During a recent training course, we discussed the types of #ABM each company is deploying. Given that most were complex #B2B companies with a range of offerings and go-to-market (#GTM) motions, it’s no surprise that they are using multiple ABM approaches. What was surprising was the lively discussion around whether they were doing Programmatic (1:Many) ABM, or whether the reality was simply general outbound demand creation.
What prompted the discussion? As part of the course content, we covered the definition of Programmatic ABM as defined by Inflexion Group. That sparked interest in thinking through the reality of their Programmatic outreach and how it might be enhanced to better reflect ABM principles. The goal is to deliver ABM at the scale their pipeline goals and volume of target accounts require, ideally without adding people or budget.
Here are three tips for delivering more impactful Programmatic ABM while managing real-world resource challenges.
- Truly understand your ICPs, account buying groups and their needs: What sets apart account-based programs, no matter the scale, is whether you actually adapt your outreach based on the account and people in it. It’s not about what you want to say or sell, but what the account and its buying group members need. If you are making a list of accounts and sending general messaging based on internal perspectives, it’s not account-based. If you are researching, analyzing, and developing messages and offers based on knowledge of the accounts, then timing your outreach based on the signals they’re showing, that’s account-based. Please note that I’m not saying it’s inherently bad to do general outreach. Just don’t call it account-based when it’s marketing to accounts. Both have their place in B2B marketing plans. A good place to start is with your ideal customer profile. How was it defined? If it’s more of a wish list of target accounts and not an accurate reflection of who actually buys from you, that might be causing problems with both sales and marketing efficiency. Note the difference between an ICP built from current state vs. an aspirational ICP.
What’s the difference? A current state ICP can be based on analysis of your most valuable existing customers based on revenue, profitability, and renewal and expansion potential, including propensity to become advocates. An aspirational ICP is based on who you’d like to sell to but may not deliver actual revenue today. Examples include if you’re looking to enter a new geographic or vertical market or expand an offering to a new buying group. It’s likely you’ll need both types for scaled ABM efforts. Make sure you know what type of ICP foundation you need before you develop campaigns.
- Use what you have from other ABM efforts and share what you know to optimize resource deployment: Don’t start with a blank page. Top of mind for the training course group was how to build upon the efforts they’ve put into high quality Strategic (1:1) and Segment (1:Few) ABM programs. If your top target accounts have a set of needs or goals, chances are other accounts have similar needs. While you may not leverage more expensive, custom tactics, messaging and content may be easily converted to something appropriate for use at scale. At the same time, make sure you’re sharing what you learn about target accounts and buying groups with other teams such product and content marketing, events, field marketing and sales enablement. They may be making assumptions about what will be helpful that don’t match what you know about actual accounts. If you make them aware of key needs and goals and the data behind these insights, they can adapt. This prevents wasted resources because what gets built isn’t a match for what customers, ABM-ers and sellers really need.
- Deploy AI to support complex orchestration: Scaling ABM efforts gets a major boost from technology, and in particular #AI. In many ways, it’s what makes ABM at scale possible. Our recent Inflexion Group AI in ABM Benchmarking Study found that AI is delivering on productivity promises, with 93% of teams reporting time savings, 84% seeing productivity gains in core ABM activities, and 96% citing improved account intelligence depth. Nealy a third (30%) of companies are testing (23%) or actively using (7%) AI agents in ABM processes. Another 23% plan implementation within 12 months. Agents address the 38% of companies in our study who are seeking help with orchestrating complex, multi-stakeholder journeys. It’s also supporting the 31% who need to integrate disparate data sources, and the 27% working to accelerate deal velocity and expansion. The key is to ensure that you’re taking a fresh look at your workflows for Programmatic ABM. Some efforts to scale ABM with AI break down when it’s applied to processes that aren’t optimized for your buying reality, including internal and customer friction points.
Just like our course attendees, take advantage of the need to scale account-based efforts as your reason to clear out old approaches that aren’t serving you or your customers well. Gain a clear understanding of what is (and isn’t) truly account-based, then make sure you carry forward what you’ve learned and built from other types of ABM programs as you deploy AI and other technology to meet your revenue goals.
Want to learn more? The Inflexion Group ABM Academy has excellent options, from getting started with an on-demand course to expert-level communities. Several live courses start again in early February. Take a look and let us know if we can help you choose.
