ABM Account Planning Workshop

Assignmentworkshop

ABM Account Planning Workshop

90 min

Develop a comprehensive account-based marketing plan for a high-value target account, including stakeholder mapping, personalized campaign plays, and measurement.

Instructions

Objective

Learn to execute targeted, personalized campaigns for specific accounts rather than broad-based lead generation.

Instructions

1. Build Your Target Account List

Step 1: Define Account Selection Criteria

What makes an account worthy of ABM investment?

☐ Revenue Potential: Minimum deal size $_ ARR

☐ Strategic Value: [Logo prestige / Industry leadership / References]

☐ Product Fit: Strong match to ICP

☐ Reachability: Have connections or can get intros

☐ Timing: Showing buying signals or budget available

Step 2: Source Account List

Where will you find target accounts?

  • Existing database (warm leads/customers)
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator searches
  • Intent data platforms (6sense, Bombora)
  • Conference attendee lists
  • Partner referrals
  • Industry associations

Generate Initial List:

Create list of 30-50 potential accounts matching criteria

2. Tier Your Accounts

Segment accounts by priority and resource allocation:

Tier 1: Strategic Accounts (5-10 accounts)

  • Characteristics: Highest value, best fit, strong win potential
  • Approach: One-to-one, highly personalized
  • Resources: Dedicated account team, custom content, executive engagement
  • Budget per account: $_

Tier 2: Target Accounts (20-30 accounts)

  • Characteristics: High value, good fit
  • Approach: One-to-few, personalized at scale
  • Resources: Account-specific campaigns, some customization
  • Budget per account: $_

Tier 3: Watch List (50-100 accounts)

  • Characteristics: Potential future targets
  • Approach: One-to-many, light touch
  • Resources: Targeted ads, relevant content, monitoring
  • Budget per account: $_

Your Account Tiers:

Tier 1 Accounts:

1. 

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2. 

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3. 

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4. 

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5. 

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Selection rationale: Why these 5?

3. Deep Research (Pick 1 Tier 1 Account)

For this exercise, focus on ONE Tier 1 account:

Account Name: _

Company Overview:

  • Industry: _
  • Size: _ employees
  • Revenue: $_
  • Headquarters: _
  • Public/Private: _
  • Funding: _

Business Context:

  • Recent news: _
  • Growth trajectory: _
  • Strategic initiatives: _
  • Competitive pressures: _
  • Technology investments: _

Why Target Them:

  • Deal size potential: $_
  • Strategic fit: _
  • Timing/trigger events: _
  • Differentiators we offer: _

Current Relationship:

  • No relationship
  • Past interaction
  • Active lead
  • Existing customer (upsell opportunity)

Describe: _

4. Stakeholder Mapping

Identify key players in the buying committee:

Primary Stakeholders:

Person 1:

  • Name: _ (if known)
  • Title: _
  • Department: _
  • Role in decision: [Economic Buyer / Champion / Influencer / User / Gatekeeper]
  • LinkedIn: _
  • Priorities: _
  • Pain points: _
  • How to engage: _

Person 2: [Same template]

Person 3: [Same template]

Person 4: [Same template]

Stakeholder Matrix:

Name Title Role Priority Status
John Smith CTO Technical Buyer Security, integration Not contacted
Sarah Johnson VP Ops Economic Buyer ROI, efficiency Warm (past webinar)
Mike Chen PM Champion Ease of use Cold
Lisa Davis CFO Final Approver Budget, value Cold

Org Chart:

Sketch simple hierarchy showing reporting relationships

Buying Committee Dynamics:

  • Who has most influence? _
  • Who is easiest to reach? _
  • Who could block the deal? _
  • Who is our likely champion? _

5. Value Proposition for This Account

Craft account-specific messaging:

Generic Value Prop:

"[Product] helps companies [solve problem] to [achieve outcome]"

Account-Specific Value Prop:

"For [Account Name], [Product] can help you [specific challenge they face] by [specific capability], enabling you to [specific business outcome they care about]."

Example:

"For Acme Corp, CloudSync can help you unify collaboration across your 500-person distributed workforce (you mentioned remote work challenges in your Q3 earnings call) by providing a single secure platform for all team files, enabling you to reduce tool sprawl and improve your team productivity KPI by 20%."

Your Account Value Prop:

Proof Points:

Why should they believe us?

  • Similar customer: "We helped [Similar Company] achieve [Result]"
  • Relevant case study: _
  • Unique capability: _
  • ROI data: _

6. Design ABM Campaign Plays

Create 4-6 touchpoints over 8-12 weeks:

Play 1: [Name]

  • Tactic: _
  • Target: [Which stakeholders]
  • Message: _
  • Channel: _
  • Timeline: Week _
  • Owner: [Marketing / Sales / Exec]
  • Goal: _

Example ABM Plays:

Play 1: Custom Research Mailer

  • Tactic: Physical mail package
  • Target: CEO + CFO
  • Message: Industry benchmark report with their company's estimated metrics highlighted
  • Channel: Overnight mail with handwritten note
  • Timeline: Week 1
  • Owner: Marketing + AE
  • Goal: Get on their radar, prompt reply or meeting request

Play 2: LinkedIn Engagement

  • Tactic: Targeted LinkedIn connection + engagement
  • Target: All 4 stakeholders
  • Message: Connect, engage with their posts, share relevant insights
  • Channel: LinkedIn (organic + InMail)
  • Timeline: Weeks 1-4 (ongoing)
  • Owner: AE + SDR
  • Goal: Build familiarity, warm up for outreach

Play 3: Account-Specific Landing Page

  • Tactic: Personalized microsite
  • Target: All stakeholders
  • Message: "Welcome [Account Name]" with custom ROI calculator, case studies from their industry, video message from our CEO
  • Channel: Custom URL sent via email, featured in ads
  • Timeline: Week 2
  • Owner: Marketing
  • Goal: Demonstrate investment in them, gather intent data

Play 4: Targeted Ads

  • Tactic: LinkedIn ad campaign
  • Target: Decision-makers at this account only
  • Message: "[Account Name], see how companies like yours are solving [Problem]"
  • Channel: LinkedIn Matched Audiences
  • Timeline: Weeks 2-6
  • Owner: Marketing
  • Goal: Stay top-of-mind, drive to landing page

Play 5: Executive Introduction Email

  • Tactic: Warm email from our exec to their exec
  • Target: CEO or relevant C-level
  • Message: Brief intro, mention mutual connection or shared interest, offer insights on [Industry Challenge], suggest coffee chat
  • Channel: Email (researched personal address if possible)
  • Timeline: Week 3
  • Owner: Our CEO + AE
  • Goal: Open door for conversation

Play 6: Exclusive Event Invitation

  • Tactic: Invite to private roundtable or dinner
  • Target: CTO + VP Ops
  • Message: "We're hosting 10 [Industry] leaders to discuss [Trend] – would you join us?"
  • Channel: Personalized email + follow-up call
  • Timeline: Week 4 (event Week 6)
  • Owner: Marketing + AE
  • Goal: Face time, relationship building

Your ABM Plays (design 4-6):

1. 

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2. 

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3. 

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4. 

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5. 

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6. 

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7. Campaign Timeline

Map all plays on a timeline:

Week 1:  [Play 1: Mailer sent]
         [Play 2: LinkedIn outreach begins]

Week 2:  [Play 3: Landing page live]
         [Play 4: Ads launched]
         [Play 2: Continue engagement]

Week 3:  [Play 5: Exec email sent]
         [Plays 2, 4: Ongoing]

Week 4:  [Play 6: Event invitation]
         [Follow-ups on Plays 1, 5]

Week 6:  [Play 6: Event happens]
         [SDR call to schedule demo]

Week 8:  [Demo/discovery call]
         [Custom proposal prep]

Week 10: [Proposal presented]
         [Negotiation]

Week 12: [Close]

Your timeline:

[Create week-by-week plan]

8. Measurement & Success Criteria

Leading Indicators:

  • Stakeholder engagement: ___ of 4 stakeholders respond
  • Website visits: Account visits landing page ___ times
  • Content consumption: ___ assets viewed
  • Meeting scheduled: Yes/No

Milestone Goals:

  • Week 4: First meaningful conversation
  • Week 8: Demo/discovery completed
  • Week 12: Proposal delivered
  • Week 16: Close (Optimistic)
  • Week 24: Close (Realistic)

Success Metrics:

  • Primary: Deal closed, $_ ARR
  • Secondary: Opportunity created (even if not yet closed)
  • Tertiary: Engaged stakeholders, intel gathered

Account Engagement Score:

Track cumulative engagement:

  • LinkedIn connection accepted: +5 points each
  • Email opened: +2 points
  • Landing page visit: +10 points
  • Content download: +15 points
  • Meeting scheduled: +50 points
  • Demo completed: +100 points

Target score: 100+ points indicates hot account

9. Team Roles & Responsibilities

Account Team Structure:

Account Executive: _ (name)

  • Role: Primary relationship, owns revenue
  • Responsibilities: Outreach, meetings, proposals, close

SDR/BDR: _

  • Role: Prospecting and qualification
  • Responsibilities: LinkedIn engagement, initial emails, scheduling

Marketing Manager: _

  • Role: Campaign execution
  • Responsibilities: Content creation, ad campaigns, landing page, events

Executive Sponsor: _

  • Role: High-level engagement
  • Responsibilities: Exec-to-exec outreach, event hosting, final negotiations

Weekly Sync: [Day/Time] to review progress and coordinate

10. Risk Assessment & Contingencies

Potential Obstacles:

Risk 1: Can't reach decision-makers

  • Mitigation: Use multiple channels, find warm intro, engage lower-level champions first

Risk 2: Timing isn't right (no budget this year)

  • Mitigation: Build relationship for future, offer pilot/POC, stay engaged

Risk 3: Competitor is entrenched

  • Mitigation: Lead with differentiation, find dissatisfaction with incumbent, offer migration support

Risk 4: Deal complexity/politics slow things down

  • Mitigation: Map all stakeholders early, address concerns proactively, exec sponsorship

Your risks:

1. 

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2. 

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3. 

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Deliverable

Create an ABM Account Plan (3-5 pages) for your Tier 1 account including:

  1. Account Profile (1 page)
    • Company overview
    • Business context and trigger events
    • Why we're targeting them
    • Estimated deal value
  2. Stakeholder Map (1 page)
    • Key decision-makers and roles
    • Org chart
    • Engagement status
    • Buying committee dynamics
  3. Campaign Strategy (2 pages)
    • Account-specific value proposition
    • 4-6 ABM plays with details
    • Timeline and milestones
    • Success metrics
  4. Team & Execution (1 page)
    • Roles and responsibilities
    • Communication plan
    • Risk mitigation

Bonus: Create 1-2 actual assets (e.g., draft the personalized email, mockup the landing page)

Outcome

You'll have:

  • Focused targeting on high-value accounts
  • Personalized approach that stands out

Your submission

Write your response. Submissions are saved to your account and reviewed by an instructor.

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