Account-based Marketing (ABM) isn’t just another marketing strategy—it’s a fundamental shift in how business-to-business (B2B) companies approach revenue generation. While 67% of marketers report using ABM in some capacity, the reality is that most are simply repackaging traditional demand generation tactics under a trendy label.
ABM, a comprehensive B2B revenue strategy, aligns marketing, sales, and customer success around a set of shared, targeted accounts that represent your best-fit customers. Essentially, it’s a strategic shift and reorientation in how an organization implements marketing to target, land, and expand high-value accounts.
When implemented correctly, ABM increases pipeline value, accelerates sales cycles, and improves deal quality.
But here’s the catch: Between 2020 and 2023, approximately 80% of ABM programs failed to deliver on their promises. The problem wasn’t the strategy—it was the execution.
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Why most account-based marketing programs fail
The primary reason ABM initiatives collapse is a fundamental misunderstanding of what ABM actually is. Many companies treat it as:
- A marketing-only initiative
- A fancy way to run outbound campaigns
- Something that can be implemented overnight
- A strategy that can succeed without sales buy-in
This misalignment creates friction between departments and, ultimately, dooms the program before it begins. Three critical failure points emerge in most failed ABM implementations:
1. Lack of sales-marketing alignment
Shifting to an account-based marketing strategy demands more than just a tactical change—it requires a reorientation of mindset, resources, and goals toward long-term, high-value engagement. But without a transition plan that maintains pipeline while shifting focus, sales teams panic and resist the change.
As Mason Cosby, founder of Scrappy ABM and creator of over 30 ABM programs, explained,
“When marketing pushes ABM without getting sales on board, it creates resistance. Marketing wants to focus on high-value accounts, while sales is under pressure to close whatever they can.”
Cosby suggests building repeatable playbooks to help secure good customers, like:
- A repeatable loss program;
- A customer win-back program;
- Website reengagement;
- Champion tracking;
- An event activation program.
Expert hacks: Crosby advises pre-booking meetings for events—this will allow you to run more playbooks during the event to get more meetings. For champion tracking, segment your customer email addresses that have hard-bounced. This will give you an indicator to help you understand where to go to follow up in the case where connections have moved on to another company.
2. Insufficient authority and resources
Companies often assign ABM to a mid-level marketing manager without the necessary authority, budget, or cross-departmental support. Without leadership buy-in, sufficient direction or time to implement strategies, and the removal of roadblocks, the program is doomed to fail.
Expert hacks: Because this is an experiment, Crosby suggests leveraging one to three sellers to build the program. This could either be someone new to the organization who’s open to change or a rep who hasn’t been performing well. Both will be motivated and driven, and with the right direction and support, you should get promising results. Also, the smaller the group, the faster you can iterate on the process to see what does and doesn’t work.
3. Improper measurement frameworks
Most Customer Relationship Management automation systems (CRMs) track individual leads, not account-level engagement across multiple decision-makers. This often means building out an account scoring model, which can be complex and take a lot of time and resources.
Expert hacks: Your first framework measurement will likely be contact-focused.
“Build the program first and piggyback off your current engagement metrics,” said Crosby.
By determining who is engaged in the content and at what level they’re engaged, you can then track those metrics over time and use them to build a scoring model based on a functioning program.
Building a successful ABM program
The key to successful account-based marketing implementation lies in a structured, phased approach that builds consensus across departments. Here’s how to do it right:
1. Start with a pilot program
Rather than forcing an immediate company-wide shift, begin with a small pilot program:
- Select a handful of sales reps who are open to change;
- Provide dedicated marketing support and a structured playbook;
- Prove the concept with measurable results before expanding.
2. Define your best-fit customer
Many companies confuse their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) with their best-fit customer. The difference is pivotal:
- ICP: A theoretical description of who you’d like to sell to;
- Best-fit customer: A data-backed profile based on the top 20% of your customer base that delivers the most profit with the lowest acquisition cost.
To identify your best-fit customers, analyze your current customer base for:
- Highest lifetime value
- Shortest sales cycles
- Lowest support requirements
- Greatest expansion potential
3. Map the account journey
Instead of relying on generic lead stages, structure your ABM program around how accounts actually progress toward a deal:
- Awareness: Do they know your company exists?
- Initial engagement: Are they researching the problem you solve?
- Meaningful engagement: Are they considering solutions?
- Marketing-qualified Account (MQA): Is there clear intent to evaluate your offering?
- Sales qualification: Is there budget, authority, need, and timeline?
- Active opportunity: Is a deal in progress?
- Re-engagement: If the deal doesn’t close immediately, how do you stay top-of-mind?
Account-based marketing in action (How to implement these strategies right now)
Now that you have your framework, it’s time to bring your ABM strategy to life. Here are two experiments you can put in play right now to start generating pipeline.
1. The closed-lost revival campaign
If you need to drive results quickly, there’s a high-leverage play most teams overlook: reviving closed-lost deals. These accounts are often written off and revisited only in a last-ditch Q4 scramble—when, in reality, they’re one of the fastest paths to rebuilding pipeline.
Think about it: These buyers already know who you are. The interest was there once. Deals may have fallen through because of timing, budget shifts, or internal blockers—not because the fit wasn’t right. And those conditions? They change. Budgets open up, priorities shift, and decision-makers move on, which means your product may now solve the very issue that held them back.
The key is relevance. Don’t reach out with a generic “just checking in” message. Re-engage with a real reason—something meaningful that’s changed since the last conversation. Maybe it’s:
- New features addressing previous objections;
- Success stories from similar companies;
- Changes in the market that created new urgency.
Try something like:
“Last time we spoke, timing wasn’t ideal. Since then, we’ve rolled out [new feature] and helped [similar company] achieve [measurable outcome]. Is it worth a quick revisit?”
“For best results, have the original account executive send the message. If that AE has left, a sales manager should reach out instead. The goal is to make it feel like a continuation of the previous conversation, not a cold restart. Run this play for 60 days. Track engagement. See which accounts re-engage. This alone can rebuild pipeline fast without chasing new leads.”
Stefan Maritz, Head of Marketing , CXL
It’s low-effort, high-impact—and it works.
2. The sales-marketing alignment transformation
Too many teams overcomplicate ABM before they even get started. There’s this idea that you need a pricey, enterprise-grade tech stack to do it right. You don’t. The best ABM setup is the one you already have.
“Your CRM and marketing automation platform – whether it’s HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, or Pardot – can handle the basics. If you have website tracking in place, you can already see which accounts are engaging. Tools are useful, but they don’t replace execution,” said Maritz.
Combine that with targeted ads and LinkedIn outreach, and you’ve got more than enough to run meaningful plays.
Account-based marketing isn’t about platforms; it’s about process. Start with a clear definition of success, build a structured way to move accounts forward, and align your sales and marketing teams around shared goals and accountability. That’s the foundation. The rest is just optimization. Here are three simple steps to set this strategy in motion:
Step 1: Continue running your core lead generation programs to maintain pipeline while identifying your top 50–100 high-value accounts. Use intent data, firmographics, and sales insights to build this initial target list.
Step 2: Allocate a portion of your marketing resources—about 20%—to support these accounts with personalized campaigns, tailored content, and coordinated outreach alongside sales. Start small and focus on quality over scale.
Step 3: As engagement and results improve, gradually increase your ABM investment. Rebalance your resource allocation to deepen personalization and expand reach while still maintaining enough traditional demand gen to support sales confidence and short-term goals.
Actionable takeaways: Implementing ABM that works
- Start small and prove the concept
- Begin with a pilot program targeting 50-100 accounts
- Select willing sales reps and provide dedicated support
- Document results before expanding
- Define success metrics upfront
- Track account engagement across multiple stakeholders
- Measure pipeline value, not just lead volume
- Monitor sales cycle length and deal quality
- Create a transition plan
- Don’t cut off traditional lead flow overnight
- Gradually shift resources as ABM proves successful
- Communicate the long-term benefits to all stakeholders
- Focus on execution, not tools
- Use your existing CRM and marketing automation platform
- Start with basic engagement tracking
- Improve reporting as you go
- Prioritize closed-lost revival
- Create personalized outreach for accounts that previously engaged
- Have original account executives send the messages
- Focus on what’s changed since the last conversation
ABM as a revenue transformation
ABM isn’t just another marketing strategy—it’s a fundamental shift in how B2B companies approach revenue generation. By aligning sales and marketing around high-value accounts, you can transform your go-to-market approach from volume-based to value-based.
The companies that succeed with account-based marketing don’t treat it as a campaign or a quick fix. They approach it as an organizational experiment that gradually evolves into a revenue engine.
The question isn’t whether ABM works—the data clearly shows it does when implemented correctly. The real question is whether your organization has the patience and discipline to implement it the right way.
Are you ready to transform your approach to B2B revenue generation? Start small, focus on execution, and build an ABM program that delivers real results—not just another marketing initiative that fades away.
