Account-Based Marketing (ABM) isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a proven strategy that’s helping companies build stronger relationships with their highest-value accounts.
But here’s the catch: ABM requires coordination, precision, and personalisation at every step. This is where a CRM system becomes invaluable. It’s not just a tool to manage contacts; it’s the engine that powers every stage of your ABM efforts—from identifying target accounts to tracking how well your outreach is working.
Why Account-Based Marketing Needs CRM to Succeed
ABM is all about targeting high-value accounts with personalised efforts. To pull this off, marketing and sales need to work together to deliver the right message to the right people at the right time. Managing all of this without a system in place is chaotic at best—and ineffective at worst.
A CRM system makes ABM work. It’s the backbone that helps you:
- Keep all your account data organised and accessible.
- Align your sales and marketing teams so they’re always on the same page.
- Automate personalised outreach and track the results, so you know what’s working and where to adjust.
Without a CRM, ABM would be too complex to scale and too hard to manage. With one, it becomes not only possible but incredibly effective.
Step-by-Step: How CRM Powers Every Stage of ABM
Step 1: Pinpoint High-Value Accounts
ABM starts with identifying which accounts to focus on. This isn’t guesswork—your CRM holds the data you need to spot your best opportunities. Using CRM tools, you can filter and rank potential accounts based on factors like revenue potential, engagement history, and industry fit.
| Use CRM filters or reports to prioritise accounts that show the most promise, whether it’s due to their past interactions or their alignment with your ideal customer profile. For example, if certain accounts have shown interest in your content or have interacted with your sales team multiple times, you can flag them for more targeted outreach. CRMs can also pull in firmographic data (such as company size or revenue) to help you focus on accounts that fit your strategic goals, allowing you to focus your resources efficiently. |
Step 2: Build Detailed Account Profiles
After identifying your target accounts, the next step is understanding them inside out. Your CRM should act as a single source of truth for everything related to each account. That includes details like decision-makers, key challenges, recent interactions, and even competitor involvement.
| Create comprehensive account profiles in your CRM. Segment your accounts based on industry, product interest, or sales stage so that your marketing and sales teams can tailor their strategies for each one. For instance, if a company is in the final stages of decision-making, your sales team can focus on delivering ROI-focused content, while marketing supports this with personalised case studies. A detailed profile allows for more meaningful conversations with key stakeholders, enabling your teams to address specific challenges and position your solutions effectively. |
Step 3: Align Sales and Marketing Efforts
Sales and marketing alignment is the cornerstone of a successful ABM strategy. Both teams need to be looking at the same account data and planning their outreach together. A CRM ensures that both sides of the house are working from the same playbook.
| Set up shared dashboards in your CRM where sales and marketing teams can collaborate in real-time, tracking the latest account activities and outreach schedules. This means that both teams can instantly access updates like recent email opens, meeting notes, or even purchase history. Consider establishing weekly syncs where sales and marketing teams review account progress and adjust their joint strategies based on real-time data. By doing this, both teams stay aligned on priorities, preventing any missteps in communication or effort duplication. |
Step 4: Personalise and Automate Engagement
Personalisation is what makes ABM work. With a CRM, you can track account engagement, tailor your communications to each account’s specific needs, and even automate repetitive but important tasks like follow-up emails. It’s all about delivering the right message at exactly the right time.
| Use CRM automation to trigger personalised follow-ups based on specific behaviours (e.g., when a key contact downloads a whitepaper, signs up for a webinar, or opens an email). For instance, if a prospect engages with content related to a specific product, your CRM can automate an email sequence tailored to that product, providing additional value like case studies or customer testimonials. This automated personalisation frees up your team’s time while ensuring that each account feels they are getting individualised attention. |
Step 5: Track, Measure, and Optimise
Finally, the real value of your CRM is in its ability to help you track what’s working and what isn’t. You can see which accounts are engaging with your campaigns, which ones are stalling, and where you need to refine your approach.
| Set up CRM reports to monitor KPIs like engagement rates, pipeline progress, and account-level ROI. For example, if your CRM shows that certain high-value accounts have stalled in the decision-making process, you can dive deeper to understand why—perhaps they need more tailored content or a product demo to move forward. Use this data to adjust your strategy, focusing on what\s working and doubling down on the accounts most likely to close. It’s all about being proactive rather than reactive in your outreach and engagement. |
Leverage Your CRM to Launch ABM Today
A CRM isn’t just a tool for storing contactsit’s the foundation that makes your ABM strategy scalable and effective. By using your CRM to centralise data, align your teams, and personalise engagement, you can deliver the right message to the right people and build stronger relationships with your most important accounts.
Ready to see how your CRM can take your ABM efforts to the next level? Book a consultation with us today, and let’s set you up for success.