A genuine and trusted relationship between an Account-based Marketer and their agency can make or break an ABM programme. When we are training agencies to support ABM-ers we ask them to consider what kind of role they think they should be playing. Which one best describes you?
- Challenger — providing an external voice of reason, asking the difficult questions and pushing back at pivotal times when the client is facing pressure, for example to onboard an account which doesn’t align with the agreed criteria. Essentially ruffling some feathers and helping to evolve the status quo in the process.
- Storyteller — building a platform to unite a range of (often challenging) stakeholders behind a compelling and bold narrative, not only forming the core of the ABM campaign but often streamlining the client’s processes and elevating the experience for the target customer account.
- Accelerator — bringing the best people to the table at the right time and providing access to a new level of expertise, skill sets and best practice which the client can’t leverage within their own organisation. This can accelerate the speed and impact of the ABM campaign and start delivering results faster (music to the ears of every ABM-er).
- Empath — arguably the most important role and yet the rarest amongst agency folk is that of the empath. Simply listening and providing a trusted sounding board as the client navigates something within a complex environment, which may not have been done before.
- Fortune Teller — always being one step ahead of the client and being able to predict potential challenges and opportunities means the client feels more prepared and similarly help to increase impact, efficiency and results.
If you would like to understand how you can fulfil these roles more effectively as an agency, you might be interested in our ABM Certification for Agencies which we run in partnership with B2B Marketing and Propolis. It is designed to help agency professionals elevate their skills and deliver high-impact ABM programmes for their clients. You can find out more and sign up for our next 4-week course starting November 13 here: https://www.b2bmarketing.net/course/abm-certification-for-agencies-november/
