🕵🏻‍♂️ Building an ABM motion

Dear Trencher,

In today’s newsletter, we’ll unveil 7 essential steps to launch a winning Account-Based Marketing (ABM) program, even with a lean team.

Let's dive in!

Step 1: Lean Team - Start Strong, Scale Smart

One of the biggest myths surrounding ABM is the need for a large, specialized team. The truth is, you can launch effective pilot campaigns with a focused "lean team" approach.

Here's why a lean team works for ABM:

• Agility and Focus: Smaller teams can react quickly to campaign results and iterate for improvement.

• Cost-Effectiveness: You don't need a hefty budget to get started. Leverage your existing team's skills.

• Collaboration: A lean team fosters closer collaboration between marketing, sales, and customer success.

The ABM Pilot Team Trio:

While you can build a large team later, your initial ABM pilot can be run with a team possessing these core skills:

• Compelling Copywriting: Craft targeted messages that resonate with your ideal customer profile.

• In-depth Account Research: Deep dive into your target accounts to understand their challenges and decision-making process.

• Sales Savvy: Leverage your sales team's expertise to personalize outreach and navigate complex buying journeys.

Remember: Your lean team can evolve as your ABM program matures. By starting small and focusing on these core skills, you can lay a strong foundation for future success.

Step 2: Align Your Teams for ABM Success

Building a successful account-based marketing (ABM) strategy requires a strong foundation of collaboration between your sales and marketing teams. Here's how to achieve team alignment for a powerful ABM launch:

2.1. Shared Goals and Metrics:

• Define success together:
  Establish clear goals for your ABM initiative. Are you aiming to increase revenue from target accounts, shorten sales cycles, or expand into new markets? Ensure both sales and marketing understand these goals and how their contributions impact them.

• Speak the same language: Align on the metrics you'll use to track progress. This could include engagement rates on targeted campaigns, the number of meetings secured, or deal size from target accounts.

2.2. Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) with Qualification Criteria:

• Who are your dream clients? Develop a unified understanding of your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This includes firmographics (company size, industry), technographics (technology used) and behaviorographics (buying habits).

• Qualify your leads effectively: Establish clear criteria for identifying which leads within target accounts best fit your ICP. This ensures both teams prioritize the most promising prospects.

2.3. Target Account Selection and Alignment:

• Prioritize your high-value targets:
  Work together to identify a focused list of target accounts that offer the highest potential return. Consider factors like industry fit, growth potential, and existing relationships.

• Develop a shared understanding:
  Gather in-depth information on each target account. This includes key decision-makers, current challenges, and existing relationships they might have with your company.

2.4. Addressing Challenges and Solutions

• Identify roadblocks to success:
  Brainstorm potential challenges that might arise during outreach, such as reaching key decision-makers or overcoming competitor presence.

• Develop a joint response plan:
  Establish clear protocols for handling these challenges. This could involve collaborative communication strategies or developing targeted content to address specific pain points.

2.5. Segment Value Proposition and Positioning

• Tailor your message for impact:
  Segment your target accounts based on their unique needs and challenges. This allows you to develop targeted value propositions and messaging that resonate with each account.

• Speak with one voice:
  Ensure sales and marketing are aligned on the key benefits and differentiators you'll emphasize when communicating with target accounts. This creates a consistent and impactful message.

By aligning your teams on these crucial aspects, you'll lay the groundwork for a cohesive and successful ABM implementation.

Step 3: Account Segmentation

All accounts were not created equal and require different marketing & prospecting approaches.

Segment accounts into 3 tiers based on revenue analysis of your best customers and revenue potential.

Step 4: Lean Stack

You don't need to purchase expensive software right from the bat. All you need is an account enrichment platform, intent data, CRM, a platform for personalized content hubs, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

Our stack costs less than $250/month at FullFunnel.

Step 5: Small pilot campaign

Instead of launching a mass ABM campaign, use the 1-1-1-1-10 principle:

1 marketer - 1 SDR - 1 geo market - 1 vertical - 10 accounts max.

While the first campaigns might generate opportunities, most of them will be about learning and refining messaging, account research, and account qualification.

Step 6: Responsibilities and timeline

It’s crucial to define who will be in charge of what, define a list of tasks, and block these tasks in the calendar, so your campaign won’t fail because of lack of commitment.

Step 7: Orchestrate pilot campaign

• list building

• account enrichment & research

• warm up

• activation

• follow-ups & nurturing

  
  Bonus: 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
  
  Integrate ABM in your marketing and sales ops.
  
  Everybody has other tasks and responsibilities. Make sure there is no overlap with ongoing marketing campaigns and plan how to turn a pilot campaign into regular operations.

PS: If you want to elevate your B2B marketing game in 2024, join the Fullfunnel online academy and unlock the keys to B2B marketing success with our comprehensive courses.

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Here's what you'll gain access to:

📚 All our B2B marketing courses including a 6-week ABM playbook, LinkedIn Allbound marketing playbook, and 11 more courses that aren't available to the public

💬 Private Slack community to answer all your burning questions

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See you in Trenches 😉