What’s up everyone! Welcome to 🌮 Taco Tuesday, a weekly newsletter by ForgeX.

In here we share the latest and greatest around our Account-Based GTM research, provide our perspective on trending topics, and highlight what’s new at ForgeX.

Send us any questions or topics we should break down here ⬇️

🤔 Should Your Account-Based GTM Strategy Target Net-New + Existing Customers?

If you’re feeling the pressure to include more accounts in your ABM program…..

You’re not alone.

While building your target account list (TAL), one of the most important aspects to consider is your target account mix.

Here are the 4 dimensions where your target accounts might fall:

1. Net-New Acquisition (Prospects who are not yet customers):

   • Generate Pipeline: Create new opportunities.

   • Accelerate Pipeline: Convert existing opportunities.

2. Retention: Keep existing customers.

3. Cross-sell: Sell to new business units or functions in an existing customer.

4. Upsell: Sell an additional product or service to a business unit or function that is an existing customer.

It’s incredibly important to consider what the makeup of your TAL entails from each of the dimensions.

This should:

• Tie into the ‘North Star ⭐️’ or overall objectives of your account-based GTM strategy.

• Be considered throughout all aspects of your campaign build as it holds significant weight on your strategy / tactics / cross-functional team collaboration.

🔬 What Does This Look Like In Enterprise ABM vs. Growth ABM?

(For a brief refresher on our Enterprise ABM and Growth ABM deployment models, read here.)

Enterprise ABM

• Typical Account Mix: 

  • Retention, Cross-sell, Upsell (expanding existing customers)

• Insights:

  • Given the high investment of GTM resources, strong personalization and low volume of account coverage (1:1, 1:Few), we often see organizations find success using this account mix.

  • This is typically seen in larger organizations, >$1B ARR, as they have a high enough ACV and dedicated resources to invest in the deployment Enterprise ABM.

  • If you’re leveraging Enterprise ABM, we strongly recommend starting with this type of account mix.

Growth ABM

• Typical Account Mix:

  • Net-New Acquisition

• Insights:

  • Given the scaled account coverage (50, 100s, or 1000s) and Tiered approach to the prioritization of GTM resource deployment, we often see organizations find success using this account mix.

  • This is typically seen in smaller-mid size organizations, <$1B ARR, as they are operating in a 1:Many account coverage capacity.

  • When seen in >$1B ARR organizations, it’s typically leveraged by either:

    1. The Integrated Marketing / Demand Gen teams who are in the processes of transitioning into a full account-based approach (Growth ABM).

    2. The ABM leader has been tasked by leadership to expand their account coverage due to the success of their Enterprise ABM deployment. They will build a Growth ABM strategy that coincides with the already existing Enterprise ABM.

  • If you’re leveraging Growth ABM, we recommend starting with this type of account mix.

👤 Should You Target Net-New + Expansion Accounts As A Solo ABM Leader?

The annoying answer? It depends… each organization’s GTM is vastly different.

Yet, from what we’ve observed through our ABM Benchmark Audits, we’ve seen solo ABM leaders find greater success who have chosen to focus on either:

1. Net-New Acquisition

2. Expansion of Existing Customers

   • Retention

   • Cross-sell

   • Upsell

They truly require distinct GTM resources, motions and strategies in order to be effective.

Those who try to leverage both at the same time are typically finding their bandwidth and cross-functional team’s capacity to support both as the biggest challenges.

🔍 Net-New Acquisition Is… Complicated

Let’s say you’re leveraging the Growth ABM deployment model and will have a target account mix that’s focused around Net-New Acquisition.

This can get even more complicated as you HAVE to consider the two unique positions in the sales cycle that these accounts might be in:

1. Generate Pipeline: Create new opportunities.

2. Accelerate Pipeline: Convert existing opportunities.

It can get even more nuanced as accounts that fall under either of these two sales cycle positions will also require distinct resources and motions.

This means that you should be considering how your GTM efforts will support the entire lifecycle of your target accounts as they work through the buying journey.

We will often see practitioners give special attention to Tier 1 and 2 accounts that are a high strategic priority and have entered into the Accelerate Pipeline phase with a Deal Acceleration strategy.

This can almost mimic a “1:1 Enterprise ABM” strategy as the account will receive far more GTM resources and greater personalized efforts.

🎯 Give an ABM Benchmark Audit, Get Access to Our Full Benchmark Database

We are benchmarking the data and insights needed to answer the questions every B2B marketer, CXO, VC and board member is asking:

1. How are the leading account-based programs doing it?

2. How do we launch an account-based GTM strategy that actually drives revenue?

3. How does our program stack up against the industry leaders and what should we do to improve?

What’s New at ForgeX?

🌮 Events

Upcoming:

• What: 

  • Virtual mixer for demand / ABM marketers.

  • 1-hour virtual mixer where you’ll be paired with a curated group of 6 other practitioners solving similar problems to you – for a guided discussion about what’s working for everyone, right now.

    Application only, must have 3.5+ years of direct demand / ABM experience to apply.

• When:

  • 6/21/24 @ 10am PST

• Where:

  • Apply here

🌮 Research & Insights

• Research Report: The 2024 Strategy Guide and Landscape of B2B Agencies with ABM Capabilities

• Agency Directory: Access here

• Guide: Evaluating ABM Platforms: What You Need To Know

• Guide: Starting ABM From The Trenches

Have an awesome rest of the week y’all!

LFG,

Davis