I’ve been doing more distance running lately, and trying to focus on form as a way to conserve energy. Any running coach will tell you that, as your speeds get faster, your arms act as an extension of your legs. There’s an expression, “socket-to-pocket,” used to describe the motion of your arms – fingers tips beside your eye socket, to the pocket of your pants, back and forth. This motion generates energy and momentum for your legs, allowing you to run at faster speeds.
Well, allowing most athletes to run at faster speeds. Me? I’m happy to finish a 5K in under 35 minutes – socket, pocket, or otherwise!
However, good form in your arms to help your legs move faster got me thinking about how good synchrony between revenue generating functions helps improve an ABM strategy. Because, just like a single part of your body can’t propel you forward – a single tactic or role can’t make ABM succeed.
Let me explain.
With account-based marketing (ABM), the focus is on quality over quantity. As a result, the number of leads is far less important. Instead, you focus on attracting leads which match your ideal account profile (IAP), then dedicate your efforts to turn them into a customer. With ABM, you’re casting a much smaller net over a specific amount of fish and hoping to bring in the biggest, most filling one.
The success of ABM starts with utilizing account or account-group insights. The more personalized your approach, the higher the return.
However, achieving the personalization that accompanies ABM isn’t something that happens overnight. It requires perfect synchronization—not just between your sales and marketing teams but across your entire organization.
Today’s Customers Demand Personalization
Think of personalization as a “hygiene factor” for your company. Most customers are accustomed to it, but if you get it wrong—game over. Your customers will likely take their business to a competitor with a better and cleaner experience.
The insight-driven philosophy of ABM lends itself well to the personalization imperative, but it must operate from the brand as a whole to be successful.
Your audience doesn’t know (or care) if they’re receiving marketing content that was created by your email team, your advertising team, or your media team. All they know is your singular brand experience, and that experience has to be cohesive. The more personalized you get, the harder it becomes to provide customers with that seamless experience.
That’s where synchrony between marketing functions becomes vital.
Synchrony Ensures You Stay Consistent
What do you think will happen if a lead development rep at your company cold emails a member of the buying center at a targeted account with a generic message? What if that member is used to highly customized content?
Awkward!
Chances are, customer satisfaction will decrease, and you’ll miss out on potential business or revenue growth. Plus, it could lead to friction between your sales and marketing teams.
That’s why synchrony in ABM is so essential.
It takes a combination of well-integrated technology, consensus-building, and leadership to ensure synchrony in all areas of an account-based play.
The right technology ensures you can access and utilize those rich account insights, which build a highly personalized ABM strategy.
Consensus-building keeps teams focused on and in support of a common goal.
Lastly, engaged leadership ensures everyone is involved and accountable, and that the work is completed in a manner that leaves the customer satisfied.
Too much or too little of the above factors may create a disconnect between your teams— and it’s a disconnect that directly affects the customer’s experience and your ROI.
If you’re currently using an ABM strategy, take a good hard look at it. It should be bringing in several benefits, i.e., shorter sales cycles, reduced costs, more efficient use of marketing resources, etc. If it’s not, it’s probably due to a lack of synchrony.
