ABM / ABS Process and System - Project Details / Task List
Tag: abm-abs
Total Hours: 125h
Structure: Multi-Milestone (>50h)
Milestone 1: ABM / ABS Process and System - 1. Strategy & Account Development
Tag: abm-abs
Description: Define ABM strategy, build target account list, map buying committees, and select ABM platform
Hours: 62h
Task List: (ABM / ABS) 1. Assessment & ICP Development
Contains: Parts 1-2
| Task | Est | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Audit Current Account Targeting Approach | 2.5h | Evaluate how accounts are currently identified, prioritized, and engaged across sales and marketing. End state: Gap analysis document showing current state vs. desired ABM/ABS capabilities. • Interview sales leadership on current account selection criteria and prioritization methods • Review marketing's current targeting approach (spray-and-pray vs. focused) • Pull data on win rates by account segment/size over last 12 months • Document current tech stack capabilities for account-based targeting • Identify gaps between current state and ABM best practices • Quantify the opportunity cost of misaligned targeting (e.g., "60% of closed-won came from 15% of accounts pursued") |
| 2. Define ABM Program Goals and Success Metrics | 2h | Establish clear objectives, KPIs, and success criteria for the ABM/ABS initiative. End state: Documented program goals with measurable targets approved by leadership. • Define primary objective (pipeline growth, deal size increase, conversion rate improvement) • Set specific KPIs: target account engagement rate, pipeline from target accounts, ACV targets • Establish baseline metrics from current performance • Define leading indicators (account engagement scores, buying committee coverage) • Define lagging indicators (pipeline generated, deals closed, revenue from target accounts) • Get leadership sign-off on goals and 6-12 month timeline expectations |
| 3. Secure Cross-Functional Alignment and Buy-In | 2h | Align sales, marketing, and leadership on ABM strategy, roles, and commitments. End state: Executive sponsorship confirmed and cross-functional team committed to ABM motion. • Present ABM business case to leadership (ROI data: 87% of B2B marketers report ABM outperforms other investments) • Define roles: Marketing owns campaigns, Sales owns account relationships, RevOps owns data/process • Establish governance model and meeting cadence (weekly ABM syncs) • Create SLA between marketing and sales on account handoffs and follow-up timing • Document decision rights for account prioritization and resource allocation |
| 4. Develop Ideal Customer Profile Framework | 3.5h | Create a data-driven ICP framework that identifies companies most likely to buy and succeed with the product. End state: Documented ICP with firmographic, technographic, and behavioral criteria weighted by importance. • Analyze closed-won deals from last 24 months for common characteristics • Identify firmographic criteria: industry, employee count, revenue range, geography • Identify technographic criteria: current tech stack, tools used, platform preferences • Identify behavioral signals: growth stage, funding events, hiring patterns • Weight criteria by correlation to deal success and lifetime value • Create ICP scoring model (1-100 scale) • Validate ICP with sales team input on "best fit" accounts |
| 5. Build Initial Target Account List | 3h | Generate prioritized list of target accounts using ICP criteria and available data sources. End state: Tiered target account list with 50-500 accounts ready for enrichment. • Pull potential accounts from CRM that match ICP criteria • Supplement with accounts from data providers (ZoomInfo, Apollo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator) • Apply ICP scoring model to rank accounts • Create tiering structure (Tier 1: 10-50 accounts for 1:1, Tier 2: 50-200 for 1:few, Tier 3: 200-500 for 1:many) • Remove accounts with active opportunities or recent losses (quarantine period) • Validate list with sales leadership for strategic fit and relationship history |
| 6. Enrich Target Account Data | 2.5h | Enhance target account records with additional firmographic, technographic, and contact data. End state: Target accounts enriched with complete company profiles and initial contact lists. • Enrich firmographic data: exact employee count, revenue, locations, subsidiaries • Add technographic data: current tools, platforms, tech stack (using tools like BuiltWith, HG Insights) • Identify intent signals from third-party providers • Append key contacts from each account (minimum 3-5 per account) • Update CRM records with enriched data • Flag data gaps requiring manual research |
Task List: (ABM / ABS) 2. Buying Committees & Platform Integration
Contains: Parts 3-4
| Task | Est | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7. Define Buying Committee Roles and Personas | 3h | Create persona definitions for each role in the typical buying committee. End state: Documented persona profiles with pain points, motivations, and messaging angles for each role. • Identify typical buying committee roles: Economic Buyer, Technical Evaluator, Champion, End User, Blocker • Analyze past deals to understand who was involved at each stage • Create persona profiles with demographics, responsibilities, KPIs, and pain points • Define messaging themes that resonate with each persona • Map content types preferred by each persona (executives want ROI, technical want specs) • Document objections typically raised by each persona type |
| 8. Map Buying Committees for Target Accounts | 4h | Identify and document the specific individuals in buying committee roles for each target account. End state: Buying committee maps for Tier 1 and Tier 2 accounts with contact information. • For Tier 1 accounts: Research and identify specific individuals for each buying committee role • Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Apollo to find contacts • Document each contact's role, likely influence level, and known relationships • Identify gaps in buying committee coverage (missing roles) • Add contacts to CRM and tag with persona/role classifications • Create account org charts for Tier 1 accounts showing decision-making structure |
| 9. Develop Engagement Sequence by Persona | 3.5h | Create tailored engagement playbooks for each persona type. End state: Documented engagement sequences with touchpoints, messaging, and content mapped by persona. • Define touchpoint sequence for each persona (email, LinkedIn, phone, ads) • Map content to each stage: awareness content for early stage, ROI content for decision stage • Create messaging templates tailored to each persona's pain points • Define handoff triggers between marketing and sales engagement • Document "do not contact" rules and opt-out handling • Build sequences in sales engagement platform (Outreach, Salesloft) |
| 10. Evaluate ABM Platform Options | 3h | Compare ABM platform options against client requirements, tech stack compatibility, and budget. End state: Platform recommendation with feature comparison and pricing approved. • Document requirements: intent data, advertising, personalization, analytics, integrations needed • Evaluate leading platforms: 6sense, Demandbase, Terminus, RollWorks, Triblio • Compare on: intent data quality, CRM integration depth, ad platform capabilities, pricing model • Request demos from top 2-3 vendors • Check references from similar-sized B2B SaaS companies • Present recommendation with pros/cons and total cost of ownership • Get budget approval and initiate procurement |
| 11. Implement ABM Platform Core Configuration | 3.5h | Set up ABM platform account and configure core settings. End state: ABM platform operational with CRM connected and basic configuration complete. • Create ABM platform account and configure admin settings • Connect to CRM (Salesforce/HubSpot) via native integration or API • Configure data sync: accounts, contacts, opportunities, activities • Set up user roles and permissions for marketing and sales users • Configure account matching rules to link platform data to CRM accounts • Verify bidirectional data flow between platform and CRM |
| 12. Configure Intent Data and Account Scoring | 3.5h | Set up intent data tracking and account scoring within the ABM platform. End state: Intent signals flowing and account scores calculated based on engagement and intent. • Define intent topics relevant to product/solution (keywords, competitors, pain points) • Configure third-party intent data feeds within platform • Set up first-party intent tracking (website visits, content engagement) • Create account scoring model combining intent signals and engagement data • Define score thresholds for "surging" accounts requiring immediate attention • Configure alerts to notify sales when accounts hit score thresholds • Test scoring with known active accounts to validate model |
Milestone 2: ABM / ABS Process and System - 2. Campaign Execution & Optimization
Tag: abm-abs
Description: Build multichannel campaign infrastructure, execute pilot campaign, and optimize based on results
Hours: 36h
Task List: (ABM / ABS) 3. Campaign Infrastructure & Pilot
Contains: Parts 5-6
| Task | Est | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 13. Configure Account-Based Advertising | 3.5h | Set up paid media channels for account-based advertising to target accounts. End state: Ad platforms configured with target account lists and initial campaigns ready. • Connect ABM platform to advertising channels (LinkedIn, Google, programmatic) • Upload target account lists to LinkedIn Campaign Manager • Configure IP-based targeting for programmatic display (if using) • Create audience segments by tier and persona • Set up retargeting for website visitors from target accounts • Define budget allocation by tier (Tier 1 gets more ad spend per account) • Create initial ad creatives aligned with persona messaging |
| 14. Set Up Website Personalization | 3.5h | Configure website personalization to deliver tailored experiences for target accounts. End state: Website showing personalized content for visitors from target accounts. • Implement ABM platform's website personalization code/script • Create personalized content variants for key pages (homepage, product pages, pricing) • Define personalization rules by account tier, industry, or persona • Set up personalized CTAs for target account visitors • Configure reverse-IP identification to recognize account visitors • Test personalization with sample accounts • Set up analytics to track personalization performance |
| 15. Integrate Email and Sales Engagement Tools | 3.5h | Connect email and sales engagement platforms to ABM system for coordinated outreach. End state: Sales engagement tools integrated with ABM platform for unified view and coordinated campaigns. • Connect sales engagement platform (Outreach, Salesloft) to ABM platform • Sync target account lists and engagement data • Configure activity tracking to flow back to ABM platform • Set up automated triggers based on intent/engagement scores • Create email templates aligned with persona messaging • Build sequences for each tier and persona combination • Test end-to-end flow: intent signal → sales alert → outreach sequence |
| 16. Launch Pilot ABM Campaign | 3h | Execute initial ABM campaign with subset of target accounts to validate approach. End state: Pilot campaign live with Tier 1 accounts, generating initial engagement data. • Select 10-20 Tier 1 accounts for pilot • Activate advertising campaigns targeting pilot accounts • Launch personalized website experiences • Initiate sales outreach sequences to mapped buying committee members • Coordinate marketing and sales touchpoints (don't overwhelm accounts) • Monitor engagement signals daily during pilot • Document learnings and issues in real-time |
| 17. Measure Pilot Results and Refine | 2.5h | Analyze pilot campaign performance and optimize based on learnings. End state: Pilot analysis complete with documented optimizations for full rollout. • Pull engagement metrics: ad impressions, clicks, website visits, email opens/replies • Measure account-level engagement scores before and after campaign • Track sales conversations generated from target accounts • Calculate early pipeline influence metrics • Identify what worked: which channels, messages, personas responded best • Document what didn't work and hypotheses for improvement • Refine targeting, messaging, and sequencing based on pilot learnings |
| 18. Scale to Full Target Account List | 3h | Expand ABM program to full target account list based on pilot learnings. End state: Full ABM program live across all tiers with coordinated campaign execution. • Apply pilot learnings to campaign templates and sequences • Activate campaigns for Tier 2 and Tier 3 accounts • Adjust channel mix and budget based on pilot performance • Scale advertising to full target account list • Enable sales outreach sequences for broader account coverage • Set up ongoing reporting and review cadence • Document playbook for ongoing ABM operations |
Milestone 3: ABM / ABS Process and System - 3. Enablement & Handoff
Tag: abm-abs
Description: Train sales and marketing teams, establish governance, and hand off to client ownership
Hours: 27h
Task List: (ABM / ABS) 4. Enablement & Handoff
Contains: Parts 7-8
| Task | Est | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 19. Train Sales Team on ABM Motion | 2.5h | Enable sales team to effectively engage target accounts using ABM tools and data. End state: Sales team trained on ABM platform, intent signals, and engagement playbooks. • Schedule training sessions for sales team (1-2 hours) • Train on: interpreting intent signals, using account scores, ABM platform navigation • Cover: when to reach out vs. when to wait (ABM timing discipline) • Demonstrate how to access buying committee maps and engagement history • Review sales sequences and messaging templates • Create quick-reference guide for sales reps • Send training recording and materials to team |
| 20. Train Marketing Team on Campaign Operations | 2.5h | Enable marketing team to manage ongoing ABM campaigns and reporting. End state: Marketing team self-sufficient in managing ABM platform and campaign execution. • Train marketing on ABM platform administration and campaign management • Cover: updating target account lists, managing ad campaigns, website personalization • Review reporting dashboards and how to pull metrics • Document campaign creation and optimization workflows • Train on intent data interpretation and alerting • Create runbook for common marketing operations tasks |
| 21. Establish Ongoing Governance and Review Cadence | 2h | Set up operational rhythms for ABM program management and optimization. End state: Governance model and meeting cadence established for ongoing ABM operations. • Establish weekly ABM sync meeting (marketing + sales) • Define monthly ABM business review agenda and metrics • Create quarterly account list refresh process • Document escalation paths for account ownership disputes • Set up automated reporting dashboards • Define process for adding/removing accounts from target list • Create SLA for responding to "surging" account alerts |
| 22. Deliver Documentation and Knowledge Transfer | 2h | Transfer all ABM program documentation and operational knowledge to client team. End state: Client has comprehensive documentation and is self-sufficient in ABM operations. • Compile documentation package: ICP criteria, scoring models, campaign playbooks • Document all platform configurations and integration settings • Create troubleshooting guide for common issues • Deliver admin credentials and access documentation • Conduct knowledge transfer sessions with client RevOps team • Record key processes for future reference |
| 23. Establish Success Metrics Dashboard | 3.5h | Build reporting dashboard for ongoing ABM performance tracking. End state: Live dashboard showing ABM program KPIs accessible to stakeholders. • Build ABM performance dashboard in BI tool or ABM platform • Include metrics: target account engagement, pipeline from target accounts, conversion rates by tier • Add trending views to show progress over time • Configure automated report distribution to stakeholders • Set up alerts for significant metric changes • Document how to interpret and act on dashboard data |
| 24. Conduct Program Review and Handoff | 2h | Complete final program review, capture learnings, and formally hand off to client. End state: ABM program transitioned to client ownership with 30-day support plan. • Conduct 30-day post-launch review meeting • Present program performance vs. initial goals • Document wins, challenges, and recommendations for optimization • Review ongoing optimization opportunities • Confirm client team readiness for self-management • Schedule 60/90-day check-in calls • Close out project and transition to support phase |
Summary
- Total Milestones: 3 (62h + 36h + 27h)
- Total Task Lists: 4 (consolidated from 8 Parts)
- Total Tasks: 24 (one per Step)
- Total Hours: 125h
- Generated from: playbook_abm-abs-process-and-system.md
- Generated on: 2025-12-31