"How do we not get left behind?"
This question floated through hallway conversations at INBOUND. It showed up in our client calls in the weeks after. As you’re considering Q4 budget decisions and see annual planning sessions looming, it's probably crossed your mind at least once too.
2025 has sent quite a bit flying our way. As we head into Q4 and start planning for 2026, the pressure to act (and act fast!) has never been more intense.
Leaders are asking, “Which new tech should we try?”
But this moment demands a more thoughtful approach.
Whether you're evaluating new HubSpot features, considering AI adoption, or planning any software investment the right question is, “What problems do we need to solve?”
The shift from feature-chasing to problem-solving is the difference between strategic technology adoption and expensive distractions.
As our Co-Founder and Co-CEO Kristen Dennewill put it, "This isn't really about using AI to retrofit what we've done in the past. It's rethinking our businesses with the technology that's available today, including AI and how we move forward from today."
The prioritization framework we use for CRM optimization applies to many decisions and it requires starting in the right place: with your business needs, not a feature list.
During the Denamico INBOUND Debrief, our team shared how they help clients cut through the noise and focus on what matters.
During our INBOUND debrief, Emily Grotkin, VP of Partner and Client Success, walked us through the four filters she uses to help clients prioritize projects.
Relevance + Impact + Readiness + Urgency = Your Priority List
1. Relevance
Does this address the actual goals and challenges of your business? Not hypothetical problems, not nice-to-haves, but the real blockers standing between you and your revenue targets.
Annala explains her approach, "We back them up and start with what are the business issues today? What are you trying to solve for?"
This means starting every feature evaluation with your business strategy, not the feature list.
2. Impact
What will move the needle most?
Grotkin frames it this way, "Which of those do we think is either from a goal perspective, a challenge perspective, going to have the biggest impact? And then what tools we're leveraging to address those.”
Annala calls this "an impact and effort assessment." You're looking for the intersection of high impact and reasonable effort. What solutions will drive meaningful results without requiring your entire team's bandwidth for six months?
3. Readiness
This is where many well-intentioned initiatives fall apart. A feature might be relevant and high-impact, but if you don't have the foundation in place, you won't realize the value.
Grotkin puts it bluntly, "If it has the potential to have a big impact, but we don't have the things that we need to actually implement it successfully or to maximize the value, it's not as helpful."
So what does readiness look like?
Dennewill highlights the fundamentals, "I would first worry about getting user adoption up and making sure we have good data in the CRM to be able to get the most out of connecting AI."
Your CRM adoption rates, data quality, and documented processes aren't just operational metrics. They're the foundation that determines whether your investments will succeed or struggle.
Filter 4: Urgency
Not everything that's relevant, high-impact, and feasible needs to happen right now.
Grotkin's final filter asks, "Where is there more urgency? If there are some things that are really relevant to our goals and challenges that we think can have a big impact, but some of these things have more urgency than the others because of something that's going on in the market or something that would have a big impact on your customers."
Market shifts, competitive pressures, customer expectations are all factors that help you sequence your priorities for maximum strategic advantage.
As you plan your strategy and budget for the coming year, consider these five questions.
1. What's your #1 growth blocker?
Get specific. Is it pipeline visibility? Lead conversion rates? Customer retention? Quote-to-close time? Name it clearly.
2. Do you have the foundation?
Before you budget for advanced features, audit your fundamentals. What are your CRM adoption levels? How clean and complete is your data? Are your core processes documented? These aren't just operational questions, they determine your ROI on every 2026 technology investment.
3. What's your AI budget?
Brendon Dennewill, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, emphasized, "Whatever you do, make sure that someone in your company is including a budget for incorporating AI and the change related to AI that's going to impact your business in 2026 and beyond."
In the past, AI budgets were optional. Going forward, organizations need dedicated resources for AI research, testing and adoption.
4. Where can you win fast?
Identify 2-3 quick wins you can achieve by year-end. These early successes build momentum, demonstrate value, and secure buy-in for your longer-term initiatives.
Annala emphasizes the psychological and organizational value of quick wins: "Looking for some quick wins helps the team... Whether it's in the financial realm or the sales realm or the delivery realm or service, really helps the teams get energized and to avoid burnout."
5. What's a one-way door vs. two-way door?
Kristin Dennewill borrows this framework from Jeff Bezos, "One way door, those decisions we do need to take time before we go down them, because once we go through the door, there's significant consequences or it requires a big investment, but a two way door, we can go through it and we can come back if it doesn't work."
Most decisions are two-way doors. Don't let perfectionism paralyze you.
If you skip these questions, you may spend the first half of 2026 implementing features that seemed urgent in Q4, but don't actually move your revenue needle.
The goal isn't to do everything. The goal is to do what matters most in a way that compounds over time.
Let's build your 2026 prioritization roadmap. We'll help you filter your opportunities through these four lenses and identify your highest-impact moves. Let's talk strategy.