Jeff and I were catching up the other day, reflecting on what’s really going on inside revenue marketing organizations right now. We started with the usual challenges—resource strain, evolving buyer behavior, tech overload—but because we’re both optimistic by nature, we quickly shifted gears:
“What about the teams that are thriving right now? What are they doing differently?”
It didn’t take long for us to land on the obvious standout: AI.
But not just AI tools. We were more interested in who was succeeding with AI and why. As we talked through teams we’d seen hitting it out of the park, a pattern emerged. It wasn’t budget. It wasn’t headcount. It wasn’t even tech maturity.
It was People. And more specifically—it was CURIOUS PEOPLE.
The marketers doing extraordinary things with AI weren’t necessarily AI experts. They were learners. Tinkerers. Explorers. They were the ones constantly asking, “What else could this do?”
Curiosity is what fuels experimentation, iteration, and exploration. In a world where AI is evolving faster than most orgs can keep up, marketers who ask better questions, who probe deeper, who play and test—these are the ones who are building serious advantage.
In this blog, I’ll explore how curiosity, grounded in both modern marketing practices and positive psychology, is the X-factor in AI success. And why it might just be the most valuable trait on your team right now.
Curiosity is no longer a nice-to-have. It's a growth engine. The B2B marketers who are succeeding with AI today aren't necessarily the ones with the fanciest tools—they're the ones who keep asking, "What else could this do?"
In positive psychology, curiosity is one of the core character strengths linked to lifelong learning, adaptability, and deeper relationships. Curious people are more open to ambiguity and more willing to explore before they judge. That same trait in marketers leads to better customer insights, smarter AI use cases, and a willingness to challenge assumptions.
Let’s look at some examples we’ve seen for how curiosity plays out with AI:
A marketing ops lead at a mid-size SaaS company, started using ChatGPT to summarize webinar transcripts. It was useful—she saved time. But then she got curious:
The Curious Question: What if I could use AI to score topics based on engagement levels in the Q&A?
That question led her to partner with her data team and build a prompt system to analyze attendee sentiment and frequency of terms. The result? A heatmap of interest areas that now drives the company’s entire content calendar. (This company does a LOT of webinars.)
A demand gen manager didn’t want to just automate emails. He asked:
The Curious Question: How could I use AI to personalize experiences without creeping people out?
He experimented with intent data, used an LLM to analyze behavioral patterns, and launched personalized microsites for high-priority accounts. Pipeline from ABM programs jumped at a double-digit rate in one quarter.
A content director wanted a better understanding of the content needs in the sales process. She went to the BDR team and asked:
The Curious Question: What are prospects pushing back on during calls?
Then she used AI to analyze 1,000+ Gong transcripts. What she discovered changed her team’s entire nurture strategy—and improved conversion rates.
She didn’t wait for RevOps to surface a report. She got curious and built the bridge herself.
In the science of positive psychology (part of every marketers toolkit), curiosity is more than a personality trait—it's a strength, and one that’s highly correlated with flourishing in both life and work. Defined as an interest in exploring new ideas, experiences, and challenges, curiosity drives deeper engagement and more meaningful learning.
Research from VIA Character Strengths (ANA Blog) identifies curiosity as one of the 24 core character strengths. It is associated with increased life satisfaction, greater psychological resilience, and stronger relationships—qualities that translate directly into more effective and innovative marketing teams.
In high-performing B2B marketing environments, curiosity manifests in powerful ways:
In a rapidly changing field like AI, this mindset is critical. Positive psychology shows us that curiosity can be cultivated—through intentional reflection, strength-spotting, and even simple habits like asking better questions.
For B2B marketers, that might look like:
When curiosity is seen as a strength—not a distraction—teams become more agile, more insightful, and more connected to the humans they’re marketing to.
So, what do curious marketers actually do? How do they show up differently?
If you want AI to work for your marketing org, you have to nurture curiosity at every level. Here’s how:
Ask candidates how they learned a new tool. Or what question they asked that changed a campaign's outcome. Look for signs of intellectual humility and a growth mindset.
PS Research shows us that curiosity shows up differently across generations—Gen Z thrives on exploration and experimentation, Millennials are driven by personal and professional growth, while Gen X and Boomers bring depth through strategic questioning and mastery.
Create space for "I don’t know, but I want to find out." That’s where curiosity thrives.
I know that is a tough action step to take, however, it is a critical one.
In team meetings, highlight great questions that led to breakthroughs. Reward exploration, not just outcomes.
Curiosity grows when people get out of their silos. Let content marketers sit in on sales calls. Invite RevOps into campaign planning.
Let teams play with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Midjourney….. without pressure to perform. Curiosity often blooms in low-stakes environments.
When your team is curious, AI becomes more than a shiny object. It becomes a force multiplier.
In a world of automation, curiosity is deeply human. And deeply powerful.
The marketers who win with AI won’t be the ones with the biggest tech stack. They’ll be the ones who keep wondering, exploring, and learning.
Curiosity is the spark that turns tools into breakthroughs. It’s the energy behind every "What if?"
And it might just be the superpower your revenue engine is missing.