Carlos Hidalgo’s Post

“Skip strategy, just buy the ABM platform!” $100K+. Sign here. Problem solved. Many B2B teams fell into this trap over the last decade. At first, they celebrated “WTF-intent-qualified leads,” but now the shine is off. ABM is a wonderful strategy. But it became a vendor category with “ABM Platforms” like 6sense. Over-priced platforms spun a fundamental B2B concept into a confusing technology category to justify their insane prices. Recently, smart CMOs are becoming weary of the platforms and their promises. i.e. They are pro ABM, but ABM platform skeptical. There’s another option emerging. Unbundled ABM. Modern tools have emerged to help solve specific problems within the ABM workflow — account selection, account engagement, and account measurement. Now you can start with strategy. Then pick modern solutions for your specific needs. And you can do it with less cost, lower complexity, and more flexibility. Today, we shared a work-in-progress market map to help you unbundle ABM. If you’re pro ABM but skeptical of “ABM Platforms,” this is for you. Spreadsheet link in the comments. This space is changing fast. We’ve got a solid start, but want to keep expanding this resource… Who else should be included? #ABM #marketing #B2B Tag any of you favorite modern ABM options here and we’ll evaluate them for the next version.

“Skip Strategy, just…” is always poor advice regardless the conversation or goal. The focus of this post is highlighting software tools which is a helpful conversation but Adam’s conclusion is “now we can start with Strategy.” We’ve always been able to start with Strategy and money has definitely been lessly made when the entire focus is on what software to acquire. You should always start with Strategy and it is obvious when auditing an organization’s buyer flow and content whether they did or not. Foregoing thinking and planning has not just lured B2B marketers into lazy, wasteful, and ineffective marketing, entire agencies have downsized Strategy teams to move their focus to making money helping orgs migrate to large and expensive tech solutions. This could actually be good news to some organizations. There are likely easy fixes you can put in place quickly like personalization and segmentation that your team hasn’t done because of dependency on a tech solution. And I’ve found the larger the company, and bigger the marketing department, the more that simple things have been overlooked. One more note to throw out, ABM is a set of tactics - a way to create a better experience for certain prospects. ABM is *not* a software solution. For B2B leaders, agencies and all companies looking to grow and serve, skipping Strategy will always, always stunt your overall goals.

I feel privileged to have had a conversation with Adam Schoenfeld aligning on our plight for "Unbundled ABM." In my career I used Terminus twice, ZoomInfo intent and 6Sense, all of which were procured prior to hiring me and without a strategy in place. Strategy must come first, technology second. My leadership was too often picking up the pieces of false ABM vendor promises. The problem is these vendors sell prematurely promising the "magic of the dark web" with 3rd party intent as the savior that falls short and causes marketers to lose credibility with their sales stakeholders. Today I am a consultant on a mission to make sure that companies avoid the broken promises of Big Box ABM and go about AB GTM in a better way. For months I have been interviewing vendors that support the most optimal parts of the Unbundled ABM GTM motion for the purpose of recommending best of breed to our clients. Adam provides an incredible list here that everyone needs to review. I especially love seeing N.Rich on here, as they are of the few AB GTM vendors that their solution is not a black box and makes Account-Based advertising accountable and simple from a resource perspective. They are a must-evaluate. They created an Account-Based platform the way the Big Box vendors should have created theirs in the first place..simple, agile, practical. Some other solutions not on this list that are a must-evaluate from my journey are: Squid - Squid is a solution that is best described as if Google Analytics + RB2B (with better deanonymization) + Hot Jar had a baby 👶 🍼 . Actionable web activity deanonymized to the person level with visibility down to the page on your website and the area on the page! Air Traffic Control -is a solution that serves personalized, relevant content automatically based on website learnings supporting account-based motions. RevenueHero - Increases and automates meeting creation with your CRM. Chilipiper on steroids Please add on this post any solutions we've missed that are bringing you results! I'd love to hear about them! #unbundledabm #gtmstrategy #abm

And once you figure out your ABM strategy, we can talk about how to orchestrate all of those unbundled platforms with minimal manual work

This is a great post by Adam Schoenfeld, and it's exactly what I'm thinking, seeing and starting to test. Some additional thoughts/observations.... *The price/risk ratio, ability to ingest and deploy technology, resources/speed to execution are all reasons why the new model favors small fast growing startups. (not saying you can't win up market tho) *First gen ABX platforms are more firmly entrenched in MM/Ent companies but 1) wonder if there will be more price pressure on renewals and 2) I expect more customer mktg and support from incumbents to stay sticky, given many customers aren't using full feature capabilities (thanks Corrina Owens for that insight) Regardless of tech, if you dont have a clear POV or story in the market, a deep understanding of your customer, a solution that hunts and an aligned GTM motion that supports that journey, you'll burn cash and struggle.

I get asked this question a lot: what the heck is an ABM Platform? "An ABM platform helps B2B marketers and sellers create a set of target accounts and engage buying team members with relevant outreach and content to help buyers explore and evaluate various solutions." I have test-driven a few ABM platforms. And I certainly say that 6sense is a very good one. Positioned highest for Ability to Execute and furthest for Completeness of Vision in the Leaders Quadrant, 6sense is named an ABM Leader by Gartner for the 3rd time in a row. There are tons of ABM marketing platforms out there competing for your business. Take a look at 6sense. See what you like and don't like about it. Let me know. #6sense #ABM #Techmarketing #Saasmarketing #B2B

ABM is an extremely popular B2B strategy. The success of your ABM program relies heavily on the data you're feeding it. Why does this cause issues? Well, many companies aren't using or do not know how to use the data they have to their full advantage! The result? 1) A mediocre ABM program 2) No pipeline or awareness created To help you leverage your data and run successful ABM programs, SalesIntel.io and Scrappy ABM are hosting a masterclass together. RSVP now: https://hubs.ly/Q02wYF430 Date: May 23rd, 1-2pm ET. Speaker Lineup 😎 1) 🔶🔸Mason Cosby🔸🔶, Founder & CEO of Scrappy ABM 2) Ariana Shannon, Director of Marketing, Brand at SalesIntel Together, Mason and Ariana will walk you through how to activate your data to provide the right message, to the right person, at the right time. Through real-world examples and case studies, we will demonstrate how the 4-D Framework can guide you in effectively utilizing intent data through trigger stacking to maximize your ABM outcomes. #abm #intentdata #b2bmarketing

🚀 Last Quarter Game Changer in the B2B Industry! 🚀 Proud to share that this past quarter, we made significant strides that transformed our approach to B2B marketing and demand generation. By focusing on smarter lead qualification, streamlining communication, and harnessing Account-Based Marketing (ABM), we cut deal cycles by 15%—not only boosting sales efficiency but enhancing client satisfaction. 📈 Key Wins This Quarter: * Accelerated our sales cycle with a 15% reduction in closing time * Implemented ABM strategies that helped us prioritize high-value accounts * Strengthened our brand visibility through impactful digital marketing and event initiatives While it’s not always about hitting every target, the progress and insights gained make a tangible difference. This is just the beginning, and I'm excited to keep building on these results and setting new standards in the B2B space! #B2BMarketing #DemandGeneration #GameChanger #ABM #B2BLEADSCORP #DigitalMarketing #ClientSuccess #GrowthMindset

🚀 Ready to succeed in 2025? Forrester's 'Predictions 2025' for B2B Marketing & Sales offers 5 predictions for the year ahead. They touch on: 1. CMOs & CSOs reorgs 2. AI ROI scaling 3. younger buyer purchase patterns 4. digital sales 5. PLG strategies Given these predictions, Forrester advises teams to optimize infrastructure, data practices, and revenue processes to prepare for future success. https://buff.ly/3UkjO2W #B2BMarketing #2025Predictions #Forrester #GTM #SalesTransformation

Research from MOI Global shows that there’s an opportunity for challenger brands, less encumbered by enterprise complexity, to run rings around market incumbents in the #ABM sphere, despite smaller budgets and lighter tool stacks. This roundtable event brings together some of the UK and Europe’s most senior #B2Bmarketing leaders to discuss how to run more dynamic and proactive ABM with a different playbook to your wider marketing strategy. And, how you can leverage creative data practices to turn you into a revenue-spotting hero, enhance #Salesalignment, and deploy more nimble responses to account opportunities. This roundtable is a must for any B2B #marketingleader looking to: ⚫ Learn how mature businesses are making data-driven ABM central to their overall strategy, and what sort of results they’re delivering. ⚫ Get practical tips on how to use data to spot revenue opportunities and run ‘precision plays’ for cost-effective results. ⚫ Share your biggest challenges and frustrations when instilling the best data practices into your business’ account-based strategy, and learn how your peers overcame these challenges. Register your interest below: https://okt.to/PK73Ul