What does it take to make the move from traditional marketing to a successful ABM program? In the second installment of our Level Up webinar series, we invited a panel of industry experts to share their real-world experiences and the tangible business results they’ve achieved through ABM.
Moderated by Adam Kaiser, VP of Growth & Brand Marketing at 6sense, the roundtable discussion featured insights from:
- Jordan Rochester, Marketing Operations Manager at CivicPlus
- Kerri Martinek, Head of Global Brand and Marketing at Sandler
- Brian Pesin, Director of Integrated Campaigns & Programs at Sift
These leaders candidly discussed the challenges, best practices, and transformative impact of embracing an account-based approach — providing a roadmap for others looking to follow in their footsteps.
Making the Shift
The transition from traditional lead-based marketing to an ABM strategy is a journey that requires strategic planning, patience, and education. As Jordan emphasized, “Take your time — this switch doesn’t happen overnight. Use the tools … and see the value in [them], trust the data, and use that data.”
The shift was primarily driven by:
- The need for more strategic and targeted marketing
- The increasing size of buying committees
- The necessity to optimize marketing budgets in a challenging economic environment
Brian advised a measured approach: “Start small and scale up from there, like we did with our pilot period, focusing on a really finite set of accounts rather than trying to boil our entire ICP universe all at once.”
Implementing ABM involves significant change management, including:
- Education and enablement efforts for both marketing and sales teams
- Creating a dual funnel that combines broad-based marketing with targeted ABM tactics
- Adjusting marketing and sales workflows to support an account-based approach
Kerri stressed the importance of continuous refinement: “It’s not a ‘set it and forget it’ play. You need to take the time to look at your models, look at your targets, look at what’s performing, and make those changes.”
To drive adoption, the panelists recommended:
- Demonstrating the value of ABM quickly through pilot programs and early wins
- Sharing success stories across the organization
- Providing ongoing training and support for sales and marketing teams
The ABM Impact: Measuring Success
As companies adopt an account-based approach, the metrics used to measure success have evolved beyond traditional lead-based KPIs. This change has enabled the panelists to quantify the tangible business impact of their ABM strategies.
Kerri shared impressive quarter-over-quarter results: “What we contribute closes faster and is a more qualified lead. We increased our qualified accounts by almost 300%, opportunities created by 322%, and opportunity value by 171%.” This underscores how ABM can drive greater efficiency in marketing spend and generate higher-quality sales opportunities.
Jordan reported a direct revenue influence of over $9 million from their 6sense-powered ABM initiatives. He also noted that “accounts in the purchase stage are five to six times more likely to open an opportunity within three months compared to all accounts” This highlights the power of targeting accounts that are further along in their buying journey.
Brian shared the success of Sift’s targeted ABM pilot program, stating that their “SDRs hit 220% attainment on their pipeline goals for that pilot period, exclusively from 6sense hot account alerts.” By empowering their sales development team with timely, account-level insights, Sift was able to drive significant pipeline growth.
These statistics demonstrate the tangible business impact of ABM. By shifting their focus to target, engage, and nurture high-potential accounts, the panelists’ organizations have seen substantial improvements in marketing efficiency, sales productivity, and overall revenue generation.
Conclusion
As the webinar demonstrated, the transition to ABM represents an evolution in how B2B companies approach marketing and sales alignment. The roundtable highlighted that while the journey to ABM may be challenging, the potential rewards are substantial.
Remember:
- Start small and scale up
- Continuously refine your approach
- Foster close collaboration between marketing and sales
- Use data and intent signals to identify and engage high-potential accounts early in their buying journey
