đŸš© 10 Warning Signs Your ABM + Sales Partnership is in Trouble

If you’ve been in the ABM space for a while, working with a challenging sales partner can be an inevitable part of the process.


Here are the top 10 warning signs to look out for:

  1. Misaligned Sales Incentives = Your BDR / SDR team gets paid more for “sales-sourced” qualified leads and opportunities.
  2. Sales STILL Doesn’t Understand ABM = It’s been +6 months and your sales team can’t define ABM and how it differs from other internal marketing initiatives.
  3. Lack of Consistent Data Hygiene = Sales teams aren’t logging activities or associating buying group members to open opportunities.
  4. Missing ABM / Sales Meetings = Sales teams continue to push out dedicated ABM meetings or just don’t show up.
  5. Withholding Timely Account Updates = The ABM team isn’t seen as “a strategic part of the account team” and timely updates aren’t shared.
  6. Not Actioning Within Agreed SLAs = Your sales partners aren’t actioning their part of the campaign plan within the SLAs set at the beginning of the program.
  7. ABM is STILL Seen as a Lead Generation Motion = A continued legacy mindset that ABM isn’t a holistic GTM motion, and only exists to pass over “MQLs”.
  8. Slow “Quick-wins” = The ABMer doesn’t prioritize quick-wins at the beginning of the program and only looks towards the long-term.
  9. Target Account Lists are a Revolving Door = Sales leadership views the target account lists as an open ‘revolving door’ where they can move accounts in and out every week.
  10. Unreasonably Set Expectations = The ABMer has set unrealistic expectations of timelines and depth of tactical personalization.

đŸ€ How to Drive a Strong Partnership

We have been silently conducting ABM Benchmark Audits of leading programs ranging from $5M to $20B ARR as we build out our Benchmarking Database.

(đŸ€«â€Š this hasn’t officially launched yet!)

Through our audits, here are the top 5 best practices we have uncovered:

  1. Enablement Doesn’t Stop After Week 1 = It requires constant enablement to implement a successful account-based GTM. This is from the CEO to BDR.
  2. Understand Sales’ Success Metrics = You should understand what explicit incentives your sales teams have, and consider how to align these with ABM program goals.
  3. Add “Account-Owner Fit” to the TAL Weighting Criteria = While choosing your target accounts, think about whether the sales person will be a good partner. Individuals who will be a strong internal champion and share wins across the team should also be weighted higher.
  4. Build a Strong VP / Director of Sales Relationship = It’s imperative to build a strong relationship with the sales leader. If all else fails, they can help act as an advocate if you’re having challenges with an AE / BDR.
  5. Be Prepared - Do Your Homework = Constantly keeping up-to-date with changes to your org’s GTM motion and staying on the pulse of your target accounts. The sales team will take note of this while you meet.

Bonus

  1. Aim for Quick-wins = It can take time to properly set up your ABM program, but this doesn’t mean everything has to be SLOW. Make sure to prioritize early wins to drive momentum and buy-in.

👀 How Sales Partnerships Differ Across Growth ABM and Enterprise ABM

Not all partnerships with sales look alike


Especially when it comes to the underlying ABM framework that you’re running; Growth ABM or Enterprise ABM.

The depth of the partnership and involvement of each sales team might look very different.

(WARNING: In order to get the most out of the below, it’s critical to understand the differences between Enterprise ABM & Growth ABM - read this.)

Growth ABM vs. Enterprise ABM

Growth ABM

  • AE (Account Executive) = Due to a higher volume of account coverage and (typically) a focus on generating net-new pipeline, direct involvement of the AEs is less than the BDR / SDRs.
  • BDR / SDR (Business Development Rep) = The primary sales partner who is actioning the campaign tactics.
  • Solutions Consultant = Very little, sometimes no involvement.
  • VP / Director of Sales = A strong partnership is critical.

Enterprise ABM

  • AE = The ABMer partners directly with the AE’s and should be seen as a strategic teammate.
  • BDR / SDR = Although heavily involved, the AE’s are your primary partner.
  • Solutions Consultant = As Enterprise ABM is mostly seen within expansion plays, the SC’s will have higher involvement.
  • VP / Director of Sales = A strong partnership is critical.