: s M s B e Ac g c inu t s n o e d t m a e o t Vl r r p e a h Pilots P Imt We get it: all the best practices in this We’ve seen pilots structured in many ways: guide can be overwhelming. That’s • One sales rep and one marketer targeting five ABM in Enterprise vs SMB Companies why many companies that have accounts (Strategic ABM) ABM looks different in larger enterprises than deployed ABM successfully started • Three reps and a marketer targeting one industry small- and mid-sized companies. their journey with a pilot. sector (Scale ABM) Enterprise • A full ABM commitment but in one territory • Significant focus on post-sale expansion as By playing a long game, pilots help you or region well as new logos incrementally build momentum and support for • A full ABM program for one product line • Likely they already have field marketing teams broader rollout of ABM. The benefits are clear: Get started fast in place, some level of experience reaching • Learn how ABM works for your specific kinds Making the transition to ABM can be especially out to target accounts, QBR processes in of accounts hard when you need to grow pipeline and revenue place, etc. • Lower the risk RIGHT NOW. Here are some things you can do to • Can invest in ABM specialists • Iron out any issues before you scale show some benefit right away: • Sales and marketing alignment is harder, • Earn stronger executive and stakeholder support especially when teams work in remote locations • Lessen the change-management challenge • Map leads to accounts: L2A is the foundation Small- and Medium-Sized of any ABM initiative • More likely to focus primarily on new-business • Launch a simple, integrated play: TOPO acquisition Pro tip recommends a play that combines SDR outreach • More likely that ABM is an entirely new muscle Pilots often begin with simple Lead-to-Account with marketing ‘air-cover’ such as direct mail to • More likely they need to use existing staff to Matching, especially at large enterprises. One generate meetings work on ABM global software company succeeded by • Account scoring: Show the sales team which • Alignment is not easy but at least teams are starting with L2A technology for just five sales accounts are engaging so they know where to more likely to work in the same location reps, then expanded to 30, and beyond. They invest their time and energy worked through technical barriers, got the IT You can see benefit in as little as one quarter with department on board, and created some quick an aggressive approach like this. wins. The sales reps’ enthusiasm supported the broader rollout. 146