RevOps FM

Why ABM Doesn’t Work (and How to Fix It) - Andrei Zinkevich

Dec 3, 2024

Andrei Zinkevich, co-founder of FullFunnel.io and co-host of the Full-Funnel B2B Marketing Podcast, shares insights on the struggles many face with account-based marketing (ABM). He discusses a shocking statistic where 98.5% of marketers are dissatisfied with their ABM performance. Andrei emphasizes that true ABM transcends basic strategies and requires personalization, meticulous account research, and building genuine relationships. He debunks myths about expensive software needs while advocating for a leaner, resourceful approach to improve outcomes.

42:53

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Andrei Zinkevich

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Quick takeaways

Successful ABM requires a personalized approach and thorough account research rather than relying solely on broad targeting or expensive software.

Building strong relationships with key buying committees is essential for effective ABM, despite the perception that this is non-scalable.

Deep dives

The Evolution and Challenges of ABM

Account-based marketing (ABM) focuses efforts on a select group of high-fit accounts, a concept that has evolved significantly since the mid-2010s. Initially heralded as a solution to lead generation woes, many B2B companies today find their ABM investments yielding disappointing results, with a startling 98.5% of marketers expressing dissatisfaction with their ABM performance. This failure often stems from a misunderstanding of ABM, equating it with traditional lead generation, resulting in broad wish lists that dilute marketing efforts. To truly succeed in ABM, a more personalized and targeted approach is crucial, taking into account the distinct needs and characteristics of each account.

Intro

2min

Understanding the Challenges of Account-Based Marketing

2min

Understanding the Pitfalls of Account-Based Marketing

5min

Navigating Account-Based Marketing Challenges

10min

Crafting the Ideal Customer Profile

5min

Mastering Account-Based Marketing

14min

Bridging the Sales Gap: Personalized Approaches for Success

5min

At a recent event with about 300 attendees, today's guest polled the audience and asked how they felt about their ABM performance.

98.5% said they weren't satisfied.

If you've ever built an ABM program, this statistic may not surprise you. My observation is that there are few motions where the hype and the reality are so far apart.

Why is that? What are people getting wrong about ABM? And how do you make it work?

Andrei Zinkevich provides some very concrete and detailed answers to these questions in today's episode.

You'll learn why ABM is more than the typical "display ad + email" recipe that many companies use, why true ABM really doesn't scale in a conventional sense, why you don't need expensive software, and why the most important personalization data comes from the company's own buyers.

Thanks to Our Sponsor

Many thanks to the sponsor of this episode - Knak.

If you don't know them (you should), Knak is an amazing email and landing page builder that integrates directly with your marketing automation platform.

You set the brand guidelines and then give your users a building experience that’s slick, modern and beautiful. When they’re done, everything goes to your MAP at the push of a button.

What's more, it supports global teams, approval workflows, and it’s got your integrations. Click the link below to get a special offer just for my listeners.

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About Today's Guest

Andrei Zinkevich is co-founder at Fullfunnel.io, an agency that transforms B2B tech and service-based companies from siloed sales and marketing to full-funnel account-based marketing and demand generation.

He's also co-host of the Full-Funnel B2B Marketing Podcast.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/azinkevich/

Key Topics

[00:00] - Introduction
[01:43] - Core mistakes of most ABM motions
[13:47] - The pillars of ABM
[29:09] - Creating awareness within target accounts
[36:11] - Moving from awareness to sales discussions

Thanks to Our Sponsor

Big thanks goes out UserGems for sponsoring today’s episode.

We all know running outbound is a huge pain—you need to manage a dozen different tools and data sources and it takes ton of manual work to keep it all going.

UserGems solves that with one platform to capture signals and automate next steps with workflows and AI.

You get a library of the most impactful signals in one place, automated playbooks to make sure your team executes consistently, and Gem AI to create personalized messaging for each prospect.

So stop wasting time and start targeting your most promising buyers with less headcount. Click the link below for a special offer just for my listeners.

Try UserGems