Traditionally, B2B marketing and sales teams have tended to work autonomously. As the lines blur between where the handover occurs between sales and marketing teams the role of account-based marketing becomes increasingly obvious. It really should be front and centre with marketing driving interest and enquiries and sales closing the deals. Focusing on the right prospects involves defining your strategy and targeting the right prospects.
Many B2B businesses still cast their net far and wide without much focus, promoting features and benefits rather than addressing the individuals needs. An ABM strategy involves targeting fewer predefined prospects with personalised content that recognises emotional, rational and functional drivers behind the decision to buy.
It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many companies do not have a solid ABM strategy in place. Of course it isn’t for everyone, but certainly should be considered. Categorising and ranking prospects is all important making sure that you focus on the prospects most likely to give the best return. Of course, this will only work if you have the tools in place to manage the data efficiently and effectively with clearly defined handoffs between sales and marketing.
Finally bringing the two cultures together and forming one coherent team with focus can be challenging but the rewards can be great if achieved.
If you want to find out more about account-based marketing, let us know…. We’d love to chat and share our experience.