Account-Based Marketing Essentials

I have made Over 1 CR as a Freelancer. Years ago, I was struggling to find clients, sending out pitch after pitch with no success. After trial and error, I discovered the strategies that turned my freelancing journey into a 7-figure success story. Today, I'm sharing my top pitching techniques with you. ✅ Strategy 1: Comment Strategy How to Use: Engage with top creators on LinkedIn, DM them, share resources, nurture relationships, then pitch. Benefit: Builds strong relationships and trust. ✅ Strategy 2: Video Pitches How to Use: Create personalized video pitches. Benefit: Personalization increases engagement. ✅ Strategy 3: Value Ladder Offers How to Use: Start with a low-commitment offer like a free audit. Benefit: Eases clients into your services. ✅ Strategy 4: Exclusive Insights How to Use: Offer exclusive insights or industry reports. Benefit: Demonstrates expertise and adds value. ✅ Strategy 5: Success Stories Follow-Up How to Use: Follow up with a success story from a similar client. Benefit: Provides social proof. ✅ Strategy 6: Free Tools or Templates How to Use: Share free tools or templates, then pitch comprehensive services. Benefit: Demonstrates value and expertise. ✅ Strategy 7: Social Proof Landing Pages How to Use: Direct clients to a landing page with testimonials and case studies. Benefit: Builds credibility and trust. ✅ Strategy 8: Follow-Up with Added Value How to Use: Follow up with additional valuable content related to the client’s business. Benefit: Keeps you top-of-mind and adds value. ✅ Strategy 9: Personalized Case Studies How to Use: Create case studies tailored to your potential client’s industry. Benefit: Shows clients how you can solve their specific problems. ✅ Strategy 10: Niche-Specific Content How to Use: Develop content highly relevant to the niche of your potential client. Benefit: Positions you as an expert in their industry. ✅ Strategy 11: Client Education How to Use: Educate clients on industry trends and solutions before pitching. Benefit: Builds trust and positions you as a knowledgeable resource. I've excelled at pitching potential clients and succeeded in sealing 99% of deals to date. I've taught my 5000+ students all the secret strategies of getting high-paying clients, and today, I see them making 50K-1Lac a month easily. 📌 If you're interested in learning from me & my 6-figure team, DM 'Freelance' for details. Question: Do you find it helpful?

I analyzed 12 months of ABM campaigns that actually worked. Here's the data: Most Account-Based Marketing fails before it starts. After analyzing 12 months of successful ABM campaigns (and plenty of failures), I've identified the patterns that consistently drive pipeline. Here's what the data shows: 1. Timing matters just as much as content Accounts that received 3+ touches within 48 hours of showing buying intent converted 4x better than those that received the same content a week later. 2. The magic number is 6.2 (for this brand at least) The average closed-won deal had 6.2 stakeholders involved. Yet most ABM campaigns only target 1-2 personas per account. Expand your reach. 3. The "champion experience" is everything The accounts where we delivered a memorable experience to a single champion (personalized video, custom research, direct exec outreach) had 3x higher conversion rates. 4. Sales and marketing misalignment kills ABM Our most successful campaigns had sales activity within 24 hours of marketing touches. When this alignment slipped to 72+ hours, conversion rates dropped by 48%. 5. Personalization at scale actually works But not how most people do it. We tested 4 levels of personalization: - Generic (18% engagement) - Industry-specific (27% engagement) - Company-specific (42% engagement) - Individual + company-specific (63% engagement) 6. Direct mail isn't dead But swag is worthless (or at least it didn’t work for this audience 🤷♀️). Our highest ROI direct mail: Personalized research reports addressing the account's specific challenges. $250 spend → $45K in pipeline (average). 7. The "Double-Down Effect" When an account engages with ANY marketing touch, immediately increasing the frequency and personalization level produces a 3.5x lift in conversion rates. The companies getting ABM right understand it's not a campaign—it's a complete go-to-market strategy. P.S. I'm working on a new episodic ABM show in collaboration with Clay, so stay tuned 🤗

The MQL was never what we wanted — it was just what we could measure. Time to fix that. What we actually want are engaged buying groups showing legitimate purchase intent. Not just one person downloading an eBook, but multiple stakeholders from a target account actively researching and demonstrating they're moving through a buying process. HAND RAISERS I’d argue that the best way to measure this is a steady stream of actual hand-raisers who genuinely want to talk to Sales. This was a key metric we used at Marketo. Real hand-raisers: ✅ Show demonstrate legitimate purchase intent ✅ Have genuine budget and timeline constraints ✅ Want to validate decisions, not collect information These people (and accounts) convert. They close. Sales velocity and win rates increase dramatically. WHY WE NEED LEADING INDICATORS But… buyers are far along their journey before raising hands. 6sense research shows 81% of buyers have a preferred vendor by first contact, and 85% have established requirements before reaching out.  In other words, they’ve already basically made their decision by then. So… we also need earlier signals (e.g. leading indicators) to help us know we’re on the right track. This leads to the following framework: TIER 1: TARGET ACCOUNT ENGAGEMENT Web visits, content downloads, etc. from the right accounts TIER 2: MEANINGFUL MOMENTS Real engagement from decision makers at target accounts, including executive attendance at your events or dinners, participation in your community discussions, and live discussions with your team. (This is especially important in the Age of AI, where increasingly AI will disintermediate our traditional digital signals, like web visits and email opens.) TIER 3: BUYING GROUP FORMATION & INTENT Activities that show purchase intent, including multiple visitors from the same account, intent signals, and pricing/ROI research. TIER 4: HAND RAISER Genuine inbound requests to engage with Sales. So, this means we should also be tracking: ✅ Account Coverage: What percentage of our target account list is showing engagement? ✅ Buying Group Velocity: How quickly are accounts moving through the journey stages? ✅ Engagement Intent: Are we seeing surface-level interest or genuine research behaviors? ✅ Multi-threading Success: How many stakeholders per account are we reaching? The beauty of this approach is that it gives both Marketing and Sales much richer intelligence. Sales isn't getting a random lead who filled out a form, they're getting context about an entire buying group's journey, key stakeholders, and specific interests. And it forces marketing to think like sales, activating buying committees, not generating individual leads. The MQL obsession has created what I call “lead theater” — lots of activity that looks productive but doesn't move the revenue needle. This is a better way. #B2BMarketing #MarketingAutomation #AccountBasedMarketing #LeadGeneration #MarTech

I recently talked with a fellow marketer about account scoring in #ABM.  They struggled to adapt to the recent privacy law, which made me think: We must rethink how we do this. Account scoring is evolving. It's moving way beyond simple intent data.  You need a new approach to find these high-potential accounts in a privacy-first world. I call it Account Scoring 2.0. But why? ➖Traditional intent data is becoming less reliable.   ➖Privacy regulations are changing.   ➖Third-party cookies are fading away.   ➖We can't rely on old methods.   ➖We need to be more innovative. 👉🏾 Using Account Scoring 2.0 helps you focus on first-party data. This is data you collect directly from your target accounts like: Website visits. Content downloads.    Engagement within your emails.  Collecting and analyzing this data is valuable. It's also privacy-compliant. 👉🏾 Other things to look out for are behavioral signals.  Look out for target accounts engaging with your content.    Are they attending your webinars?  Are they interacting with your sales team?  These actions show interest and suggest potential. 👉🏾Predictive modeling plays a key role too. You can use AI to analyze first-party and behavioral data.  This helps you predict which accounts are most likely to convert.  It allows you to prioritize your efforts. Remember, it's about working smarter, not harder. 👉🏾 Don't forget contextual data; it matters, too.  What's happening in the market?  Look for industry trends that align with your offerings.  Are there changes in your target accounts' businesses?  Understanding the context helps refine your scoring. Look at Account Scoring 2.0 as a strategy, not just technology. It's more about understanding your ideal customer profile. It's about aligning sales and marketing and building relationships while respecting privacy more efficiently. What are your thoughts on the future of account scoring? Have you used it before? #b2bmarketing #marketingstrategy

If you’re building your first Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) program, don't treat every vendor the same. Here’s how I think about it: Imagine you’re going on vacation. You're leaving your most valuable assets behind, and you need help watching over them. This is the KPP TPRM Framework - Kids, Pets, Plants (KPP) Your kids (Tier 1) They are your world. You’re doing full background checks, interviews, references, maybe even a trial run. Trust and accountability are paramount. This is your Tier 1 vendor, a cloud provider storing PHI, a core platform partner, or anyone with access to your customer data and critical to your business. Your pets (Tier 2) You care deeply, but they're not your kids (although I have been challenged on this one before). Maybe you're using an app with good reviews and insurance. Some vetting, not full due diligence. This is Tier 2, a service provider with limited access or moderate impact to operations. Your plants Nice to have alive, but if something goes wrong, you'll recover. A quick text to the neighbor and done. This is Tier 3, low-risk, replaceable vendors with minimal impact on business or data. TPRM isn’t about saying “yes” or “no” to vendors ->it’s about knowing how much risk the vendor & use case carry and acting accordingly. So, if you're overwhelmed and not sure where to start, start with tiering. Remember - Kids, Pets, Plants Tiering brings focus. Tiering saves time. Tiering protects what matters most. #tprm #vendorriskmanagement #msp #ciso

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Recruitment is known as a fast paced industry, but there’s one part of our role as recruiters that can’t be rushed; building relationships. In my experience, creating long-term relationships with our clients, candidates, and colleagues is invaluable. Not only does this approach lead to better hiring decisions, but it also shapes careers, fuels business growth, and creates networks of trust that last for years. Here’s why long-term relationships should be the foundation of any great recruitment strategy: 𝟏. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞  The best partnerships – whether with clients or candidates – aren’t built in a single conversation. They develop over time, through consistency, honesty, and delivering results. When businesses work with recruiters they trust, they gain a true partner, not just a service provider. The same applies to candidates. Many of the strongest hires come from professionals we’ve known for years and placed more than once. 𝟐. 𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 One of the most rewarding aspects of long-term relationship-building is seeing how careers evolve. Many candidates we’ve placed early in their careers have gone on to become hiring managers or senior leaders, and when they need to build their own teams, they often return to the recruiters they trust. A single placement can turn into a lifelong professional partnership. 𝟑. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬  Understanding a company’s culture, leadership style, and long-term growth strategy takes time. The deeper that understanding, the better the hires. Clients who treat recruiters as strategic partners rather than short-term vendors see the biggest return on investment – not just in speed to hire, but in quality and retention. 𝟒. 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬  In today’s job market, candidates expect a personal, transparent process – one where they feel valued beyond a single application. A recruiter who stays in touch, offers advice, and provides genuine career guidance builds relationships that last. And when candidates have a great experience, they refer others, expanding the recruiter’s network even further. 𝟓. 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  The recruitment industry is built on trust and reputation. The most successful recruiters are the ones known for honest, long-standing relationships that create value for both businesses and professionals over time. At the end of the day, recruitment is about people, not transactions. The strongest partnerships aren’t measured in placements but rather in careers built, businesses grown, and trust earned.

Sales and marketing both think they're doing their job right. And they are. That's exactly why nothing's working. The problem isn't effort or skill. It's that they're operating from two completely different understandings of the buyer's journey. Marketing builds campaigns, thinking buyers need awareness. Sales gets on calls and realizes they're already comparing solutions. That gap? That's where deals die. Here's how you close it: 1. Map the buyer journey together with both teams and break down ⤷ What actually triggers buyers to search?  ⤷ What confuses them most?  ⤷ What objections keep showing up?  ⤷ When both teams agree on this, everything else starts working. 2. Make marketing listen to sales calls This closes 50% of the gap instantly. Marketing finally hears the real objections, the tone, and the questions, and it makes their messaging sharp. 3. Let sales approve messaging before it goes live. Sales knows which phrases confuse people and which make them lean in. Use that. We have worked with 50+ B2B companies where aligning the sales and marketing efforts from the buyer journey turned their pipeline around in weeks. Deals closed faster. Conversations became productive. The blame game stopped. PS: Drop a 👍 if you've ever been caught in the middle of a sales vs marketing argument. #SalesAndMarketingAlignment #SMarketing #RevenueOperations #B2BMarketing #BuyerJourney

1st time when we launched ABM at a $35M company, we thought we had it all figured out. we didn't. here's what actually happened: we picked 100 "dream accounts." we built personalized ads. we sent direct mail. we tracked engagement. 6 months later? → 3 meetings booked → 0 closed deals → $50K+ spent the board asked: "what went wrong?" the honest answer? we fell in love with the tactic, not the strategy. here's what we missed: 1. we picked accounts we wanted, not accounts that wanted us. no intent signals. no timing data. just logos we thought would look good on our website. 2. we personalized everything except the message. custom ads with their logo. personalized landing pages. but the value prop? generic. they didn't care. 3. sales wasn't bought in. marketing ran the show. sales saw it as "marketing's project." when leads came in, follow-up was slow. alignment was broken from day one. 4. we measured activity, not outcomes. engagement scores looked great. but engagement doesn't pay the bills. pipeline does. the fix? we rebuilt ABM from scratch: → started with sales and CS input on account selection → used intent and signal data to find accounts already in-market → aligned on a shared revenue segment, not just MQLs → measured ICP-fit pipeline and closed revenue, nothing else that's when ABM started working. my lesson: ABM isn't broken. GTM isn't broken. Marketing or sales isn't broken. but the way most teams run it? absolutely is. your take? love, sangram

You attract better customers when your message has direction. Most companies rush into campaigns without doing the one thing that matters most: Defining their positioning. Before you talk to the market, you must know what you stand for — your promise, your value, and the exact space you occupy. Because positioning is the compass. It guides your messaging, branding, and every touchpoint your customer sees. It answers the fundamental questions: • Why do we exist? • What value do we bring? • Who exactly is this for? Without that clarity, every campaign becomes guesswork. With it, every message carries purpose and lands with the right people. When your positioning and value proposition are sharp, your entire growth engine aligns: Marketing, branding, advertising, even sales conversations. Even leading ABM frameworks make one thing clear: Account-Based Marketing begins with a tight ICP and strong positioning. That’s what maximizes relevance and eliminates wasted spend. So before your next marketing push, pause. Write down your positioning and your ICP on paper. A Simple 5-Step Framework to Strengthen Your Positioning 1. Define Your Core Promise → State the outcome you deliver in one clean sentence. 2. Identify Your ICP → Industry, size, challenges, budgets, buying triggers to go precise. 3. Clarify Your UVP →Why you win over alternatives example : faster, better, safer or smarter. 4. Map Your Differentiators → List the 3 things you do uniquely well. 5. Craft Your Positioning Statement → Who you help, what problem you solve, how you solve it and why you’re the best choice. This one exercise determines whether your marketing connects… or completely misses. Agree?

If I was running ABM at a fast-growing security company (like Wiz, Snyk, or Netskope), here's how I'd avoid wasting money on bad-fit accounts. 👇 AI Segmentation. Most companies segment by industry. They say something like: "We target Tech, Retail, and Hospitality companies with 1,000+ employees." Motel 6 and Airbnb show why this breaks. Same firmographic profiles. But very different business situations, needs, and priorities when it comes to information security (or any tech purchase). You wouldn't sell to them the same way. AI Segmentation helps you uncover and target the highest value segments for your business, beyond basic industries. Here's how I would do this for a security company: 1.) Segment on business situation (not industry). -- Analyze your best customers (high NRR, high ACV). -- Group by specific situations that align to your value prop. e.g. Security Maturity Level, Security Use Cases, Compliance Sensitivity, etc.  -- Find the *natural* clusters based on value, not generic industry labels. 2.) Identify segments with AI. -- Use Keyplay AI to categorize every account in your market. -- Backtest segments against historical data to find which segments have the highest NDR, ACV, and Win Rates. -- Find new ICPs, outside generic vertical groups. 3.) Action the data -- Create ABM plays at intersections with highest win rates. -- Develop content specific to each segment combination (e.g., "Cloud Security for Advanced DevSecOps Teams in Retail") -- Refine your segmentation models as you grow. This process can reduce non-ICP Spend (waste) by 20-30% and help you find thousands of net new target accounts. Don't just throw your budget at industries. Find the segments where your solution resonates most, where you win often, win fast, and win big. That's strategic segmentation. p.s. If you want me and my team to kick-start this process for you, we're offering a free strategic segmentation analysis to CMOs at SaaS security companies with >$20M ARR. Get your report here --> https://lnkd.in/gMezS4Zk #ABM #ICP