Account-Based Marketing experts offer advice for new ABM-ers

The second edition of A Practitioner’s Guide to Account-Based Marketing, Accelerating Growth in Strategic Accounts, published by Kogan Page in June 2021, combines the best of theory and practical application for ABM, a marketing discipline that is driving exponential growth for B2B organizations.

The book covers the basics of ABM: the fundamental types, which accounts to prioritize, the top technologies to leverage, and how to implement an ABM strategy in your organization. It also offers insight into how to do ABM on an individual account and outlines the skills and attributes a B2B marketer needs to become a successful ABM-er.

The book highlights advice from B2B marketers who have been there; we call them 'the Magnificent Seven'. Here's some advice they offered to new ABM-ers on what it takes to scale, optimize, and embed ABM within an organization.

Andrea Clatworthy, Fujitsu, “My number one piece of advice is to select your accounts very carefully, especially for one-to-one ABM. It might be that you currently have a small wallet share and can see potential growth. Perhaps the incumbents aren’t completely entrenched and you believe that you have something that is going to help and therefore the account might buy from you rather than their current supplier. Perhaps there is a major market shift or business imperative that a customer needs to respond to. Getting that insight right at the start is key…”

Navin Rammohan, Infosys: “Start thinking of ABM in terms of people and not accounts. If you manage people well then half the game is already won. As part of that, focus on intangibles. ABM should be about influencing culture, innovation, and purpose, not just decision making.”

Eileen Egan, Red Hat: “What do I look for when hiring new staff? Field marketing and campaign experience are always useful. But I think confidence is the big thing. Confidence in dealing with customers and sales. And remember that whatever you do in an account has to drive a business outcome, which means that you have to know your own company’s portfolio well.”

Eric Martin, SAP: “Read as much as you can on the topic from a wide range of sources. For the new person, this allows you to come up to speed quickly on the topic. For someone that has been in the role for quite a while, it can give you a fresh perspective, an outside perspective, that may give you some new ideas. The field is evolving so fast that everyone has to stay current.”

Gemma Davies, ServiceNow: “I tell aspiring ABM-ers to go and get as much experience as you can, from sales and finance to an industry role to learning about market imperatives and value-based propositions… Spend the first few years of your career experimenting and exploring, get to know your strengths, identify your values, and if ABM is right for you, you’ll know.”