12 ABM experts share a special gift to inspire your success in 2025
2024 is almost over and a brand-new year is just around the corner.
For those of us in Account-based Marketing, it’s not just about celebrating the year gone by but also about sharpening our strategies and thinking about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in 2025.
With that in mind, I asked some of the brightest minds in the ABM community to share a unique Christmas gift.
One piece of advice, a proven tool, or a guiding principle that they believe could make a meaningful difference to their ABM peers in the year to come.
Their “gifts” range from practical tips like leveraging proactive research to surprise your Sales team, to not overlooking the basics like email, to building trust with Sales through patience and curiosity.
Each piece of advice serves as a reminder of what makes ABM such a dynamic, multifaceted strategy—and why collaboration, creativity, and curiosity are at the heart of success.
As you unwrap these ABM gifts, think of them not just as ideas but as tools you can take into 2025 to deepen relationships, strengthen your reputation, and ultimately drive impactful revenue growth.
Gabrielle PirzadDirector ABM Strategy & Global ProgramsCloud Software Group
The magic lies in being present, being curious, and being patient—this is how you earn trust and become a true partner to Sales.
People always talk about the number one ABM challenge of working with Sales and the difficulties in building a successful, collaborative partnership.
My gift is first to agree with you that it is challenging and it takes time to build trust and break through any perceived barriers.
My gift is to first acknowledge that building a strong, collaborative partnership with Sales is challenging. It takes time, effort, and intentionality to build trust and break through any perceived barriers.
However, trust me when I say this: you will get there—not with 100% of the Sales team, but with the sellers who matter most. Earning their trust is key, and while the steps I’m about to share may seem straightforward, they are often overlooked.
Here’s what one of my top ABMers did to overcome these challenges (it took nearly 12 months, but it worked):
Show up—in the office, at team meetings, boozy nights out (!), sales cadence calls, planning meetings, and QBRs. Immerse yourself in the rhythm of their work and their team culture. Always be available to help, observe, or simply listen. This level of involvement may feel tedious at times, but it’s crucial for Sales to see you as part of their team, not just “someone from Marketing.”
Curiosity is, in my opinion, the single most important trait of a great ABMer. Be curious about what drives your Sales team, the overarching Sales Strategy, and your target accounts.
Pick a few key accounts, and do your research. Follow these accounts using tools like Google Alerts or similar news trackers. In my experience, Sales teams aren’t always great at keeping up with their accounts—this is where ABM can shine. Some of my team’s most impactful contributions came from uncovering new opportunities simply by staying informed and curious.
Building trust takes time, so stay positive. Persistence and consistency will get you there in the end.
Christian WeissDirector, Account Based Marketing CEAutodesk
We’re moving from a focus on contacts (MQLs) to context (MQAs), fostering more meaningful conversations and stronger alignment between Marketing and Sales.
As Marketers, we often feel frustrated when Sales doesn’t fully understand what Marketing does or how we operate (I’ve felt this too!).
But during a recent meeting, a Sales Manager gave me valuable insight into the complexity their team faces - not just in managing accounts, but also in juggling internal processes, tools, reports, and expectations.
This conversation led us to collaborate on a joint global project, which entered its test phase this November.
Our goal? To support Account-Based Sales with better context and greater productivity—all in one place. Instead of simply generating additional leads (a tempting but short-sighted focus, especially in scaled ABM), we’ve built a centralized hub.
This hub consolidates everything Sales needs: engaged contacts, campaign activities, insights, intent data, and more—visualized on a single page for each account.
We’re transitioning from a focus on contacts (MQLs) to a focus on context (MQAs), with a shared method to measure joint engagement. A key component is the “warm handover,” moving away from automated lead delivery to meaningful discussions about the next best steps and how Marketing can best support Sales.
Early results?
There’s still room for improvement, but I’m confident this approach is bringing Marketing and Sales closer together. It’s a big, almost daunting project—but one that has the potential to transform how we work as a team.
Josh Weale Director of ABM strategicabm
The true value of AI in ABM lies not in doing more, but in doing better—enabling smarter, more impactful campaigns that resonate deeply with target accounts.
As we look ahead to 2025, my gift to fellow ABMers is a vision: embracing AI not as a tool to simply fill gaps but as a strategic enabler, transforming the way we approach account-based marketing.
Generative AI isn’t new, but in the past two years, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot have propelled it into the mainstream, reshaping industries—marketing especially.
In this era, marketers are increasingly tasked with achieving more, often with fewer resources, as AI promises to shoulder some of the load.
But here’s the thing: ABM teams have always been about achieving more with less.
By its nature, ABM is focused, targeted, and deliberate. It’s never been about doing everything; it’s about doing the right things exceptionally well.
In my opinion, the true value of AI in ABM lies not in doing more, but in doing better.
AI isn’t just a tool for efficiency or speed, though it can certainly streamline processes and reduce manual work.
Its real potential lies in its ability to elevate our strategies, enabling us to create smarter, more impactful campaigns that resonate deeply with our target accounts.
Here are five ways I believe AI can transform ABM:
AI can revolutionize how ABM teams define and refine their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). By analyzing massive datasets - such as firmographics, technographics, intent signals, and engagement patterns - AI enables the creation of ICPs that are not only more detailed but also adaptive. This allows ABM teams to dynamically adjust their ICP as market conditions evolve, ensuring they stay focused on the highest-potential accounts.
Combining AI with a strong account selection framework empowers ABM teams to identify, validate, and prioritize target accounts with unparalleled precision. AI can uncover hidden opportunities in data, such as accounts showing weak but emerging intent signals or patterns similar to high-value customers, leading to more strategic and impactful targeting.
Artificial Intelligence takes insight generation to the next level, not only automating some of the heavy load of initial research but offering faster and deeper analyses of target accounts. By aggregating and interpreting data from multiple sources - news articles, social media activity, industry trends, and more - AI allows ABM teams to uncover nuanced drivers of target account behavior. This not only enables ABMers to provide actionable intelligence to Sales but also builds a richer, more accurate understanding of what motivates their accounts.
AI can help ABMers move beyond superficial personalization, enabling a deeper, more meaningful approach. I don’t just mean high-level account personalization. For success with personalisation at scale ABMers need a process for blending account insights with a robust ABM value proposition framework which AI can then take and with some human engagement, craft hyper-relevant content for each target account or stakeholder. This combined with a strong personalised content framework can empower the creation of high-impact personalised content that speaks directly to individual accounts addressing their unique pain points and opportunities - at scale.
AI-driven analytics tools will transform campaign reporting, enabling ABM teams to measure and optimize towards the Three R’s - Reputation, Relationships, and Revenue - more effectively. AI can automatically analyze data to surface actionable insights, assess patterns that can help to understand future account behavior, and identify areas for improvement. This empowers ABMers to demonstrate clear ROI and continuously refine their strategies.
Although AI is going to continue to drive a significant shift in how ABMers deliver their programs - It’s important to say, it’s not a silver bullet.
The true magic of ABM lies in the strategic insight and creativity of the ABMer, and I don’t think that will ever be replaced.
But it’s about how ABMers can employ AI in the right places, with the right frameworks and at the right time to deliver more value back to their sales teams and their businesses.
Katarzyna PawlikSenior Global ABM ManagerUniversal Robots
The best gift an ABMer can give Sales is actionable insights they didn’t even know they needed—insights that turn every conversation into a confident, relevant, and meaningful engagement.
The best gift an ABMer can give their Sales team is the power to lead the conversation. Instead of being on the receiving end of a support request, equip them to drive discussions with actionable insights they didn’t know they needed.
Go beyond standard account research - such as company size or industry trends, buying cycles etc. - and dive deeper into personas, decision makers' emotional triggers, their priorities, and even keywords and phrases from C-suite.
By delivering this kind of intelligence, your Sales team can approach accounts with confidence, relevance, and curiosity.
Think like a detective. Scan LinkedIn for decision-makers’ posts to uncover themes they care about (or not), tune into their public talks for key phrases, or and map those against intent data.
The magic of ABM lies in finding those hidden details, connecting dots that inspire action.
Surprise your team this season with a gift that keeps on giving: information.
Anna TsymbalistABM Team LeadInflu2
Audience alignment isn’t just a tactic - it’s your strongest lever for ABM success. Start with retention-first ICP refinement, strategic segmentation, and a focus on Sales priorities to deliver measurable results and build trust across the organization.
If you want to secure strong organizational buy-in for your ABM strategy in 2025, audience alignment can be your most powerful lever.
Here’s how to make it happen:
Identify the key data points that correlate with accounts becoming long-term, satisfied customers. Simultaneously, pinpoint factors linked to churn or disengagement to avoid potential risks.
Use your updated ICP to create a list of accounts and present it to leadership, emphasizing the data-driven rationale. Highlight the long-term value these accounts are projected to bring to the business.
Once leadership is aligned, segment your target accounts according to your ABM goals - whether by geography, industry, use case, intent signals, or another relevant factor.
Focus your efforts on the specific accounts your Sales team are eager to convert. Delivering results for their key targets will foster trust and collaboration.
With new happy customers on the horizon, develop a strategy for customer growth through upsell and cross-sell opportunities, ensuring long-term impact and loyalty. Be at the top of your game in 2026!
By aligning your strategy with both retention and sales priorities, you'll build trust, deliver measurable results, and position ABM as a key driver of sustainable growth in 2025.
Mujesira Dudic, MBADirector, Digital Transformation, Financial ServicesCapgemini
If I had to give one gift for the holidays for Account-based Marketers and frankly for any revenue leaders out there, it would be to make sure that as you go into 2025 that you truly have a strategy.
And no, this is not one of those dumb moments. Is she really telling us to come up with a strategy like we didn't already do that?
This is one of those moments to please pause and take a look at the strategy that you have and make sure that it is actually a strategy that is able to guide your team forward.
A strategy is not a fancy PowerPoint presentation that you put together for your Leadership in order to lay out the key areas of focus and your goals and ambitions, your top 20 accounts, etc.
A strategy needs to have a system.
It is not ‘the what’ you will do, it is ‘the how’ you will actually do it.
So, therefore it should be able to serve as a guide, as a compass for your organization to become better tomorrow than it is today.
A strategy isn’t just about the ‘what’—it’s about the ‘how.’ As you prepare for 2025, ensure your ABM strategy acts as a compass, guiding interconnected teams like Sales, Marketing, and Operations toward shared success.
Now. I've recently been reading Seth Godin's new book. Highly, highly recommend it - ‘This is Strategy’
In it he talks about the idea that within a strategy, a system is about the interconnectedness of the multiple parts and not about the parts themselves.
A good ABM strategy is about how Sales and Marketing will work together and not about what role each of them is supposed to play.
If you don't think about how all of those components, from Sales to Marketing to Operations to any other part of the organization that has to work together to serve our clients, how they work together, and how they will intersect with each other and potentially crash into each other, then you will find yourself crashing into obstacles to your own progress.
So as you prepare for next year, please take a moment to reflect on what is your strategy for success and make sure that it consists of a system that can be followed to actually deliver success for your teams and your clients.
Laura Matthews Director, Account-based MarketingUiPath
Don’t underestimate email’s potential. With tailored executive messaging and highly personalized communication, email can deliver extraordinary engagement - up to a 20% open rate in some ABM 1:1 accounts.
Don't overlook the basics. I was involved in judging some industry awards and noticed that people were overlooking email.
In some of our ABM 1:1 accounts we have an extremely high open rate (as high as 15% open rate average and nearly 20% open rate from CoE).
For me, doubling down on email, building a custom executive messaging plan and really delivering on the messaging that makes ABM so personalized is crucial.
Marcelo FernandesGlobal Head of Adoption & Account-based Marketing, Vice-PresidentSAP
A clear customer journey framework is the backbone of ABM - guiding teams to focus on execution, personalization, and account analysis, all while demonstrating the tangible value to key stakeholders.
Building a clear framework based on a customer journey approach is key to drive the behavior of ABMers. With this philosophy teams can focus on the execution, account analysis, personalization, etc that will drive value and show it to the main stakeholders. Even without the best KPI measurement available they will see (and feel) the value that's driven by ABM initiatives.
Celia SlackPursuit Marketing Lead, EMEAServiceNow
My gift to ABM professionals: the ultimate Client Director Operating System (CDOS) upgrade - incorporating strategic account planning, automated collaboration, and GenAI-powered creativity.
If we can think of sales as the device with which we go to market, my gift to the ABMers out there would be the ultimate Client Director Operating System (CDOS) upgrade.
The CDOS would incorporate advanced strategic account planning, automated collaboration notifications and an inbuilt creative GenAI tool.
In reality, capabilities are maturing and these CDOSs do exist out there. Find them and work with them as much as you’re able. Otherwise you might find your own device battery degrading.
Fes AskariDirector of Strategic Accountsstrategicabm
ABM is a long-term business strategy. Build scalable foundations across teams, objectives, and markets to create a Center of Excellence that delivers for the whole organization - not just one campaign.
When formulating your ABM program, don’t just focus on the short-term campaign needs. ABM is a long-term business approach.
The opportunity here is to think about the vision for ABM and how to develop foundations that are scalable across teams, objectives, markets and accounts - not just accounts.
The biggest challenge is managing expectations. But if you build the vision and define the milestones, along with short-term value-based outcomes, you are on the journey to delivering a winning ABM Center of Excellence that delivers for the whole organization and not just a single campaign.
Don’t be a scrooge when it comes to planning - ABM is a long term game!
Andrew WatkinsABM Lead, UKIIBM
A scattergun approach just won’t cut through the noise. Take your time to plan the right way and create a multi-touch journey for your clients that resonates and drives impact.
As we look to the new year, my top bit of advice is to take your time to plan the right way. With a clean slate and an exciting 12 months ahead, it's important to consider the customer journeys you want your clients to take and how and why you want them to experience your brand.
Put your key markers down throughout the quarters and plan a multi-touch journey around each, a scatter gun approach just won't cut through the noise. Get buy-in from your stakeholders and hit the ground running for a fast start in January.
Lindsay Baggett Senior ABM ManagerTanium
The most successful ABM managers aren’t those who work the longest hours, but those who work the smartest by leveraging automation to maximize their impact on revenue generation.
Many ABM managers struggle with the same challenge: the desire to do impactful strategic and tactical plays and not enough time to build and execute them all effectively. This holiday season, instead of adding another tool to your tech stack wish list, consider giving yourself the gift of workflow automation – the gift that keeps on giving.
Three reasons automation is the best gift for ABMers:
ABM is a proficiency that requires multiple teams and individuals to be orchestrated and to execute, automation is necessary to have this proficiency and consistency. Automation enables you to execute all of the “right things” and all of the “what-if” ideas that ABM managers know we should do, day-dream about doing, but often get pushed to the backburner. From personalized (timely and relevant!) content delivery across multiple channels, robust social media takeovers, or follow-up that brings value to customers, automation ensures these tasks happen consistently and systematically, regardless of your daily bandwidth constraints.
When properly automated, ABM tactics become turnkey operations that sales and account teams can leverage with minimal time and effort. This increased efficiency leads to better adoption of ABM strategies and stronger alignment between marketing and sales. Want to win hearts and build trust with sales? Automate their ABM tasks wherever you can.
Instead of getting bogged down in repetitive tasks, you can concentrate on developing impactful approaches to engage key accounts and drive revenue.
Don't let budget constraints hold you back. Before investing in new technology, conduct a thorough audit of your existing tech stack and those of your cross-functional partners. You might be surprised by the untapped automation capabilities at your disposal:
Check your current marketing tech stack and automation platforms for underutilized features. (For example, leveraging Sprout Social to schedule and automate curated LinkedIn posts for your account teams.)
Explore integration possibilities between existing tools
Connect with sales ops to understand their automation capabilities
Investigate no-code automation tools already licensed by IT
Start small by identifying one manual process that consumes significant time. Map out how it could be automated using existing tools, then expand from there. Remember, the goal isn't to automate everything, but to strategically automate processes that free you to focus on high-impact ABM activities.
By giving yourself the gift of automation this holiday season, you're investing in more than just efficiency – you're creating space for the strategic thinking and creative problem-solving that truly drives ABM success.
The most successful ABM managers aren't those who work the longest hours, but those who work the smartest by leveraging automation to maximize their impact on revenue generation. Make this the season you transform your ABM operation from manual to magnificent.
The gifts our ABM thought leaders have shared here represent the true spirit of ABM and Christmas!
Thoughtful, personalized, and designed to bring a smile to your face!
As you reflect on these insights, consider how you might integrate them into your own ABM strategies in the coming year.
ABM is all about building meaningful connections, personalizing every interaction, and driving sustained business growth.
So, as you prepare for 2025, take these gifts into your ABM journey.
And remember - ABM is a team sport.
Share your learnings, collaborate with your peers, and continue evolving as part of this incredible ABM community.
Here’s to an inspiring year ahead.
Let’s make 2025 another great year for Account-based Marketing!
Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy 2025!
