The Worldwide ABMer

You know the world’s best ABMer!

He personalizes at a scale you can’t imagine.

Ho Ho Ho……

He sends a gift to every single one of his ICP.

He makes sure the gifts are aligned with the child’s wants.

And he never disappoints!

Sure you might not be able to personalize like Father Christmas but….

What really is stopping you from starting ABM?

Check if your reason is listed below. If yes, you can’t hide behind it any longer.

1. “ABM is Too Resource-Intensive”

Many companies believe that ABM requires excessive resources, from staffing to budget allocation.

Solution: Start small with a pilot program. Focus on a handful of high-value accounts to test ABM tactics and refine workflows. Take advantage of free or low-cost tools like HubSpot CRM or LinkedIn Sales Navigator to manage accounts. Once you see results, scale incrementally. ABM doesn’t have to be all-in from day one.

2. “Our Marketing and Sales Teams Aren’t Aligned”

A lack of alignment between sales and marketing teams can deter ABM adoption.

Solution: ABM inherently encourages collaboration. Begin by hosting joint workshops to define Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) and agree on shared metrics like engagement, opportunities, and revenue. Use tools like Salesforce or Outreach.io to centralize communication, ensuring both teams have visibility into account activities.

PS: This newsletter I wrote earlier can help you.

How we married sales & marketingRecotap, Inc·February 29, 2024

Being an ABM company, if our sales and marketing team were siloed..

Read full story

3. “We Don’t Have Enough Data to Identify Target Accounts”

Without the right data, companies feel they cannot identify or prioritize high-value accounts.

Solution: Use intent data platforms like Bombora to identify accounts showing buying signals. Supplement this with CRM data and insights from customer-facing teams. Even with limited data, you can create a hypothesis-driven ICP and refine it as your campaign progresses.

4. “We Already Have a Successful Demand Gen Strategy”

Some companies feel their current marketing strategy is sufficient and don’t see the need for ABM.

That’s like saying I have a sales team and don’t need a marketing function.

Solution: ABM complements—not replaces—demand generation. While demand gen casts a wide net, ABM ensures that high-value accounts get personalized attention. ABM can shorten sales cycles and improve win rates for your biggest deals, working in tandem with demand gen efforts.

5. “It’s Hard to Measure ABM ROI”

The perception of unclear ROI discourages investment in ABM.

Solution: Define clear metrics from the outset. Focus on account-level engagement, pipeline velocity, and deal value. Tools like Recotap can help visualize ROI. Highlight wins from early campaigns to build confidence in the approach.

Do you still have any objections to ABM? I challenge you to raise a concern my CEO can’t address satisfactorily.

Meanwhile, here’s this week’s laughing pill.