The 80/20 Rule of a Global ABM Program

At ITSMA’s Marketing Vision 2020 Conference, we led a session on ABM Around the World: What’s Different and What’s the Same, and we recently published a Viewpoint that summarizes the conversations we had with ABM leaders in different parts of the world to explore what’s different and what’s the same for ABM in their companies and regions.

Our experts are:

• North America: Eileen Egan, Sr. Director of Global ABM, Vertical and Strategic Partner Marketing, Red Hat
• Europe: Andrea Clatworthy, Global Head of Account Based Marketing, Fujitsu
• APAC: Natalie Mendes, Head of Demand Generation, Yellowfin BI

We asked what each program does consistently and what flexes, and why. Here’s what they each had to say:

Eileen Egan of Red Hat credited the success of their ABM program to a consistent foundation. Across the board, Red Hat’s ABM-ers use the same methodology, tools, dashboards and quarterly business reviews, and are all ITSMA ABM-certified. However, they also have the flexibility to build programs that align with their individual account plans to achieve success. And those innovations are celebrated and packaged so they can be leveraged by other ABM-ers globally.

Hear more from Eileen:

Andrea Clatworthy of Fujitsu said her team in Europe also follows the ITSMA methodology consistently. Fujitsu’s program differs by geography, though, based on very practical reasons, including local business need, the number of accounts in each location, the maturity of the relationship, and the team’s resources.

Let Andrea explain:

Natalie Mendes of Yellowfin BI describes the ABM program in APAC as 80% consistent, but given the vast cultural differences of the region there needs to be flexibility. She points to the cultural sensitivity of countries such as Japan, and needing to tailor marketing deliverables and messages to that audience. In addition, as much as Yellowfin strives to be agile, things like translations require time and care.

Natalie has a fascinating point of view:

This is just one question we discussed. For a more complete understanding of the nuances of running a global ABM program, download the ABM Around the World: What’s Different and the Same? Viewpoint, available at no cost to ITSMA members and for purchase by non-members.