The 3 Hidden Values of ABM

As Marketing Automation becomes best practice within B2B organizations as an effective and efficient way to amplify leads and nurture existing relationships, more attention is being paid to Account-Based Marketing (ABM), an in-depth strategic plan to identify and target a relatively small number of key accounts with personalized messages aimed at expanding and nurturing relationships within those organizations. In other words, ABM complements Marketing Automation by digging deep and “manually” into a very specific universe of identified accounts.

Much has been written about what ABM is and how to execute. But do you know there is a  “hidden value”? A solid ABM strategy offers organizations a unique opportunity to foster the integration of their Sales and Marketing departments.

There are many reasons for this. First, ABM is by definition a collaborative strategy. It requires Sales and Marketing to work together not only in identifying the target accounts but also in defining and executing the tactics mix (i.e. sales executing a specific one-to-one email and Marketing developing a customized business case for each client).

Second, in the process of developing an ABM strategy, both teams will share their goals and challenges. In doing so, they give each other the opportunity to build empathy.

Third, because ABM is a granular strategy, it requires a level of detail that is seldom shared in their day-to-day interactions.

In other words, by ABM requiring integration by design, it offers organizations a unique opportunity to develop capabilities that can transcend to other sales and marketing practices, contribute to competitive advantage and maximize value creation potential.