ABM is about quality, not quantity ABM can take a long time to show results “ Make a long-term commitment; In ABM, Marketing won’t be generating many ‘hot Ideally, we would always be able to measure ABM results improve with experience.” leads’ — so even metrics that incorporate quality ABM using closed deals and revenue (and (like ‘marketing qualified leads’) become less marketing certainly should measure those ITSMA and ABM useful. A sales rep with 20 accounts can’t accept things). But when starting an ABM initiative, you Leadership Alliance a 5% conversion rate — she needs to be thinking need to set expectations that it won’t deliver clear about growing revenue from every single account. revenue immediately. In short, Marketing needs to create influence with “ You can’t wait a year to see results the people who matter. That’s a new and different If you hide this fact when you make your business mindset about how Marketing is measured. case, you’re putting a time bomb inside your [in ABM].” ABM program. Which would the sales rep value more — 20 Megan Heuer, random low-level professionals downloading your Instead, make sure everyone understands that: VP Research, SiriusDecisions whitepaper, or one meaningful conversation with a decision-maker at one of her target accounts? • Quantity-based metrics will likely decrease (e.g. fewer leads) as resources target fewer, better accounts. • Hard results may take a long time… sometimes a very long time. That’s why leading indicators based on middle-of- the-funnel metrics are so important to ABM. By tracking how the right people at target accounts engage with your company, and how accounts move through a complex buying journey, marketers have a quantifiable way of showing progress through a potentially long development process. 106