Aligning Sales and Marketing with ABM: A Winning Partnership

Aligning sales and marketing functions successfully may feel like a unicorn achievement for some managers.

Marketing has often been referred to as the ‘ugly sister’ of sales - a department that some see as a necessary evil, whilst others think that sales make the money that marketing just spends.

And don’t get us started on the ‘colouring-in department’ moniker. However, business owners who still take this view are missing out on the revenue-generating opportunities marketing can present. 

When looking at aligning sales and marketing, there’s one methodology that is key: account-based marketing. As it’s more commonly referred to, ABM is a strategy where sales and marketing collaborate to create personalised buying experiences for a key group of high-value accounts. It goes beyond traditional lead generation to emphasise targeted and personalised customer experiences. 

And before you disregard it as more marketing jargon, take note of the numbers: 85% of those who measure ROI describe account-based marketing as delivering higher returns than any other marketing approach.

So, ABM might just be the answer to not only aligning sales and marketing, but having a wider impact on your bottom line (for the better). 

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, we need to consider where you might be right now: managing misaligned sales and marketing functions, feeling like you’re wasting resources and losing out on opportunities. Sound familiar? Well you’re in luck. It’s time for you to build a bridge between sales and marketing - and we’re here to help. Or specifically, ABM is. 

Out of all the ways that ABM can support you in aligning sales and marketing, here are some we think will resonate with you:

• Unified targeting: a joint approach to selecting and targeting specific high-value accounts means both sales and marketing are working towards a clear, common goal
• Clear objectives: speaking of goals, ABM campaigns are typically centred around specific target clients, which makes it easier to define KPIs - think targets like engagement from key accounts, conversations with stakeholders, all of which get you closer to the enquiry for services
• Better lead quality: by focusing on accounts with high potential, ABM generates leads that are more likely to hit that all-important conversion point. It might be tempting at times to throw as much as you can at the wall to see what sticks, but this quality over quantity approach reduces friction between sales and marketing, as sales teams receive more valuable leads to work on converting.
• Data sharing: ABM requires both teams to share data and insights on target accounts, which in turn promotes a better understand of customer behaviour and needs, that you can then further leverage in future marketing campaigns
• Continual improvement: regular feedback between sales and marketing, based on interactions with target accounts, allows marketing teams to refine their strategies and ultimately improve the effectiveness of their campaigns
• Closed-loop reporting: how many times have you seen campaigns executed, only to see them fizzle out with no real reporting done on the effects? Too many times, we’d guess. ABM shares the accountability between sales and marketing, and often requires closed-loop reporting to improve and optimise campaigns. This transparency helps you and your teams to really understand the impact of the activity.

We know what you’re thinking: this all sounds great, but where do I start? Here’s some ideas to get ABM off the ground in your business…

Goals. It’s where every good campaign should start: why are we actually here? You need to clearly define the objectives of your ABM strategy - this could look like a number of things, from increasing revenue or improving customer retention, to breaking a new market. Setting these goals should be the foundation of an effective ABM campaign.

Once you have your goals, the next step is to identify those key target accounts. This may take some time, as you need to collaborate with your team to understand who it is you’re actually targeting. It can’t just be a finger in the air estimation: you should be considering revenue potential across accounts, strategic fit, and criteria such as industry alignment. 

Then, you need to give these ideal accounts a persona. You should create detailed buyer personas for each target account: who are the key decision makers? What are the pain points? Where are their challenges? And most importantly, how can you help them? All of this information will in turn help you to begin creating personalised content for each target account: each account should be targeted with specific content that shows them that you understand their pain points, that you know their challenges inside out, and that you are the people to help. Think blogs, assets, articles, and case studies that highlight your knowledge and expertise in their sector.

Once you have the audience outlined and the content creation underway, you need to consider the mechanics; how will the cross-team collaboration work in practice? Are your sales and marketing teams set up for successful and effective communication? Could you nominate key leaders in each team to collaborate closely and take charge of respective parts of the project? How will the feedback loop work? Do you have the tech stack that’s equipped to handle all of the data and insights? ABM is all about communication, so this part can be the make or break of the campaign.

Finally, in a similar way that your goals work, you need to define what success looks like. This could include tasks like lead scoring and how leads pass through the sales funnel.

The above is just a starting point; ABM is a complex strategy that takes time, effort and investment into the right resources. We might make it sound easy, but done well ABM can unlock real, tangible results for your organisation, whilst building better relationships and communication across your teams. And it doesn’t stop there. 

To find out more about account-based marketing and how you can grow your business through marketing, download our latest eBook: "Think Marketing Is Colouring In? Think Again! The Art of Growing Your Business Through Marketing." It further explores demand generation, lead generation, and account-based marketing, whilst showing you how to implement these strategies concurrently, and much more.

Common FAQs on this topic

What are the challenges organisations face while implementing ABM and what is the best way to to overcome these hurdles?

One of the primary challenges is aligning the sales and marketing teams not just in strategy but in daily operations and communication. To address this, organisations can establish regular joint meetings, shared goals, and integrated performance metrics that reflect both sales and marketing contributions to ABM efforts. Another challenge is the identification and prioritisation of high-value accounts, which requires a deep understanding of the market and customer data. Solutions include leveraging data analytics and customer insights to make informed decisions and adopting a collaborative approach in selecting target accounts.

Which specific technologies and tools are most effective for supporting ABM strategies and how they integrate with existing systems?

A robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is foundational. CRM systems help in tracking interactions, managing relationships, and personalising the customer experience. Additionally, marketing automation platforms that support ABM activities, such as targeted email campaigns and content personalisation, are crucial. Tools for analytics and data visualisation are also vital for measuring ABM success, providing insights into account engagement, campaign effectiveness, and overall ROI. Integrating these tools with existing systems ensures a seamless flow of data across departments, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of ABM strategies.

How to measure its long-term success and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that should be tracked to evaluate the effectiveness of ABM over time?

Measuring the long-term success of ABM involves tracking a variety of KPIs beyond the initial implementation phase. These include engagement metrics within target accounts, such as website visits, content downloads, and interaction with personalised content. Conversion rates, deal closure rates, and the average deal size within targeted accounts are also critical for evaluating ABM effectiveness. Additionally, customer lifetime value (CLV) and account retention rates provide insight into the long-term impact of ABM on customer relationships. Regularly reviewing these KPIs and adjusting strategies accordingly ensures that ABM efforts continue to align with organisational goals and market dynamics, driving sustained growth and profitability.