OnBase: Smashing Sales and Marketing Misalignments Ep. 447 | Five "W" Framework for ABM Success
Episode Summary
In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Tara Quehl interviews Harsha Chachadi on all things ABM. Harsha emphasises the role of strategy over technology in ABM, introduces the 5 “W” Framework, and shares insights from his journey with FM Global. He discusses the importance of understanding your audience, tailoring content, choosing the proper communication channels, and timing. Addressing the challenges of recent market volatility, Harsha champions a customer-centric approach in our current information-saturated era, suggesting that businesses must pivot from product promotion to genuinely addressing customer needs.
About the Guest
Harsha leads Global Marketing Campaigns and ABM at FM Global, to support retention, renewal, growth, and profitability goals. With close to 20 years of experience across ABM, large deals, digital, social, industry and product marketing, demand generation, business analysis, presales, and account management he rolls with ‘Customer is the center of our universe’, ‘focus on audience journeys and integrated experiences’ and ‘here is your cherry on the top’.
Harsha along with his telecom engineer wife and two fast-growing kids, is based in Northern Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in management, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Key Takeaways
- Experience in various marketing aspects can provide a holistic view and better preparedness for specialised fields like ABM.
- While technology plays a role in ABM, it should include the strategy and execution components.
- Before scaling any strategy, demonstrate its efficacy with a few significant changes to ensure it's effective.
- Applying ABM principles should evolve based on experience and market trends.
- Choosing the right company environment is pivotal for successful ABM implementation.
- The 5 “W” Framework focuses on the questions: Why, Who, What, Where, and When.
- Always prioritise the customer's perspective, ensuring your strategies are relevant and timely to their needs.
- Continuously question the purpose behind your actions, ensuring alignment with company and customer goals.
- Clearly define and understand your target audience, stakeholders, and decision-makers.
- Establish a strong value proposition and ensure your message aligns with it.
- Identify the best platforms and touchpoints to communicate your message and reach your audience effectively.
- Engage and educate the sales team to ensure a consistent approach towards customer-centricity.
- Traditional marketing methods might need to be unlearned when adopting ABM, which focuses on customer-first approaches.
Quote
“When you start with the customer's challenges; their wants, their needs and what they are trying to solve for, it becomes so much more meaningful to them." – Harsha Chachadi
Connect with Harsha Chachadi | Follow us on LinkedIn | Website