Time and again, account-based marketing (ABM) has proven to be a major generator of ROI. Companies continue to invest in targeted campaigns geared toward high-value accounts as they see their win rates increase and the sizes of those deals grow.
These results make sense.
ABM gives marketers the power to target select companies or specific roles within said companies. They have the ability to personalize ad creative and copy based on account industry, pain points or buying stage. And campaigns can run across multiple channels, from LinkedIn and programmatic ads to intent-based platforms and retargeting tools.
But ROI doesn’t come from just a well-defined ABM campaign. It’s about every move your sales team makes alongside account-based marketing efforts to get deals across the finish line.
It’s a narrative we often come back to: the need for alignment between marketing and sales enablement. The more these two departments and initiatives work in tandem, the better the results. Here’s how to build that bridge to fuel account-based marketing sales.
Involve Sales in the Early Stages of ABM Planning
Sales reps are on the front lines—they hear firsthand the goals, objections, and pain points of high-value prospects. Including them early in your ABM planning ensures your strategy is rooted in reality, not assumptions. When the sales team helps shape the ABM strategy, they’re far more likely to champion and use it because it reflects the actual conversations they’re having in the field.
Here are three examples of valuable input that sales can provide:
- Persona Refinement: Sales may report that junior-level influencers are increasingly initiating research before involving executives. Marketing teams can use those insights to build out multi-layered personas and content paths tailored to each stage of the buying committee.
- Account Selection: Reps might notice growing interest from an adjacent vertical that wasn’t previously prioritized. Adding those high-value target accounts to your list early can open new high-fit opportunities and improve campaign efficiency.
- Messaging Frameworks: If prospects consistently push back on time-to-value, sales can help refocus messaging to emphasize speed, ease of onboarding, or quick wins—making campaign content more persuasive from the outset.
This early alignment grounds your ABM program in real buyer behavior and creates a collaborative foundation between sales and marketing teams to drive success.
Develop Sales-Driven Content To Support Your ABM Strategy
To bridge ABM campaigns with sales conversations, create assets that directly support outreach themes and objectives. Consider these ideas to support the sales process:
- A pitch deck that serves as a natural extension of your ad and landing page content, giving reps a structured way to walk prospects through that narrative.
- A customer success story that echoes the industry or challenges your ABM campaign addresses, adding proof to your pitch and building credibility.
- A competitor battle card that equips reps with quick, at-a-glance insights for handling objections and confidently reinforce why your offering stands out.
The content underscores the ABM message and gives sales the tools to keep the conversation moving forward.
Connect ABM Ads to Sales Enablement Workflows
When a prospect clicks on a campaign ad and visits a landing page, that behavior should trigger more than a marketing report. You can set up workflows in HubSpot that instantly notify the appropriate rep when this activity occurs. These alerts give sales the context to engage thoughtfully and quickly with key accounts.
Consider an ABM campaign where a product packaging manufacturer promotes a guide on sustainable packaging trends. When a supply chain leader from a key target account interacts with the campaign, the assigned rep that gets the alert might follow up with:
I’ve been speaking with numerous teams looking ahead to how sustainability goals will shape packaging strategies next year. If you’re evaluating new materials or rethinking design standards, I’d be happy to share some of what we’re seeing.
In a more bottom-funnel ABM campaign, an employee engagement software provider creates a landing page with a platform walkthrough video and an ROI calculator. When a VP of HR from a target account engages with it, a rep could respond with something like:
We’ve helped HR teams streamline their feedback cycles and boost retention with our platform. If you’re in the evaluation stage or gathering internal buy-in, I’d be happy to walk-through some ROI benchmarks and show how it could fit into your current workflow.
Set-Up Sequences That Tie-in With Your ABM Campaign
An account-based marketing strategy doesn’t work in a vacuum, especially when many prospects aren’t opted into marketing emails. A well-orchestrated sales sequence can fill this gap. Structured thoughtfully crafted sequences complement ABM efforts and keep your brand top of mind.
- Email 1: Introduce the core campaign pain point and link to a pitch deck that outlines your solution and impact.
- LinkedIn Connection: Send a personalized request the next day, referencing the challenge or value from your first email.
- Email 2: Share a customer success story that aligns with the prospect’s industry or role, focusing on outcomes.
- Email 3: Summarize your value prop and include a battle card to support their decision-making.
Even if the prospect doesn’t engage right away, seeing consistent messaging across multiple channels lays the groundwork for a warmer conversation in the future.
Conduct Regular ABM-Sales Alignment Touch-bases
Regular alignment meetings between marketing and sales teams ensure all sides are working from the same playbook and adjusting based on what’s happening in the field.
These conversations are a chance to compare notes on ABM traction and engagement. The sessions don’t need to be long; the main goal is to keep communication lines open, momentum high and evolve your ABM strategy based on real-world feedback.
If sales shares that certain accounts are consistently unresponsive to current messaging, the marketing team can adjust the content or channels used to engage those accounts.
Sales might also surface patterns that weren’t initially obvious, like industries or sectors that are converting more efficiently. Marketing can then refine targeting parameters to focus ABM tactics on higher-fit accounts, improving ROI by concentrating resources on the most promising opportunities.
From Spotlight to Close: Carrying the ABM Message Through Sales
Account-based marketing is like securing a keynote slot at a high-stakes event. You have the spotlight with your most valuable prospects paying attention, and a meaningful message to deliver.
But a strong opening isn’t enough. If the follow-through lacks consistency or impact, that early momentum fizzles fast. To keep the spotlight and move key accounts toward a decision, every interaction, from marketing to sales efforts, needs to build on that initial message. When marketing and sales teams work together, ABM is a compelling, end-to-end experience that delivers results.
At Kuno, we specialize in marketing enablement and sales enablement, helping you make a strong first impression and sustain that momentum by aligning your strategy, content and workflows from first touch to closed deal. Whether you need to fine-tune your messaging, empower your sales team with the right tools or build seamless handoffs that enhance the buyer journey, our team knows how to bring your marketing and sales efforts together.
If you’re ready to turn more attention into action and make your ABM strategy perform, let’s talk.
