There is all this buzz around technology that signals intent at target accounts.
SDRs love it, marketing loves it because it’s simple. This is the rough process:
1. intent signal comes from the account
2. marketing launches awareness campaign targeting the account
3. SDR calls the account when there is interaction with campaign/other activity
Easy-peasy, right?
People tend to equate this with account-based marketing and often neglect other pieces of the demand-puzzle.
But if this is a company’s ABM focus, it’s not going to be a happy ending.
What’s wrong with this approach?
It’s only about capturing demand. It’s a piece of the puzzle, but not nearly the full picture. Why?
You’re neglecting 97% of the very best accounts in your TAM because 97% aren’t ready to buy.
And no, the fact that they’re not in buying mode doesn’t make them less valuable accounts.
Yes, focus substantial effort on capturing existing demand, but know that it’s the hardest battle to win. And while you’re at it, start allocating resources to creating demand. As in:
– taking people from the unaware stage
– …through problem awareness, all the way to
– solution awareness.
How do you do this?
– thought servantship on social media.
– webinars where you can interact
– written content in all shapes, sizes and distribution
What happens when you do this?
– your best-fit buyers will come straight to you when they’re ready – sometimes without seriously considering competitors.
– sales cycles shorten
– average deal size goes up
– customer support has less work, customer success has more
– everyone is happier
– buyer experience
Why?
Because when you’re the one who enters the conversation in the buyer’s head, when you’re the one framing their problem and you’re the guide who first leads them to the solution… it creates a special place in the mind of the buyer.
So, go in strong at the very top of the funnel – in demand generation. Once you have a strong footing there, putting an ABM program on top of that will yield much better results.
