Why strategic marketers must resist the temptation of AI-driven volume
Imagine you’re a strategic ABM-er. GenAI has just landed, and suddenly the brief from leadership changes: “Do more. Be more productive.” But there’s a catch — the only metrics that matter now are volume-based.
In recent conversations with account-based marketing teams, I’ve noticed a concerning trend: some business and marketing leaders are asking teams to use generative AI primarily as a volume accelerator — rather than as a precision tool. This approach fundamentally misunderstands both the strategic purpose of ABM and the true value of generative AI.
More, surely, has to be better?
As I speak with fellow marketers establishing ABM best-practice in their organisations, it’s clear that many are being pulled into a productivity race. Often, these are the same marketing departments that control the systems ABM-ers need to activate high-impact, highly customised campaigns. Now, those systems are being steered by old-school activity metrics like:
- Number of web pages generated
- Volume of content produced
- Frequency of social media posts
One ABM-er told me:
“We’re now producing 300% more landing pages. Production times have come down tremendously.”
But as Peter Drucker famously said:
“There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all.”
The strategic cost
This volume-driven approach risks undermining everything ABM stands for. It can:
- Dilute ABM’s value proposition of precision-targeted engagement
- Overwhelm high-value accounts with more — but less relevant and poorly personalised — content
- Erode marketing’s strategic position within the business
- Encourage measurement frameworks that reward activity over impact
The result? The very people making decisions in your most valuable accounts lose trust and respect for your brand. Instead of creating clarity, your communications create noise.
The alternative path: precision over volume
Done right, GenAI offers unprecedented opportunities to deepen ABM’s strategic impact — especially when built on quality data. Its real strength lies in helping you:
- Identify the right-fit accounts through data analysis and pattern recognition
- Generate deep insights and stakeholder maps
- Hyper-personalise critical touchpoints and moments of influence
- Run scenario planning and message testing quickly
- Adapt and localise content for relevance — not produce it in bulk
As composer Isaac Schankler put it:
“AI should be doing tedious things for creative people, not creative things for tedious people.”
Competitive implications
Organisations that take a more strategic approach to GenAI in ABM can unlock genuine competitive advantage, including:
- Stronger relationships in key accounts
- Smarter allocation of time and resources
- Greater share of wallet, higher win rates and conversion
These aren’t just marketing wins — they’re business outcomes.
The call to action: responsible AI for business impact
For ABM practitioners, the opportunity is clear. But it requires us to be intentional about how we apply AI. A good place to start is to:
- Reassess your AI implementation strategy through the lens of business outcomes
- Respect your customers by using AI to improve relevance, not just volume
- Refocus your team’s efforts on clarity of message, not content production
- Redefine success around impact, not activity
The most successful ABM practitioners will be those who harness the power of AI — without losing sight of what really matters: human connection, relevance and results.
If you’re looking to increase your AI literacy, at Inflexion Group — and with our friends from AI&Beyond — we run an AI in ABM bootcamp to help you get hands-on and strategic with these tools.
Conclusion
ABM is different. We work with the top 20% of accounts that drive 80% of business value. Alienating these accounts with impersonal, high-volume content isn’t just ineffective, it’s risky.
So next time you’re tempted to use GenAI to “do more,” pause and ask:
- Why am I creating this content?
- How does it reflect our understanding of this account’s priorities?
- What value will it deliver to this relationship?
The true measure of GenAI’s success in ABM won’t be in how much more content we can create — but in how much more relevance, insight and connection we can deliver to the accounts that matter most.
Find out more about the AI in ABM Bootcamp.
