Why many ABM efforts fail to reach the C-suite

Scrappy ABM brings together host Mason Cosby and Yadin Porter de León, Director of Customer Stories and thought leadership over at Heroku, which is a part of Salesforce, to talk about going straight to the top of your target accounts without getting blacklisted.

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Instead of getting stuck in email blasts and third-party events that promise “rubbing elbows” with executives, Yadin shares a high-level framework that starts small with relationships your own C-suite already has, then builds proof points through web stories, webinars, podcasts, and thought leadership videos. The conversation walks through going top down from your CEO and bottoms up from directors and senior managers, doing the hard “eat your vegetables” work of segmentation, and mapping LinkedIn so you make it easy for leaders to say yes.

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Through stories from Angel Med Flight, JetBlue, GE Healthcare, NASA Jet Propulsion Labs, Wells Fargo, Michael Dell, and a seven-figure deal, Mason and Yadin show how time and trust, podcasts, and truly helping individuals with their own goals can turn a focused ABM program into a powerful path to the C-suite.

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👤 Guest Bio

• Yadin Porter de León is the Director of Customer Stories and thought leadership over at Heroku, which is a part of Salesforce. He has built ABM programs in multiple organizations, including smaller companies and large brands, and has engaged C-suite leaders such as the CIO of GE Healthcare, the CIO of NASA Jet Propulsion Labs, the CIO of Angel Med Flight, the new CIO at JetBlue, and senior leaders at Wells Fargo, along with conversations that include Michael Dell. Through podcasts, virtual events, and thought leadership videos, he focuses on making executives look good, delivering value to them as individuals, and creating proof points that help highly focused teams reach their most important accounts.

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📌 What We Cover

• Why so many smaller companies feel frustrated when email blasts and third-party events fail to spark any response from the C-suite—and why “don’t be discouraged” matters.
• How to “start small” by finding C-suite peers who are already “bosom buddies” with your CEO or CTO, and turn a simple web story or webinar into a powerful proof point.
• Using your own C-suite’s LinkedIn connections plus account reps’ insights to identify specific executives, line up warm intros, and make it easy for leaders to say yes.
• Combining top-down and bottoms-up ABM: working with your company’s executives while also delivering value to directors and senior managers inside target accounts.
• Treating segmentation and ABM list building as the “eat your vegetables” work that makes it possible to attack a CIO, CEO, or CMO from both sides with focus.
• Real stories of value: a 45-minute podcast with the CIO of Angel Med Flight that led to a virtual event, a news story, an influential innovators list, and a thought leadership video with a Wells Fargo SVP that helped close a seven-figure deal even though it never went live.
• Why helping individuals switch industries, elevate their brand, or grow an audience often matters more than a gift card—and how that mindset builds long-term trust.
• Mason’s example of following CROs as they switch jobs, helping them land their next gig, and then being brought in to develop their new sales teams.
• Yadin’s Seth Godin-inspired lens: instead of using your audience to solve a marketing problem, use marketing to solve their problem, working with the two most precious resources—time and trust.
• How podcasts as a platform give smaller ABM programs a scrappy, accessible way to reach CIOs, CTOs, CEOs, and CMOs, including the JetBlue CIO story where simply offering a podcast sparked the first meeting.
• Common mistakes that create a terrible experience for executives, from treating them like another task on a to-do list to poor communication and rushed preparation.
• The risk of getting blacklisted inside a focused account list, and why it is better to keep a neutral brand perception than create a negative one with a bad interaction.
• Why you should not “boil the ocean” with events, webinars, YouTube, and podcasts all at once—do one thing, do it well, then move on to the next channel.

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Yadin Porter de León on LinkedIn — for staying connected with Yadin and his work on customer stories and thought leadership.
• Heroku — The Salesforce platform where Yadin leads Customer Stories and thought leadership.
• LinkedIn — The place Mason and Yadin reference for finding connections, mapping relationships, and reaching the C-suite.
• Scrappy ABM: Visit for more ABM tips and strategies.
• Connect with Mason on LinkedIn for a conversation about ABM.

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If you enjoyed today’s episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to the Scrappy ABM podcast for more expert discussions. Don’t forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers!