Partner Content
Picture this: it’s 2005. In marketing, the ‘lead’ was king.
Back then, cloud-based technologies were just becoming mainstream, and tracking leads was the easiest way to measure marketing success. But, according to Forrester, less than 1% of leads turned into sales.
By 2015, this trend began to wane as we witnessed the rise of Account-Based Marketing. The lead was king in 2005, but are we still comfortable using the “easiest way” we came up with more than 15 years ago?
Now, in 2021, more organizations are shifting towards an ABM program, and we’re seeing marketing and sales departments work closer together.
In 2019, Terminus’ State of ABM survey found that 23% of organizations had no ABM program of any kind. In 2020, that number dropped significantly to just 5.8%.
We’re noticing that mature ABM programs, not lead generation, have become the dominant source of revenue for organizations. In fact, only 10% of surveyed organizations even view leads as one of their top three performance indicators.
The truth? You can hit all of your goals without generating a single lead.
Instead, measure awareness, opportunity creation, pipeline progression, and customer expansion. The four pillars of ABM programs do this, and as you’re reviewing your plans and transforming your success metrics, ask yourself these questions:
Creating highly personalized campaigns with unique content will help reach your carefully crafted account lists.
Remember, alignment between marketing and sales is a key factor in improving your #1 metric: pipeline.
As you proactively help your sales team understand your account strategy, they’ll be able to watch for surging accounts to create opportunities.
That’s okay! You can convince your C-suite without crushing their romance with leads. Changing a deep-rooted concept like lead-chasing is never easy.
Here’s what to say to help your cause:
Beyond that, you’ll need dedication from your team. Consider assigning one or two specific people to kick off your ABM program. Having people solely focused on ABM success is a smart way to prevent your organization from backsliding into its old, lead-oriented habits.
Once executives begin to see your metrics, they’ll more than warm up to the idea that, in 2021, ABM and pipeline are king.