abm-strategy

name	abm-strategy
description	Design and execute Account-Based Marketing strategy — tier selection, account scoring, channel orchestration, BDR alignment, measurement framework. Triggers on: "ABM strategy", "account based marketing", "ABM playbook", "design ABM", "target accounts", "ABSD", "account based sales development", "Lars Nilsson".
license	MIT
compatibility	Claude Code, Jesse, Codex, Hermes, Windsurf, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Zed, VS Code, Goose
metadata	{"version":"1.2.0","author":"LeadMagic","category":"abm","tags":["abm","account-based-marketing","target-accounts","enterprise","b2b","absd"],"frameworks":["ITSMA ABM Framework","TOPO Account-Based Framework","WbD Bowtie","John Ruhlin Giftology","Sendoso Sending Platform","Lars Nilsson (Cloudera/Snowflake) — Account-Based Sales Development (ABSD)"]}

ABM Strategy

Overview

ABM is not "send a gift and call it ABM." It's a systematic approach to treating accounts as markets of one — aligned sales and marketing motions against a curated set of target accounts. This skill designs the full ABM program: tier selection, account intelligence, channel orchestration, and measurement.

When to Use

• "Design our ABM strategy"
• "Set up account-based marketing"
• "Build a target account program"
• "How do we run ABM?"
• "Account selection for enterprise"

Authoritative Foundations

• ITSMA ABM Framework — Three tiers of ABM: Strategic (1-to-1), Scale (1-to-few), Programmatic (1-to-many). Each tier has different investment, account count, and personalization depth.
• TOPO Account-Based Framework — Account selection, insights, plays, metrics. The six roles in an ABM team: ABM lead, account exec, SDR, field marketing, content marketing, marketing ops.
• Winning by Design Bowtie — ABM lives between marketing (left side) and sales (center), bridging awareness through close and into post-sale expansion.
• Lars Nilsson — Account-Based Sales Development (ABSD). The SDR execution layer of ABM, created at Cloudera and scaled across 100+ SDRs at Snowflake. Account selection on buying signals (intent surge, job posts, funding) not hunches; SDR + AE + vertical SME co-author 3-email sequences from a use-case library; multi-persona outreach in 50–250 contact chunks; quality of engagement over volume sent (public first-campaign results: ~70% open / ~30% reply vs 5–8% / 2–3% for nurture blasts). Canonical → references/lars-nilsson-absd.md.

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Account Selection

Define the 3-tier account model:

• Tier 1 (1-to-1): 5-15 accounts. Strategic, $100K+ ACV. Full account intelligence, custom content, executive engagement. C-suite mapping required.
• Tier 2 (1-to-few): 15-50 accounts. Clustered by industry/use case. Semi-custom campaigns, persona-specific outreach, industry-specific proof points.
• Tier 3 (1-to-many): 50-200+ accounts. Programmatic. Lookalike from Tier 1-2 wins, automated personalization, scaled outbound.

Selection criteria: ICP fit score (0-100), intent signals (hiring, funding, tech stack), engagement history (website visits, content downloads, event attendance), deal size potential.

Phase 2: Account Intelligence

For each Tier 1/2 account, build an account brief:

• Company snapshot (revenue, employees, growth, funding)
• Strategic priorities (earnings calls, annual reports, press)
• Org chart (decision-maker, champion, economic buyer, influencers, blockers)
• Tech stack (current tools, gaps, integration points)
• Relationship map (who knows who, existing connections)
• Trigger events (new hire, funding, M&A, product launch, earnings miss)

Phase 3: Channel Orchestration

Map channels by tier:

• Tier 1: Executive mailers, Giftology gifts (strategic-gifting), custom microsites, direct mail, in-person events, executive-to-executive calls
• Tier 2: Personalized email + LinkedIn, industry roundtables, webinar invites, direct mail, SDR outbound
• Tier 3: Automated email sequences, LinkedIn ads, content syndication, webinar series, SDR cadences

Phase 4: BDR Alignment

ABM fails without tight sales alignment:

• BDRs assigned to specific accounts (not territories)
• Shared account briefs between marketing and BDRs
• Weekly ABM standups: marketing + BDRs + AEs on target accounts
• SLAs: contact attempts within 24h of marketing touch

For the full SDR execution layer — signal-based account prioritization, SDR + AE + SME co-authored sequences, multi-persona chunking, and public response benchmarks — run the ABSD playbook: references/lars-nilsson-absd.md.

Phase 5: Measurement Framework

Don't measure ABM on MQLs. Measure:

• Coverage: % of target accounts with contacts identified
• Engagement: touches per account per week, depth (C-suite vs end user)
• Pipeline: opportunities created from target accounts
• Velocity: days from first touch to opportunity
• Win rate: target accounts vs non-target
• Deal size: target account ACV vs non-target

Output Format

ABM strategy document with: tier definitions, account selection criteria and initial list, intelligence template, channel plan by tier, BDR alignment model, measurement dashboard design.

Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

• All required sections are complete
• Output matches the user's stated need
• Named frameworks are cited for key recommendations
• No vague claims — every recommendation has a specific action
• Deliverable is ready for operational use, not just conceptual

Common Pitfalls

1. Treating ABM as a marketing-only initiative. ABM requires tight sales alignment. Without BDRs assigned to specific accounts and shared account briefs, marketing produces content nobody uses. Fix: weekly ABM standups with marketing + BDRs + AEs.
2. One-size-fits-all tiering. Applying the same playbook to Tier 1 and Tier 3 accounts. Fix: Tier 1 gets custom content and executive engagement; Tier 3 gets automated personalization.
3. Measuring ABM on MQLs. ABM success is pipeline from target accounts, not lead volume. Fix: track coverage %, engagement depth, pipeline created, and win rate by tier.

Implementation Depth

Use this section when the user asks for a finished asset, not a high-level explanation.

Diagnostic Questions

1. What is the primary motion: founder-led, sales-led, product-led, partner-led, or lifecycle-led?
2. Which ICP tier is the output for: small business, mid-market, enterprise, or mixed?
3. What proof is available today: customer stories, usage data, third-party validation, screenshots, or none?
4. What system will execute the work: CRM, sequencer, warehouse, support desk, product analytics, or manual workflow?
5. What decision will the user make from this output: launch, prioritize, route, rewrite, score, coach, or measure?

Framework Application

Map the recommendation explicitly to the named frameworks in this skill:

• ITSMA ABM Framework: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
• TOPO Account-Based Framework: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
• WbD Bowtie: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
• John Ruhlin Giftology: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
• Lars Nilsson ABSD: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.

Deliverable Standard

A strong output from this skill includes:

• A crisp diagnosis of the current situation
• A recommended path with tradeoffs, not a generic list
• A concrete artifact the user can use immediately: table, script, checklist, scorecard, sequence, dashboard spec, or implementation plan
• A measurement plan with leading and lagging indicators
• Risks and edge cases called out before execution

Adaptation Rules

• For small business: reduce complexity, shorten time-to-value, and prioritize owner/operator clarity.
• For mid-market: include workflow ownership, handoffs, integrations, and enablement assets.
• For enterprise: include governance, risk, procurement, stakeholder mapping, and proof requirements.

Execution Artifacts

• references/framework-notes.md — Named frameworks and reference tables
• templates/output-template.md — Deliverable shell for agent output
• scripts/check-output.py — Lightweight deliverable validator
• references/lars-nilsson-absd.md — Lars Nilsson (Cloudera/Snowflake) ABSD playbook: signal-based selection, SME sequence design, stack, benchmarks

Related Skills

• abm-1-to-1, abm-1-to-few, abm-1-to-many, account-selection, multi-thread-orchestration
• icp-scoring, sales-enablement, meeting-prep, pipeline-management, signal-scoring