% prefer vendors they’ve worked with before
What matters most when choosing new tools?
AI capabilities (35% rate as extremely important)
Ease of use (34%)
Price (33%)
Compatibility with existing systems (32%)
In other words, SMBs aren’t just buying tools. They’re building ecosystems.
The Takeaway for Growing Teams
This isn’t about throwing money at the latest tool. It’s about building systems that scale. High-performing SMBs aren’t larger, they’re leaner and sharper with tech and data.
Equals 11 can help you become one of them.
If you’re spending more time inside Salesforce than growing your business, it’s time to let Autopilot take the wheel. Book a discovery call.
