Is your ABM programme underperforming? These myths might explain why (and what to do before 2026).
What do I see when I look across hundreds of account-based programmes and reflect on what usually goes wrong? Three myths that just won’t go away continue to make it harder for programmes, and marketing leaders, to deliver the impact their companies need.
With 2026 planning season in full swing and budgets getting tighter, believing these myths is more costly than ever. If you’re a senior B2B marketing leader wondering why your ABM isn’t delivering the business impact you expected, one of these myths is the likely culprit. The good news? The reality of what makes ABM work might be easier to achieve than you expect.
Myth #1: You’re Treating ABM Like a Tactic (It’s Not)
I hear conversations like this so often: “Should we host an event or do ABM this quarter?” or “We can’t do ABM without the right tech platform.”
Here’s the truth: ABM isn’t a tactic you turn on and off. It’s an entire go-to-market philosophy.
Think of it this way: ABM is applying your full marketing management process to individual accounts, treating each one as its own market. You’re not just spending more on ads or sending personalised emails. You’re fundamentally changing how you identify, engage and grow your most valuable relationships.
The 80/20 rule is the driving force here: Your top 20% of customers likely generate 80% of your revenue and probably more than 80% of your profits. ABM helps you find and keep those accounts by putting their specific needs at the centre of everything you do. (Read more from Bev Burgess on why this is so important).
What can you do to help others understand why ABM is more than a tactic or a technology?
Start with knowing your customer, not deploying technology. Have you..
- Identified your 80/20 highest value and highest potential accounts?
- Revisited your ideal customer profile (ICP) and target account list in light of current economic conditions and expected 2026 investments?
- Built a demand map of where existing accounts have expansion (cross- or upsell potential, by buying centre)?
- Mapped your customer journey for different types of accounts and vertical markets, considering data on how buyers actually engage and what their intent data shows about what they do with others?
- Made sure your current brand and product marketing investments, messaging, tactic mix and content assets are still the right fit for how decisions are made?
While this isn’t a comprehensive list, it’s a starting point before you invest a first dollar in new technology or deploy a tactic without a clear link to business outcomes. Winning ABM programmes focus on strategy and execution, and revisit both regularly as markets and customers shift.
Myth #2: You’re Waiting for Perfect Data (Stop Waiting)
“We can’t start ABM until we clean up our CRM.” “Our data isn’t ready for account-based strategies yet.”
Here’s the truth: Your data will never be perfect. While you may be waiting to build the ideal “clean database,” your competitors are already engaging the target accounts you want using imperfect but actionable data. While some companies can undertake massive projects to update their data, most don’t have the resources or time to do this. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything.
Data doesn’t get better if it’s left alone to deteriorate even more. It improves through use and continuous refinement, and that can start with a small project aligned to a specific ABM goal. Define what data you need to be successful with a specific outcome or audience and get to work delivering that.
Here are two pilot programme examples I’ve seen succeed, and then be used to justify larger investments in data improvement when they deliver revenue:
Account Expansion (Cross-sell/Upsell)
To increase mindshare and share of wallet, including supporting new product or service offering launches, focus data improvement on having clean, accessible data about what customers buy today and what they could buy.
Start with what you know. Work with your Finance team to identify expansion opportunities in your existing customer base. Focus on:
- Clean data about current purchases and potential next buys
- Clear mapping of buying centres and contacts within each account; where there are gaps, fill them with new data
- Upcoming renewals where marketing could help sales identify cross- and upsell potential and provide resources to accelerate finding and closing expansion pipeline
New Account Development
ABM is a powerful way to engage, convert and close new customers and big opportunities. Start with a handful of target accounts to build actionable data without having to solve the problem for every account.
Pick five to ten target accounts as your pilot. Build comprehensive profiles for just these accounts first, including:
- Accurate contact data for key buying centres
- Company insights and market intelligence
- Activity and intent data where available
- Use the initial set of accounts as a pilot to see what’s needed for a larger rollout. (Here’s a post from Dorothea Gosling on data requirements for Pursuit Marketing)
Myth #3: Marketing Should Handle ABM Alone (Biggest Mistake)
The name says “Account-Based Marketing” but here’s what Inflexion Group’s benchmark research revealed: The top three ABM programme risks all stem from poor cross-functional collaboration.
#1 Challenge: Lack of sales alignment
#2 Challenge: Unable to measure and show value
#3 Challenge: Poor organisational alignment
Why this happens: ABM requires orchestrated engagement across every customer touchpoint. When marketing tries to go solo, accounts get mixed messages, opportunities fall through cracks, and ROI becomes impossible to measure.
The solution isn’t more budget or better technology. It’s building the right team structure around clear goals, defined roles and shared accountability.
How to fix it:
- Start every ABM initiative with cross-functional goal alignment
- Assign clear roles and responsibilities across sales, marketing, customer success and even executive sponsors
- Create shared reporting that shows action-to-impact correlation
- Let marketing own the narrative around ABM success metrics
How can marketing make these partnerships work? Start by making sure the team is agreed on business objectives and timing. Here’s more from Jacqueline Gummer on how to leverage reporting to make the link between action and impact, and how marketing can own the narrative around ABM success.
Your Next Move
Which of these myths has been holding back your ABM programme?
With 2026 budgets being finalised this quarter for many companies, now is the perfect time to combat these myths before they compound into another year of underperformance.
Luckily, fixing them doesn’t require massive technology investments or organisational overhauls. It requires strategic thinking, cross-functional alignment, and a commitment to customer impact.
