This document discusses how a sales organization transitioned from a lead-based to an account-based marketing model. Key steps in the transition included gaining buy-in from leadership, developing an ABM financial model, benchmarking conversion rates, acquiring new technology, and aligning marketing and sales. Marketing took ownership of account selection and prioritization based on fit and intent data. Sales focused only on priority accounts with personalized outreach. The new model resulted in higher win rates, conversion rates, deal sizes, and shorter sales cycles, with sales spending more time on qualified accounts. Ongoing communication, metrics alignment, and continuous improvement were emphasized.

1. Transitioning Your Sales Organization
to Account-Based Marketing

2. TODAY’S SPEAKER
TODD McCORMICK
Chief Revenue Officer
@TMcCormick2011

3. A TRUE TALE
OF ACCOUNT-BASED
MARKETING
TRANSFORMATION

4. #ONETEAM

5. ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A SALES TEAM…
And a Marketing team.
Every day, sales was sales and
marketing was marketing.

6. TO DRIVE EFFICIENT GROWTH, WE NEEDED
WORLD-CLASS ABM
• High volume, high growth, but low
conversion rates
• Wasting time on bad-fit accounts
• Inefficient, unpredictable,
unsustainable
• Lower volume, high growth, high
conversion rates
• Efficient, predictable, sustainable
• Work only best-fit accounts

7. TO DRIVE EFFICIENT GROWTH, WE NEEDED WORLD
CLASS ABM
High volume,
low conversion
High
conversion,
only ICPs
90% rep time
wasted
Reps
efficiently
focused
on target
accounts
Unpredictable
Predictable
Unsustainable
Sustainable
Inefficient
ad spend
Max CAC
efficiency
Small deals
Up-
Market
focus
High growth
Higher
growth!
LEAD-BASED
ACCOUNT-BASED
Lead-based to account-based

8. SO AS #ONETEAM, WE STARTED PREPARING FOR
A LONG AND EXCITING JOURNEY

9. • CEO buy-in midyear
• SDR leadership buy-in
• AE leadership buy-in
• Support from finance on
new comp model
• Build an ABM financial model
• Benchmark account conversion rates
• New tech for fit, intent, and
engagement data
• Marketing ready for real operational
action!
PREPARING FOR ABM vs HIGH-VELOCITY

10. #ONETEAM = FIST BUMP

11. ● Marketing owns account
selection and prioritization
● Defined target pool of
high-fit accounts
● Only work accounts with ICP
& predictive fit
● Selected quarterly Tier 1 with
Fit + Intent + Engagement for
ABM multi-channel campaigns
● We created a data-driven, dynamic
process for account prioritization and
sales triggers = working status
● Reduced numbers of SDR accounts
and quotas
● Focused on highly personalized
cadences and content
● Shifted to Account-Based SDRs (18)
and Inbound SDR (1)
WHAT WE CHANGED (REALLY, REALLY FAST)

13. WORK ONLY THE ACCOUNTS THAT FIT YOUR ICP!
● Use Fit + Intent + Engagement
to select accounts
● Trigger campaigns and sales activity
from Intent & Engagement
● Marketing’s job is to deliver value
to target buyers and create
engagement
● Stop running your business on form fills!
● Stop muscling through with high-velocity
outbound!

14. ARMED WITH A NEW REVENUE MODEL AND THE
RIGHT TECHNOLOGY, THE #ONETEAM SET OFF ON
OUR JOURNEY

15. ACCOUNT-BASED VALUE STREAM
Account
Prioritization
Promote
Engaged Accounts
Expand to Additional Contacts as
Needed to Set Appt.
Gather Account Insight
Create Tailored,
Personalized Content Run the Play: Personalized
Phone + Social + Email + Video
Build Target Contacts
Progressive account-
based campaigns
+ +

18. ENGAGEMENT SPIKE DATA WITHIN SALESFORCE

19. ACCOUNT INSIGHTS FROM SALESFORCE
Reps get daily insights to prioritize the accounts most likely to buy

20. MARKETO INSIGHTS WITHIN SALESFORCE

21. TIER 1
TIER 2
TIER 3
TIER LEVEL OF PERSONALIZATION EXAMPLE
Highly Personalized
• H2H to people
• 1:1 to companies
✓ Personalized cadences, executive touchpoints, H2H
videos, content streams, personal notes w/ direct mail
✓ 1:1 account-focused display ads, videos, content portals,
articles, collateral
Tailored
• By segment
• By industry
• By intent
Hundreds of Accounts
Tens of Accounts
✓ Vertically focused ads + content portals
+ blogs, collateral, papers, videos
✓ Intent-driven ads + content portals
+ video
Blogs, white papers, web pages, etc.
Broad
• Your most generic content built for
your target audienceUp to Thousands
of Accounts
ABMACCOUNTSEGMENTATION
CONTENT & CADENCES
Personalization @ scale

22. What happens when something happens?
This account
Enterprise Account
Does this
SELECTED AND TIERED
ENGAGEMENT ON HIGH
VALUE WEB PAGES
OPPORTUNITY - STAGE 2
This happens ● Account assigned to SDR
● SDR begins personalized
cadence
● Terminus account-based ads
● LinkedIn Sponsored Content
● Webinar & event invites
● SDR alerted
● SDR personalized
video
● SDR promotes key
content
● 1:1 Ad
● 1:1 Content Stream
● 1:1 ad progresses
● ABM book mailed
● CMO email & social
connect
● CRO email & social
connect
● Event lunch/dinner
invite
TRIGGERS, PLAYS & CAMPAIGNS

23. • Win Rate from 1st Demo: +125%
• Demo to Interest Conversion Rate: +58%
• Average Deal Size: +35%
• Sales Cycle Length: -20 days
• Accounts are better qualified earlier in
the sales cycle
• AEs are only spending time on good-
fit accounts
• More time to tailor content and sales
conversations for each account and
persona
• Seamless alignment between
marketing and sales
QUANTITATIVE QUALITATIVE
RESULTS

24. Marketers, be brave
and lead
The buck stops
with the CEO
Get aligned around the
right account-based
metrics
Arm Sales with
Insights and attack
ABM with continuous
improvement
No adventure worth having is without its challenges.
Communicate fearlessly, and you can overcome them!
LESSONS LEARNED

25. TOGETHER, WE CONTINUE TO SCALE THE ABM MOUNTAIN