The problem this solves
Most ABM motions do not fail in the campaigns; they fail in the operations underneath them. The target account list was built once and never revisited, company records are duplicated and half-owned, sales quietly works from its own spreadsheet, and there is no shared number both teams answer to. Engagement data exists in the portal, but marketing and sales look at different views of it, so the weekly conversation about accounts happens from memory, if it happens at all.
How we work
We run the operational layer on a monthly rhythm. Account list hygiene comes first: deduplicating company records, keeping ownership and tier assignments current, retiring accounts that no longer fit, and adding ones that now do, based on criteria written down rather than remembered. The tiering logic itself gets reviewed on evidence, because a tier assigned in January rarely survives contact with a full quarter.
On top of the clean list sit the shared views: account-level dashboards both teams work from, engagement visible on the records sales already uses, and the handoff rules, who touches which account when, kept written and current. We also run the alignment cadence: a recurring account review where marketing and sales look at the same HubSpot data, agree which accounts moved, which stalled, and what happens next, with decisions logged instead of evaporating.
If the target account list does not exist yet, the first month or two builds it: an ICP definition worked through with sales, tier criteria, and a list assembled from CRM evidence rather than gut feel. Then the retainer settles into keeping it all true.
Deliverables
- Maintained target account list with written tier criteria
- Account data hygiene: deduplication, enrichment, ownership and tier upkeep
- Shared account dashboards for marketing and sales
- Recurring alignment cadence with agendas and logged decisions
- Written engagement and handoff rules, kept current
- Quarterly list and tiering review with change recommendations