Will ABM outplay demand gen?

We ended last week on a high

The latest session of ABM JAM happened

For those unaware, we occasionally host a mix of ABM experts from multiple verticals for a candid conversation about the industry (we call it ABM JAM)

This week we were joined by Sanat & Debjit from Ignite ABM and Vivek from Indegene

Of course Recotap’s own GTM team joined as well

Vivek kickstarted a cricket analogy that remained the theme throughout

He said

ABM = Test Match

Demand Gen = T20

T20 vs Test Match

Don’t see how?

In T20, the only objective is to hit as many boundaries as possible

Similarly, demand gen is all about capturing maximum number of leads

Let’s get even deeper into this analogy

(Non-cricketing fans, bear with me. You’ll at least understand cricket a bit better because of this newsletter right? 😉)

When you’re doing ABM, you already have the identified TAL

This means you can strategize according to prospect.

Research the particular account, figure out which channels and types of messaging work best for them

Much like a test cricket batsman taking his time figuring out the pitch, and analyzing the bowlers before deciding on how to play their spells

Demand gen doesn’t have the time for deep work.

Forget figuring out kinds of accounts, it's all about bashing each prospect for a boundary (reply) regardless of conditions and bowlers.

Demand gen doesn’t allow you to customize messaging, understand pain points or optimize channels

But obviously this doesn’t mean one is better than the other.

Like we always say, Demand Gen and ABM indubitably complement each other

You need the leads from demand gen to understand & generate accounts list for ABM

Likewise, we need the pulsating entertainment of T20 and the strategic art of Test cricket to complete cricket as a sport of multitudes

But this could raise the question of whether you’re a Dravid (ABM specialist) or a Yousuf Pathan (Demand Gen expert)

Or perhaps you’re like our idol Sachin. An all-rounder