This document discusses account-based experience (ABX) and provides a 5-step framework for finding and engaging accounts: 1) Build your account data foundation; 2) Find the right accounts to target; 3) Engage accounts with personalized interactions; 4) Close deals by aligning marketing and sales; 5) Measure account progress. It describes how ABX combines the best of account-based marketing (ABM) and customer experience (CX) to orchestrate engagement based on each account's journey. The document also outlines technologies that support ABX and recommends starting with account-based advertising and linking leads to accounts.

1. Account-Based Experience (ABX):
5 Steps to Find and Engage the Best
Accounts
Jon Miller
September 2021
CMO, Demandbase

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Demand
Generation
Account-Based
Marketing
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“Getting poked
by a spear
doesn’t feel very
good.”
Introducing
Account-Based Experience
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Account-Based Experience (ABX) = The Best of ABM + CX
Traditional ABM Modern ABX
Interruption-based
Aligns go-to-market efforts to the account journey,
using intelligence and insights to know when and how
to engage and what to say to each account
Marketing only Orchestrated process with Marketing and Sales
Primarily pipeline
The full B2B customer lifecycle including brand,
pipeline, opportunities, retention/expansion
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The Core ABX Processes
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Find
the accounts that drive
your business
Engage
with relevant, personalized
interactions across
channels
Close
deals and expand
relationships by aligning
Marketing and Sales
Build
your account data
foundation
Measure
account progress
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Build
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Connect all your data
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For one comprehensive view of the account and the people at them
CRM
Marketing
Automation
Corporate Email
Ad Impressions
Website Visits (Anonymous)
Intent Signals
1st
Party 3rd
Party
Technographics
Contacts
Deanonymize
Lead-to-Account
Match
Maintain
Validate
Cleanse
Enrich
Deduplicate
Account ID
Firmographics &
Hierarchies

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Find
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Source: ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2020 ABM Benchmark Study
• Deep dive account research
• Highly-customized programs for each account
• Investment per account: $36,000 - $50,000
• 84% accounts are current customers, 16% new
“Handful” – median 14, mean 39
$2M-$100M++
1:1
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• Micro-clusters of ~20 accounts focused on similar issues
• Deep cluster research
• Highly-focused programs, moderate personalization
• Investment per account: $3,000 - $15,000
• 49% accounts are current customers, 51% new
Source: ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2020 ABM Benchmark Study
“Handful” – median 14, mean 39
$2M-$100M++
“Dozens” – median 50, mean 177
$250K – $2M
1:1
1:Few
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• Many account-based programs live here
• Broad programs, light personalization
• More technology including intent data and advertising
• Investment per account: < $1,000 - $3,000
• 72% accounts are NEW customers, 28% current
Source: ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2020 ABM Benchmark Study
“Handful” – median 14, mean 39
$2M-$100M++
“Dozens” – median 50, mean 177
$250K – $2M
“Hundreds” – median 500, mean 6,221
$50K – $250K
1:1
1:Many
1:Few
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“Handful” – median 14, mean 39
$2M-$100M++
“Dozens” – median 50, mean 177
$250K – $2M
“Hundreds” – median 500, mean 6,221
$50K – $250K
1:1
Targeted Demand Gen
(ICP)
1:Many
1:Few
“Thousands”
<$50K
Source: ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2020 ABM Benchmark Study
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Entitlements
determine how
many accounts
you can manage
by tier
Evergreen
Triggered
Segmented
Evergreen Triggered
1:1
• Account plan
• 1:1 workshop
• VIP experiences
• 100% custom content, chat
• Advertising
• Proactive outbound
• Quarterly contact refresh (5)
• $100+ gifting
• Cameo message
• 100% customized response
1:Few
• Mini account plan
• 20% custom content
• Advertising
• Proactive outbound
• Quarterly contact refresh (3)
• $75+ gifting
• Highly customized response
1:Many
• Advertising
• Limited outbound
• Program-based content
• $50+ gifting
• Customized response
ICP
• General demand gen
• No outbound until trigger
• Lightly customized response
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Use FIRE to define the journey
Pipeline Predict
Qualified accounts showing behaviors that predict buying activity
AI + Big Data
Finds and Scores
Buying Patterns F it Accounts in your ICP
I ntent Interest in your products and/or competitors
R elationship Context and history with the account
E ngagement Time spent with your company
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Time to select… Marketing-driven, Sales-owned
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Engage

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Typical ABX Engagement Channels
TOPO Marketing Technology Report 2019
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Unique challenges of account-based advertising
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Optimizing within accounts
• Bid prioritization for
high-intent individuals
• Real-time updates with fresh
intent signals
ACCOUNT 1
ACCOUNT 2
ACCOUNT 3
Optimizing across accounts
• Balance delivery to avoid
over-spend on largest
companies
• Shift budget toward
accounts requiring more
nurture toward engagement
$
$
$
% impressions to top 10%
accounts
Accounts <100
impressions
Account with clicks
D2B DSP (Demandbase) 25% 5% 36%
B2C DSP (Other Vendor) 85% 62% 4%

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Use FIRE to define the journey
Awareness
Engaged
MQA
Opportunity
Customer
Post-Sale
Qualified
Account Journey
Customizable
Stages
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Pipeline Predict
Qualified accounts showing behaviors that predict buying activity
AI + Big Data
Finds and Scores
Buying Patterns F it Accounts in your ICP
I ntent Interest in your products and/or competitors
R elationship Context and history with the account
E ngagement Time spent with your company

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Early in the journey, focus on building your brand on a
foundation of trust.
Move from emotion to logic with thought
leadership and education.
Find when accounts are in-market and actually
interested in hearing from you — but before they
raise their hand on your website.
Focus on validation and engaging the entire
buying committee.
Enhance the post-sale experience with adoption best
practices and finding expansion opportunities.
In ABX, we orchestrate interactions to the buyer’s journey
Awareness
Engaged
MQA
Opportunity
Customer
Post-Sale
Qualified
Use deep account
insights to ensure
each interaction is
relevant and useful
enough to be worthy
of their attention.
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Close

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Changing Dynamics for Sales and Marketing
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Old: The Hand-Off New: Orchestration
TOPO: #1 indicator of account-based success is the
coordination between marketing and sales.
Source: TOPO’s 2019 Benchmark survey

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Measure

25. Don’t count the people
you reach; reach the
people that count.
– David Ogilvy

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Account-Based
Technology

27. Technology
•ABX is a business strategy,
not a technology category
•Account-based “leaders”
spend 46% more on ABM
technology than “laggards”
TOPO 2018 Account-Based Technology Report

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Demandbase One
Functionality

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Technology Category
Impact and Satisfaction
TOPO Marketing
Technology Report 2019
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Summary: Next Steps for Fast Value
• Pick your accounts: Identify accounts in your ICP,
prioritized by intent.
• Pilot account-based advertising: An easy
on-ramp since most companies already make
brand investments.
• Map leads to accounts: Lead-to-account matching
is the foundation of any ABX initiative.
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