There’s no sugar-coating the complicated process that is ABM. There is also no denying the great Benefits

It’s time to overcome those fears and reap the rewards of increased leads through ABM. Embracing change can be hard, but is essential to the longevity of your business. 

Taking The First Step. 

The first step to success is putting aside doubts and committing to a process. To commit to ABM, you start by reviewing your current method.   

Integrating ABM doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel. Look at ways to combine new research and trends into your existing strategy.  

It’s Not All About Technology. 

Today, marketers can access efficient AI technology. We should embrace this technology but not completely rely on it.   

Using the latest technology to examine potential customer behaviour aids growth. It’s important to keep your data up-to-date. It’s also important to identify new decision makers in the buyer’s journey.   

Combine your data with SEO search and strongly advice to embed effective Social Selling techniques into the process. Being in the right places to find buyers is critical. It’s especially important to find them at the beginning of their journey.  

Context Is King. 

Real success will come from targeted efforts. Dig deep into the data, define genuine signs of potential buyers. You need a narrow message, not a broad one. 

If you’re starting up, you need to:

  •    Set goals and ambitions.
  •    Identify your ideal buyer persona.
  •    Define your personalised stakeholders engagement strategy.
  •    Source the right Technology.
  •    Implement and execute a Social Listening process.
  •    Develop a Content Marketing Strategy. 
  •    Engage and qualify potential needs.

Find the people who are looking for you and the product and or services you’re offering. Look at their online search and social channels like LinkedIn and investigate their profile and needs in more detail and look for signs they are a match to your product and /or services.  

Use your data sets and analytics to identify stakeholders. New AI advances like ‘predictions’ allow you to anticipate on buyer behaviour. You can position yourself as the best fit, a trusted advisor” for their needs.   

Now that the machines have worked their magic, it’s up to you to tailor your value proposition. Use predictions to alert your marketing and sales teams of up-selling and cross-sell opportunities. 

Although you are targeting individuals, you still need to understand the company hierarchy. This is where your content comes in. Careful study of engagement with the right challenging, personalised and in depth content will provide insights into buying behaviour.   

Your new insights are the missing pieces to the jigsaw puzzle. A clear picture of your targeted accounts will drive sales with the right direction, speed and efficiency.  

Think of ABM as a less time consuming and more efficient way of completing the jigsaw puzzle. The struggle is not as great as it seems. 

The results will exceed expectations and make possible struggle worthwhile.  

An ABM-strategy in combination with Social Selling will boost your ROI within ABM-accounts, if implemented correctly. 

Wherever you are on this topic at this particular moment, it might be interesting to reach out, share information & experience.

If you are keen to discover how you can achieve measurable results based on an effective ABM-strategy combined with Social Selling. Let’s plan a free consult.

Please send me a LinkedIn message or call me at my mobile: +31(0)650663733.

About the Author: Peter Rovers is managing Partner of 2MARK-IT, a global Social Selling and Marketing firm, specialised in enabling our customers to drive profitable business.