How to Implement an ABM Program that Sizzles Rather than Fizzles

In Embedding ABM: Next Steps for Market Leadership, the fifth annual ABM benchmark study from Momentum ITSMA and the ABM Leadership Alliance, we saw evidence that ABM programs are maturing. Almost half of all the programs represented in the survey are now in the expanding or embedded stages of Momentum ITSMA’s four-stage ABM Adoption Model, up from only a third of the programs in the same study from 2020.

And maturity matters: Over the years that Momentum ITSMA has been conducting these ABM benchmarking studies, ABM results have improved with experience.

But maturity is about more than the passage of time. The hallmarks of a mature ABM program that drives greater business value include:

• Taking a standardized approach to operating at scale
• Centralizing ABM program management

ABM program leaders would be hard pressed to scale ABM without standardized processes and tools that foster collaboration, alignment, learning, and best practice sharing.

Results from the Embedding ABM: Next Steps for Market Leadership survey show that the best performing ABM programs are investing more in tools, templates, and processes for reuse: 52% of the ABM leaders have standardized their templates and tools compared to only 34% of the others.

We also see that 43% of the ABM leaders have an ABM community to share ideas and best practices across their organizations and business units, compared with only 24% of the others.

This is especially true at the larger, more complex companies that are integrating multiple ABM programs into one because standardization and community lead to better collaboration around the accounts, sharing of assets, learning opportunities, buying efficiencies, and even innovation.

Standardization is essential to achieving scale and embedding ABM in the organization. The most effective way to enhance the standardization process and set an ABM program on the path to maturity is by implementing a centralized program management office or a center of excellence. A marketing community, rather than a more formal central organization, can also be impactful and serve as a stepping stone to central program management.

Surprisingly, the Embedding ABM: Next Steps for Market Leadership survey show that just one-third of companies represented have centralized ABM program management.

However, in our experience working with many of our members and clients over the years, establishing some type of centralized program management is a prerequisite for an ABM program that’s going to mature and be sustainable. This can be a formal governance structure, an ABM program management office, a center of excellence, or even just an informal community of practice to share programs, templates, and best practices. But, if an ABM program is going to flourish it must be able to take advantage of economies of scale.

These two steps, standardization and establishing centralized program management, are essential to developing an ABM program that will mature and consistently deliver results.

Want your ABM program to sizzle, not fizzle? Download Embedding ABM: Next Steps for Market Leadership. It’s free!