How ABM can drive results and power your marketing career

This article is based on Philippe Ruttens’s presentation at the ABM Summit. As an RMA member, you can enjoy the complete recording here.

Account-based marketing (ABM) has been around for a while, yet it’s still a piping-hot strategy. In fact, in this year’s B2B Marketing Trend Tracker, ABM strategies have climbed three places in the rankings, with 32.9% of marketers making it a focus. 

So why has ABM remained so relevant? Well, it ties directly to revenue and pipeline growth, which are critical in B2B marketing. ABM isn’t just about account-based selling – it’s about creating a bigger, stronger pipeline. And if you’re a marketer and you aren’t focused on revenue and pipeline, well, that’s a problem for your career.

So, in this article, I’m going to draw on my years of experience both as a consultant and as a CMO to explore how ABM can impact your marketing career. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• How ABM can fuel career growth
• The challenges of implementing ABM
• How to assess your ABM maturity 
• Four key focus areas for successful ABM 
• Leveraging AI to enhance ABM 

By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how ABM can shape your career and drive tangible results for your organization.

How ABM can fuel your career growth

Now, let’s break down how ABM can actually propel your career. According to a 2023 survey by ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, these are the top three areas of improvement that can be attributed to ABM:

1. Active engagement with selected accounts
2. Pipeline growth
3. Sales team satisfaction

Deal closing and cross-selling rank lower in this list, which is surprising given that ABM is designed to expand and engage the decision-making centers within target accounts. However, focusing on active engagement and satisfying your sales teams’ needs can set you up for success. In ABM, making these connections counts as much, if not more, than closing the deals themselves.

Gartner has also studied the impact of ABM. According to their findings, organizations often observe a lift in overall account engagement, MQL (Marketing Qualified Leads) to SAL (Sales Accepted Leads) conversion, and pipeline value thanks to ABM.

When ABM strategies lift your pipeline and boost ROI, it’s naturally going to help your career. On the flip side, if you’re sticking to top-of-funnel or mass media campaigns, you may find your career stalling – especially if you’re in B2B marketing.

The challenges of implementing ABM

Let’s be honest – ABM is hard. It’s a long-term strategy, not a quick win, and it requires both high effort and patience. It can be a rollercoaster with plenty of highs and lows. You’ll find yourself navigating challenges, optimizing what works, and evolving your approach constantly. 

Measuring and attributing ABM success is a top challenge. Another common hurdle is aligning sales and marketing teams. And then, of course, there's the challenge of identifying and targeting the right accounts, which is at the core of ABM.

Building a solid team is key to staying resilient in the face of all these challenges (more on that later!). ABM needs support from dedicated specialists in marketing operations and strategy. 

ABM is very much a journey – and it can be extremely rewarding if you’re willing to adapt and push through the challenges.

Assessing your ABM maturity

For any program you’re involved in, it’s a smart idea to assess your current level of maturity. But what do those maturity levels look like in ABM? Let’s take a look.