The HubSpot Sales Blog

In a traditional sales funnel, you gather as many leads as you can into the top and use your content and outreach to guide leads further down as they learn more about how your solutions can meet their needs. But generating high-quality, qualified leads remains a perennial challenge, with less than a third of salespeople reporting that Account-focused lead generation their marketing team is their best source for leads. Leads can be qualified by either your marketing or sales teams, which means those teams have verified that the lead truly has the potential to become a customer.

Skillable, a leader in experiential learning and upskilling, partnered with Directive to reimagine its paid media program through the principles of account based marketing. The best programs connect marketing performance directly to revenue, creating accountability and transparency across the organization. Multi-touch attribution models assign weight to each interaction across an account’s journey, ensuring that every contribution is visible and measurable. Primary KPIs include pipeline created or influenced, opportunity rate per account, win rate, average contract value, deal velocity, and net revenue retention. Orchestration systems like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Demandbase connect marketing and sales workflows and allow teams to automate account engagement. For example, if a target account shows increased research activity around a relevant topic, an ad campaign is triggered automatically, followed by a personalized email sequence.

As buyers, industries, and the greater world shift, it’s critical to update your data as your business and your buyers evolve. These documents enable SDRs to spend less time lead targeting people or companies that are not great-fit customers or don’t need your product or service. Once the targeted sales leads have been identified, companies can then create customized campaigns with tailored messaging. Building targeted lead lists involves four crucial steps — each filled with nuance and deliberate decision-making. This guide walks through the full process with 6 actionable tips for prospecting that generates quality leads, provides strong ROI, and grows revenue.

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• It pulls together the most current data available on LinkedIn’s reach, search authority, advertising performance, and buyer behavior.
• Best-in-class account based marketing programs report 75% increases in average contract value and 150% increases in lifetime value through account-based upsell campaigns.
• Every section is built for teams that need to go beyond theory and into execution.
• Call Analyzer (intent detection and coaching insights) This “AI + Human SDR” model improves booking rates and reduces manual effort.

This comprehensive guide takes a deep dive into the differences between ABM and lead generation, exploring their unique benefits and challenges. Utilize data analytics to understand the needs and behaviors of these accounts, and align your sales and marketing teams to ensure a cohesive approach. If your cost-per-meeting keeps climbing despite adding tools and reps, the problem isn’t execution — it’s the model. The GO Data package offers a team of sales development specialists to help you create lists according to your specific needs with access to the most up-to-date data. The right software is critical for executing just about any stage of sales and marketing, yet making the data actionable and the systems working together requires human ingenuity.

Uses automation and data to reach a larger set of accounts with scalable personalization. All of your marketing and sales efforts come with some degree of flexibility. Programmatic ABM requires a less intense understanding of high-value accounts. The company creates customer-focused content, including white papers and case studies. This means you start with your target accounts, creating content and campaigns that reach specific people at those companies.

When it comes to ABM vs lead generation, it’s not a showdown – it’s a strategic mix. As you can see above, there are ways you can still prioritize one but take elements of the other to create a tailored strategy that helps achieve your goals. Lead generation aims to capture a broader range of potential customers, often with less personalization.

Tailor your entire sales and marketing approach to each account, from the channels you use to reach them to the offers and incentives you provide. Automate certain aspects of the lead generation process, such as email marketing and social media posting, to scale your efforts without breaking the bank. Another benefit of ABM is aligning your sales and marketing teams more closely. Align your marketing and sales teams to deliver a seamless, cohesive experience that nurtures these key accounts through the buyer's journey.

Step 4: Focus and connect

After identifying your target accounts, create highly personalized content and messaging that resonates with each account's unique needs and pain points. This approach requires a deep understanding of your ideal customer profile (ICP) and the decision-makers within each target account. While both approaches aim to attract and convert potential customers, they differ in targeting, personalization, and overall reach. Effectively implement account-based marketing and lead generation strategies by understanding their key components.