This post is based on a podcast with Jillian Gartner. If you’d like to listen to more #FlipMyFunnel Podcast episodes, you can check them out here and listen to this episode below!
95% – That was her 2018 win rate.
When she used ABM, she won, 95% of the time. Jillian E. Gartner doesn’t leave ABM deals on the table. She’s so good in fact, ABM’s in her title: She’s the Director of Account-Based Marketing at Thomson Reuters.
She came on this episode of the #FlipMyFunnel podcast to discuss her incredible 5 step process that led to this amazing win-rate.
Jillian works with every part of her company to ensure #OneTeam, pulling from her experience in sales and global marketing at various companies. (Jillian also has an MBA from Findlay.)
Don’t miss this episode.
1. Establish strong partnerships
ABM leaders are notorious for pounding on alignment so hard (yes, I’m guilty, too!). But usually when we say the a-word, we’re talking about marketing and sales alignment. Jillian brought something new into the conversation: the account management team.
“No one knows these accounts better than sales and account management, the people who are working with them every day,” said Jillian.
Leveraging the insights she’s pulling from sales and account management, Jillian doubles down on the best efforts. Further, she works with account management, specifically, to gain insights into key accounts with upcoming renewals Thomson Reuters can’t afford to lose.
2. Select the right accounts
Obvious. But with ABM, you’ve gotta start with the right accounts. The reason why this is so helpful is because it allows you to have an “always-on” marketing model for your key accounts, or in some ABM situations, all accounts.
This would never be an option without ABM.
3. Executing at scale
This past year, Jillian focused on 250 accounts, but in 2019, she’ll be increasing her approach to 350. Jillian’s team is small: It includes 2 ABM managers, a marketing specialist, and her.
With a small team marketing to 300+ accounts, execution at scale is vital to growth.
Jillian’s philosophies:
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- Leverage tech to get the right people at the right time.
- Understand each account. (How many touchpoints does this account need? Does this account require a 1-to-1 approach?)
- Remember retention by providing ongoing value for your current customers.
- Selective purchases — it’s easy to spend a lot of money for no results.
- Web personalization — backtracking with IP address to personalize website when a customer lands on their homepage
- Direct mail paired with digital
When a tactic, such as direct mail or a particular digital ad, works with one account, they double down with the same approach with similar accounts.
That’s how you scale — focus small, and selectively widen your reach with repeatable tactics when you discover what’s working.
4. Gain actionable insight and analytics
In ABM, it’s not always about leads as it is often measuree a traditional approach.
“While we do have some new leads come in, it’s not where we’ve seen the most success in our program.”
Knowing that leads are not where the most success is starting from, is exactly why Jillian’s focus has been honed in, leading to her insane win rate.
Again, her team won 95% of closed ABM deals last year.
5. Operate with agility
Your accounts’ interests, needs, and personnel will change. Guaranteed. Staying up-to-date on what is happening in the spheres that are influencing your accounts will allow you and your ABM team to move quickly, adapt to the changes, and provide opportunities for interaction.
Jillian’s challenge:
Jillian’s challenge to everyone considering ABM is this: Just give it a shot. You don’t have to retool your entire marketing campaign. Maybe choose 5 accounts. Be willing to try something that may not even be repeatable, such as a 1-to-1 campaign just to understand the power of ABM.
You’ll be happy you did.
Jillian talks more about her five step process in this LinkedIn article.
