What is Account Based Prospecting (ABP)

Account Based Prospecting is a B2B Marketing and Sales Strategy focused at the top end of the funnel to identify, activate and nurture key target accounts and warm up those accounts to the point that they will take a demo or sales call.

ABP combines inbound marketing with outbound SDR efforts through various channels (email, social media, telephone).

Many of the core principles of Account Based Marketing (ABM) and Account Based Experience (ABX) are still at the core of Account Based Prospecting. However, with Account Based Prospecting there is more of a focus on SDR and outbound sales efforts and tools.

Account Based Prospecting Basics

Just like in ABM, there are several key steps to a successful ABP plan:

1. Make sure there is marketing and sales alignment up front. Build ICPs and TALs together, measure efforts and partner to optimize and grow the ABP program
2. Identify Ideal Customer Profiles (ICP)
3. Identify Target Account List(s)
4. Identify Buying Personas within Accounts
5. Develop a content map and plan that ties back to your ICPs and Buying Personas
6. Set up a marketing and sales engine and test A/B messaging
7. Set up landing pages with appropriate content for each TAL campaign/segment
8. Set up needed tracking for both inbound and outbound - tag TALs in your CRM, set up UTM or Website pixel like Leadfeeder to identify Account Level website visitors and behavior
9. Measure the success of your of your ABP efforts at the Account Level - key metrics include increase account engagement, engaged contacts, # of net new opps, revenue

How is ABP different than ABM and ABX?

ABP is focused mostly at the very top end of the funnel, centers on outbound sales effort, and an equal amount of martech and salestech tools.

ABM (Account Based Marketing) is a spectrum of one-to-one ABM (aka 'Strategic ABM', with a highly individualized and personalized outreach, microsites, etc. for a single large value account), one-to-few (aka "ABM Light", where groups of like accounts with similar attributes and needs are marketed to as a group), and one-to-many ABM (aka "Programmatic" ABM where technology is used to market to a large number of accounts at once). There is typically more of a marketing and martech vs. outbound sales focus.

ABX (Account Based Experience) often follows an account through their entire customer journey, including onboarding, post sell, and renewals and upsell. Much of the focus here is on unifying data from different silos (CRM, chat, finance, customer service) to provide a seamless, consistent and personalized customer experience at the account level.

How to Get Started with ABP?

If you are a growing SaaS company and want 'done for you as a service' ABP, consider an Account Based Prospecting Agency like SaaSBoost.