Why is it important to read an account based marketing book before diving into the execution of your team’s strategy or plan? ABM is a fundamental shift of how modern B2B teams generate efficient and effective revenue growth. It throws the traditional lead-based funnel out the window and instead focuses on the accounts that matter most to your business.

To some, it is a learning curve. Not only for them but also for other internal team members who will also be involved with the team’s account based marketing strategy. However, there are proven results. In fact, in a recent Total Economic Impact™ of Terminus study from Forrester Consulting, they found that a composite organization using Terminus would achieve a return on investment of 313% over three years. Not only that, the study also found a composite organization to reduce account acquisition costs by 40% and increase SDR-initiated meetings by 60% per month.

All of that to say, account based marketing works! But it does require some thought, time, and resources from your team. So before diving into the actual work, you or your team members may want to discover the “why” behind it all. Maybe the philosophy on how ABM got started, case studies on how teams use it today, or an account based marketing framework to guide your team to success? All of that (and more) can be found in both of Terminus’ account based marketing books.

In addition to account based marketing services and software, Terminus also authors books (like the two you’ll find on this page) and publishes resources that can help any team with ABM. We publish trend reports highlighting account based marketing benchmarks and worksheet templates for teams to better execute account based marketing tactics. 2019 was especially a busy year of published content like this and we plan on continuing the trend in 2020!

Why are books and resources important? As ABM continues to evolve, so do best practices and trends. Account based marketing statistics 2019, for example, may look different than account based marketing statistics 2020. Teams use the Terminus software platform to scale ABM and help execute and measure their account based marketing strategy. But we also partner with teams on the strategy and education of ABM. We’re always here to offer a resource that may be able to help, no matter what stage you’re at with account based marketing.

Account Based Marketing for Dummies

In addition to ABM Is B2B, Terminus also authored Account Based Marketing for Dummies. Obviously we’re biased, but we think this is one of the best books on account based marketing because it was the first. Sangram Vajre, Terminus Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist, authored this book back in 2016. The goal of the book was to educate readers on how to transform their current approach to finding, reaching, and engaging with potential customers. Four years later, the mission remains the same!

Account based marketing is about finding the right-fit accounts that match a team’s ideal customer profile, then rallying around them and focusing your time, resources, and money on those accounts. Because who wants to waste another marketing dollar on an unqualified lead who refuses to take a meeting? ABM allows sales, marketing, customer success, and all revenue teams to stay focused on their most important prospects and customers.

If you’re looking for a starting point because you’re intimidated or skeptical of this whole “ABM” buzzword, this book is perfect for both. It includes step-by-step instructions, tips, and best practices. It will show you how to analyze data points to identify best-fit potential customers with the biggest revenue opportunities. After reading this book, you and your team will be able to:

• Pick your best-fit accounts based on data (rather than gut feeling).
• Know how to use software, technology, or tools to run personalized marketing campaigns focused on your most important accounts.
• Understand why alignment between sales, marketing, and customer success leads to more qualified opportunities and higher conversion rates.

Check it out for yourself on Amazon. There you’ll find ratings and reviews from account based marketing experts and a little more background on the author. And if you need more copies for the rest of the team, just let us know! We may be able to help ship a few copies directly to you!

Account Based Marketing Courses

If reading a book isn’t your thing but you still want to educate yourself on account based marketing, you might consider account based marketing courses. Our team has spent countless hours working with revenue teams to understand and deliver foundational knowledge, custom services, best practices, and use cases that will drive ABM success. We have packed all of that into the “ABM Certification: Account Based Marketing Foundations” course led by the account based marketing consultant mentioned above, Sangram Vajre.

Whether you’re just getting started with account based marketing or need a refresh on the framework, this account based marketing coursera might be a good option for you and your team. It focuses on the TEAM framework for account based marketing execution, which looks like this:

• Target the right accounts. Understand and prioritize right-fit accounts and your best potential customers through firmographics, engagement, relationship data, and intent.
• Engage across every channel. Get your message in front of the right audience no matter where they are. The most effective account based marketing channels include display advertising, retargeting, employee email, LinkedIn, chat, and personalized web pages.
• Activate your teammates. Marketing, sales, and customer success can all work together to centralize account information and be alerted when meaningful engagements happen. They can also use real-time data to better predict their pipeline and accelerate opportunities.
• Measure your success. From board-level reporting to specific campaign performance, discover what moves the needle most so you can adjust your strategy as you go.

You’ll also learn more about Sangram’s books and hear about real world use cases and best practices. You can register for the course here, which includes an option for a free month trial. Or if you’re just interested in some light reading to start, check out the Terminus account based marketing blog.

Account Based Marketing Strategy

Through these books, courses and educational resources, you’ll learn all about the strategy side of account based marketing. Why is it important to develop an account based marketing strategy? Before you spend time, resources, and money, it’s best to build out a plan and know how to measure whether or not the plan was successful. That’s precisely what an ABM strategy does, as it sets up a team for success and provides a framework for reaching their revenue goals.

The TEAM framework provides account based marketing steps broken out into phases. In other words, a crawl walk run approach. If you view account based marketing as another form of deal based marketing, you can shape your strategy around your most important deals (for both prospects and customers). It doesn’t just have to be about picking accounts. If your team has the ability to recognize your biggest revenue opportunities and then act on it with smart and personalized marketing, then you’re doing ABM!

In addition to a strategy, a team should also develop an account based marketing playbook. What’s the difference between a playbook and strategy? A strategy provides a framework for success. A playbook includes specific tactics or plays the team can run to execute on that strategy. Your account based marketing playbook might include any of the following:

• For target accounts that have more than 1,000 employees and have already taken a first meeting, marketing will send them a personalized box of branded desk items they can share with the rest of their team. It will include a handwritten note thanking them for considering your company.
• For new target accounts who have clicked on a few ads launched by your company, a sales team member will reach out and offer your newest ebook as a helpful resource.
• For accounts further down in the sales cycle that might be close to signing, marketing can work with sales to mail paper copies of their best case study to the entire leadership team. It can include a handwritten note and Starbucks gift card.

The examples above are just a few of the many plays a team can run to wow their most important accounts. Of course you will also need account based marketing tools to help run those plays, which is where Terminus comes in. Targeted display ads, personalized email ads, and even automated direct mail sends are all plays Terminus can help with through their software and partnerships.

Account Based Marketing Examples

As you continue through your evaluation and educational process, we also encourage you to collect and analyze as many account based marketing examples as possible. See what other teams are doing today to delight their prospects and customers. Learn what you like best or don’t like and think about how you can apply a specific strategy or tactic to your own account based marketing program.

The best types of resources to find account based marketing best practices include:

• Account based marketing case studies
• Account based marketing PPT
• Account based marketing PDF

The Terminus resource hub offers all of these resources and more. Our newest resource includes account based marketing statistics 2020 that teams can use for this year’s strategy. Or, if you’re looking for specific best practices, account based marketing resources like customer videos or testimonials might be useful. Aside from being a software platform, we also want to be your go-to destination for account based marketing education. Whether you’re a customer of Terminus or not, we want to help you win with ABM. So we invite you to check out the Terminus resource hub and use any of the following types of resources that can help provide some value to your team:

• Ebooks, benchmark reports, or studies.
• Case studies, customer videos, and testimonials.
• Blog posts and articles.
• Infographics, PPT presentations, and recorded training sessions.
• Webinars and workshops.