🗣️ Answering Two Of Your C-Suite’s Most Pressing ABM Questions

What are the two main questions that every C-suite / Board Member continuously asks ABM leaders?

  1. How do we execute this ABM program at scale?
  2. What are you doing to drive repeatability?

As your ABM program begins to grow in headcount and account coverage, having the infrastructure in place to answer these questions is mission-critical.


This is where a Center of Excellence can help.


Defining a Center of Excellence (CoE):

A centralized source of truth within an organization that is dedicated to the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of account-based GTM strategies.

It serves as a hub of expertise, best practices, and innovation, providing support and guidance to ensure cohesive and effective execution of account-based initiatives across the company.



🏛️ The 6 Pillars of a Center of Excellence (CoE)

Source: ForgeX Research Library

1. Repeatability & Scale

Process Documentation:

  • Maintain comprehensive documentation for all ABM processes to ensure consistency and ease of replication across teams and campaigns. This includes detailed workflows, roles, responsibilities, and step-by-step guides for tactical execution.

Templatization:

  • Create and maintain a library of templates for common activities such as email campaigns, landing pages, reporting dashboards, etc. These templates help standardize execution and reduce the time required to launch new initiatives.

2. Internal Feedback Loops

Track and Action Internal Feedback:

  • Establish a cadence to collect, track, and act on internal feedback from various stakeholders (across all seniority levels, GTM functions).

3. Innovation

Experimental Tactics and Models:

  • Encourage and facilitate experimentation with new ABM tactics and models to push the boundaries of traditional approaches. This includes pilot programs, A/B testing, and adopting emerging technologies.

4. GTM Enablement

Alignment Across GTM Teams:

  • Ensure that all GTM teams are aligned in their understanding and execution of your account-based strategies.

Continuous Training:

  • Host regular training sessions and workshops to keep GTM teams up-to-date on the latest ABM best practices, tools, and techniques.

Best Practices Repository:

  • Maintain a dynamic repository of ABM best practices, internal case studies and success stories.

5. Consistent Operational Excellence

Accountability for Consistency:

  • Hold GTM teams accountable for maintaining consistency in the execution of your account-based strategy.

đź‘€ What These Look Like In Practice (By Varying Org Sizes)

The complexity and investment in your Center of Excellence looks drastically different depending on:

  1. Organizational size
  2. Account-based GTM maturity

Here is what we generally tend to see:


Under $1B ARR

Level of Complexity: Low

  • “ABM Hub” or content and template repository lives in organized folders or a dedicated space in the internal Wiki.
  • The ABM program typically covers 1-2 global regions, where localization of content and campaign plans isn’t typically done to a high degree given low resources and bandwidth.

Investment: Low

  • The CoE is an additive responsibly for the ABM practitioner who is leading all other aspects of the program.

Designated Headcount: No

  • Often led by ABM manager.

Over $1B ARR

Level of Complexity: High

  • “ABM Hub” or content and template repository has a dedicated internal tool, yet GTM assets are also included in the internal wiki (often a sales hub).
  • The ABM program typically covers 3-4 global regions, where localization of content and campaign plans is a high priority. There are dedicated ABM teams in each region.

Investment: Med

  • Given the complexity and scale of the ABM program, an investment into the CoE is considered essential - leading to a higher investment of resources and time.

Designated Headcount: Yes

  • FTE who leads the CoE (sometimes a team).