It takes a lot of rigorous training and strategic execution to outshine the competition and reach peak performance. It’s true for the Olympians, and it’s just as true for account-based marketers.
And just like every athlete that makes it to the Olympics has already accomplished something incredible, revenue teams that follow account-based practices reap great rewards.
But not everyone gets to go home with the gold medal. Reaching that level of achievement requires hard work, mastery of important skills, investment in the growth of the team, and the ability to work as one toward the same goal.
Some revenue teams are bronze level, excelling at ABM basics, whereas others have leveled up to silver, making use of sophisticated tools that save time by removing guesswork.
What does a gold-level ABM approach look like? And where does your revenue team stand on the podium? Read on to find out!
Bronze Level: Know the Right Moves
For revenue teams just starting out with ABM, the focus is on laying the groundwork for more advanced practices by establishing essential processes and tools. The moves might look basic, but the results will wow the judges (C-suite folks) with ABM fundamentals such as:
Intent Data
The most fundamental way to boost ABM performance is with intent data. It provides insights into which accounts are actively researching or considering purchasing solutions like yours.
When you know which accounts are in-market, it goes a long way to uniting your marketing and sales teams around common goals and metrics — namely, focusing on high-priority accounts that are most likely to convert. This alignment not only streamlines operations, but also ensures that resources are directed toward the most promising leads, setting the stage for more efficient and effective outreach efforts.
Campaign Targeting
When armed with intent data, bronze-level ABM teams can build precisely targeted campaigns that match the topics and keywords accounts are researching. This targeted approach ensures that marketing dollars are spent more efficiently, as they are directed towards audiences that are more likely to respond positively.
Focusing ad spend on interested buyers not only enhances the effectiveness of campaigns but also helps avoid spending money to reach uninterested or low-potential accounts. This targeted strategy is a critical step in optimizing the overall marketing budget and maximizing ROI.
Silver Level: Perfect Your Timing
Revenue teams move up to the next level on the podium by mastering the art of delivering the right outreach at the right time based on the buyer’s journey. Instead of simply spotting intent signals, these teams also have insight into:
- What type of content accounts currently need to move their buying process forward
- When buying teams are close to making a decision
- When to begin direct outreach
Silver level revenue teams impress the judges with masterful use of:
Predictive Intelligence
While intent data tells you which prospects show active interest in your products or services, predictive intelligence takes it a step further by telling you when those prospects might be ready to buy. Predictive intelligence tools are AI powered, and they:
- Compare historic buyer behavior to current intent signals to anticipate future behaviors and outcomes
- Identify the current buying stages of target accounts
By understanding where each account is in its buying journey, marketers can tailor their messaging and timing to align with the specific needs and readiness of the prospect. When content that meets prospects’ specific needs is delivered at the right time, it boosts engagement and builds trust.
Account Prioritization
Silver level revenue teams also stand out above the competition with their ability to efficiently prioritize accounts. There are several lead-scoring methods revenue teams can use, but the most effective is the 6sense Qualified Account measurement, or the 6QA.
Traditional lead scoring methods fall short in accurately assessing how suitable or engaged an account is. 6QAs are more powerful because they go beyond basic demographic and behavior data. They use AI and machine learning to:
- Predict which accounts are likely to make purchases and generate significant revenue
- Predict when the account will be most receptive to direct outreach
- Help you spot the engagement of key buying team personas so you can fully engage buying committees
By concentrating on these best-fit and highly engaged accounts, teams accelerate sales cycles and generate more revenue faster. The prioritization enabled by 6QAs ensures efficient allocation of resources and focus, maximizing the impact of ABM efforts.
Gold Level: Achieving Peak ABM Performance
Intent data, buying stage awareness, and account prioritization all help your team achieve breakthrough ROI by focusing on the best opportunities. It’s an especially powerful combo for smaller teams that run into resource constraints, since it maximizes the amount of revenue you can generate with your team.
But what if you could make your resources nearly unlimited without needing to stretch your budget?
Gold medal revenue teams at this level have reached the pinnacle of ABM execution. At this level, they’re using AI to expand their capabilities and work every opportunity, not just the ones that are most promising.
You’ll know your revenue team is scoring a solid 10 when it’s making the most of:
AI Agents and Automation
Just like Olympic athletes depend on teams of experts to reach their full potential, gold-level revenue teams get support, too. AI agents and automation tools handle a myriad of tasks, from initial outreach to follow-ups, ensuring that revenue team members save their time and effort on what matters most.
AI-powered tools allow for consistent engagement with target accounts, regardless of their stage in the buying journey. By automating routine communications, marketers can ensure that no opportunity falls through the cracks, and every account receives the attention it needs to progress through the sales funnel.
The combination of automation and AI ensures that outreach remains personalized, even at scale, maintaining the human touch that is crucial for building relationships.
Maximizing ROI
The best revenue teams go for the gold quite literally.
With AI Agents handling most of the prospecting and initial qualification, sales reps have more time to engage deeply with potential buyers, understand their needs, and tailor their approach to close deals more effectively. This shift from administrative tasks to strategic engagement leads to substantial efficiency gains and ensures that every effort contributes to moving prospects closer to conversion.
Consistent and scalable engagement strategies ensure that all target accounts receive the necessary attention, leading to higher conversion rates and faster deal closures, while the ability to nurture leads at scale without sacrificing personalization enhances the overall effectiveness of ABM strategies, driving higher revenue and business growth.
How Does Your ABM Approach Measure Up?
Revenue teams that put ABM into practice are all winners to us, but if you’re ready to up your AI-powered, account-based game, we’d love to show you a demo so you can see what gold-level ABM looks like.
