How to get better results from AI: what the top 6% do (2026)

If you own a business or sell your expertise and want AI results like the top 6%, use AI for fewer jobs, about 4 or 5, and give it facts only your business has.

Yamini Rangan, HubSpot's CEO, said that on stage in Boston on September 16, 2026.

I was in the room.

The slide surprised people. It was sobering, and it was level setting: most of us are still figuring this out. It pulled our attention back to using AI for results, not just because we're supposed to.

I went as a HubSpot UNBOUND26 Insider. UNBOUND is HubSpot's big yearly conference for marketing and sales teams. It used to be called INBOUND. I took notes. This is the part I keep coming back to.

What percentage of companies get big results from AI?

About 6%.

HubSpot's research team asked more than 6,000 people who work in marketing, sales, service and leadership. 90% said their company uses AI. Only 6% rated their company in the top group of AI users.

That's 6 in every 100.

HubSpot's researchers say that 6% are 4 times more likely to hit their revenue goals. So almost everyone has AI now. Very few people get much back from it.

Why do so many AI projects fail?

From my notes, Yamini's answer came down to two habits. People use AI for too many jobs. And they give it too little to work with.

Here's what she said, in my notes:

• The top 6% do fewer things with AI. About 4 or 5 uses across the whole path a customer takes, from first hello to buying again.
• People get the least back from the popular jobs: writing content, sending emails, prepping for meetings.
• Teams get the biggest wins when they use AI on their own company's data. Competitors can't copy that.

Then she said this: "AI with bad context is worse than no AI at all."

Context just means the facts about you. Your business. Your customers. Your team.

Have you ever asked ChatGPT for help and gotten an answer that could fit any business on your street? That's what happens when you skip that part. You get the same answer as everyone else who skipped it.

My take: do you need more AI tools?

No. You need fewer.

When a client tells me AI isn't working, I tell them it works, but only when it's used the right way. The right way makes you more human, not less. Garbage in, garbage out.

In online forums, owners say the same thing in plainer words. One small business owner wrote this in September, after a sales rep pitched a $2,000-a-month chatbot:

"They are building generalized hammers, and my business is built out of highly specific, rusted screws."

I think that owner is right, and so was Yamini. You don't need a bigger hammer. You need to tell your AI about your screws.

I do this myself. I keep one file about my business and the way I talk. I give it to my AI before I ask for anything. I'd say that file is a big part of why my drafts sound like me.

How do you get better results from AI this week? 5 moves

You'll need about 10 minutes for each move. Do one a day.

1. Answer 3 questions before you add anything. These are Yamini's: What outcome do I want? Do I have the right context and data? Do I have people who can think and build with AI? If you can't answer the first one yet, wait.
2. Pick your 4 or 5 jobs. Write down every way you use AI right now. Circle the 4 or 5 that help the outcome from move 1. Park the rest for a week.
3. Choose jobs that need what only you have. Your customer calls. Your sales numbers. The questions buyers ask you over and over. A competitor can't copy those.
4. Write one paragraph about your business. Say what you sell, who buys it, and one line you'd say to a client out loud. Paste it in before every ask.
5. Answer 5 questions before you ask for advice. Copy this in: "Here's my business: [what you sell and who buys it]. Before you give me any advice, ask me the 5 questions you'd need answered to give advice that fits my business, not a generic one. Ask them one at a time and wait for my answer."

Start with move 5. Once you've done it, the other four get easier.

What can this data show, and what can't it?

The data: HubSpot, "The State of AI in 2026." A survey of 6,000+ professionals around the world. I read HubSpot's public page on September 30, 2026. HubSpot's team doesn't list the survey dates there.

• People rated their own companies. "Top 6%" means 6% of people said their company is at the top. Nobody checked their books.
• I haven't read the full report. HubSpot asks for your details first. The public page doesn't say when the survey ran or who HubSpot asked. So I can't tell you how big these companies were.
• "4 or 5 jobs" and "bad context" come from my notes. Yamini said them on stage. You won't find them on HubSpot's public page.
• "4 times more likely" doesn't mean AI caused it. Owners who hit their goals may just run tighter businesses.

What's the short answer?

Use AI for fewer jobs. Give it your facts first. Start with one move today.

Got a pile of saved prompts and a couple of apps you opened once? You've been giving your AI too little to work with. That's the easiest fix on this list.

FAQ

What percentage of companies use AI?

In HubSpot's 2026 survey of 6,000+ professionals, 90% said their company uses AI. Only 6% rated their company in the top group of AI users. HubSpot's team doesn't list the survey dates on its public page.

Why do most AI projects fail?

Yamini Rangan, HubSpot's CEO, pointed to two habits at UNBOUND, HubSpot's big yearly conference, in September 2026. People use AI for too many jobs, and they give it too little about their business. In her words, "AI with bad context is worse than no AI at all."

How can AI help my small business?

Pick 4 or 5 jobs tied to one outcome you care about, like more leads or more hours back. Choose jobs that use what only you have, like your customers' questions and your own numbers. Then give your AI one paragraph about your business before every ask.

What is HubSpot UNBOUND?

UNBOUND is HubSpot's big yearly conference for marketing and sales teams. It used to be called INBOUND. The 2026 event was in Boston in September.

About Sheri Otto

Sheri Otto has spent 15 years in growth marketing, including her time at HubSpot. She co-hosted HubSpot's first INBOUND webinar and is a HubSpot UNBOUND26 Insider. More about Sheri →

Sources

1. HubSpot, "The State of AI in 2026 (Research Bundle)." Survey of 6,000+ global professionals. The page says 90% of respondents say their company uses AI, 6% rate their company in HubSpot's top tier of AI adopters, and that top tier is "4X more likely to hit their revenue goals." Survey dates not shown; full report behind a form. https://offers.hubspot.com/state-of-ai (read September 30, 2026)
2. Brent Sirvio, "UNBOUND 26: Spotlight Recap," Kuno Creative, September 18, 2026. Confirms Yamini Rangan cited the 6% in her keynote. https://www.kunocreative.com/blog/unbound-26-spotlight-recap (read September 30, 2026)
3. Sheri Otto's notes from Yamini Rangan's talk "AI maxxing: challenges and insights," UNBOUND 2026 (HubSpot's yearly conference), Boston, September 16, 2026.
4. u/Hot-Community9446, r/smallbusiness, September 17, 2026. https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wigjwk/