4 Places to Start With Your ABM Strategy

Article at a Glance

What is an ABM strategy?

At its core, an ABM strategy is about focusing on the right companies rather than everyone. Sales and Marketing work together on a shared list of accounts and put more thoughtful, targeted effort into winning them.

Where should you start with an ABM strategy?

Start with accounts that know you. People visiting your website, deals that didn’t close, accounts in your pipeline, and current customers are all much easier places to begin.

Why is it better to start ABM with known accounts?

Because you’re not starting from zero. These accounts have some level of awareness or interest, making it easier to have relevant conversations and see results faster.

How do ABM campaigns fit into your overall strategy?

Your ABM campaign is how you take action. It’s the actual outreach and programs you run to move a specific group of accounts forward.

Do you need a large ABM budget to get started?

No. Most teams already have what they need. A good ABM strategy is more about using your existing data and tools better, instead of spending more money.

What are examples of simple ABM plays to start with?

A few easy ABM plays include re-engaging old deals, helping stuck pipeline move forward, reaching out to high-intent website visitors, and expanding within your current customers. More on these below.

How do you prioritize accounts in an ABM strategy?

Look at two things: are they a good fit, and are they showing interest? When both are true, those are the accounts worth your time and ABM campaigns.

There’s a lot of pressure to get an ABM strategy right, especially early on, when you’re trying to prove it works.

So what do most teams do?

They build a brand-new target account list, spin up an ABM campaign, and go after a bunch of companies that have never heard of them.

It feels strategic. But it’s also kind of the hardest way to do it.

Now you’re trying to create awareness, build trust, and drive pipeline…all at the same time. With no real signals to guide you.

Luckily, you don’t have to start there.

The fastest way to get momentum is to start with accounts that are already showing some level of interest. Here are four places to start with ABM for the best shot at early wins.

Path #1: Website Traffic: Start With Accounts Already Showing Intent

Your website is full of signals. Not just traffic, but real intent. These are accounts actively poking around, and in some cases, evaluating solutions like yours.

But not all visits mean the same thing.

Someone skimming a blog post is different from someone checking your pricing page, reading case studies, or coming back multiple times. That’s where things get interesting.

Instead of letting that activity sit in your analytics, turn it into action. Build a list of high-intent accounts, filter by fit, and prioritize the ones showing real engagement.

From there, your account-based marketing efforts can stay simple:

• Reach out based on what they looked at
• Reference relevant use cases
• Keep it contextual, not generic

This doesn’t need to be a big, complex ABM campaign. It’s one of the easiest plays you can run, and one of the fastest ways to show your ABM strategy is working.

Because these accounts aren’t cold. They came to you first.

Path #2: Closed-Lost Opportunities: The Fastest Path Back to Pipeline

Closed-lost doesn’t mean never. It just means not right now.

These are accounts that know you, and at some point said, “This could work.” That’s a better starting point than a brand-new account.

And the best part? You’re not guessing.

You know why the deal didn’t move forward. Budget, timing, missing features. Whatever it was, you have context.

Instead of generic follow-ups, you can build focused ABM plays around those past objections:

• Lost to budget → position a different entry point
• Lost to timing → re-engage when priorities shift
• Lost to features → follow up when something new launches

A lot of teams overlook this part of their account-based marketing strategy.

But in many cases, your fastest pipeline is the deals you were once close to winning.

Path #3: Sales Pipeline: Accelerate What’s Already in Motion

When people think about an ABM strategy, they usually think about creating pipeline, not speeding it up.

But your pipeline is full of great accounts. They’ve been qualified, and conversations have started. They’re just moving slower than you’d like.

Instead of launching a brand-new ABM campaign, focus on helping those deals move forward. Where are things getting stuck? Is it from trial to proposal? Proposal to decision?

Once you spot the slowdown, you can build ABM plays to help:

• Share content that answers the exact questions they’re stuck on
• Have Marketing support the deal with relevant emails or ads
• Make outreach more personal based on where they are in the process

Start small here. Pick a handful of accounts and test what helps move deals along.

Even shaving a month or two off your sales cycle can make a huge difference.

Path #4: Current Customers: The Most Overlooked Growth Opportunity

This is the one a lot of people skip.

As you build an ABM strategy, most of the focus goes to getting new customers. Meanwhile, the ones you have get a quick check-in every now and then…and that’s about it.

But your current customers are one of your biggest growth opportunities.

They already know and trust you. And chances are, they have problems you can help with that they don’t even realize you solve.

So instead of just checking in, you can be more intentional:

• Look for customers who could benefit from something else you offer
• Group them based on what they’re not using yet
• Share ideas, use cases, or examples that are helpful to them

When you reach out at the right time with something helpful, it doesn’t feel like a sales push. It feels useful. And that’s when expansion starts happening naturally.

How to Prioritize Across These Four Areas

Once you have these four starting points, the next question is: Where do you focus first?

Not every account in these groups is worth your time. And this is where a lot of ABM strategy efforts go sideways, as everything starts feeling important, so nothing gets prioritized.

A better way to think about it is with three questions:

#1: Is this a good fit?

Do they look like your best customers? If not, they’re probably not worth chasing, no matter how active they are.

#2: Are they showing real interest?

Have they been on your website, engaging with content, or moving in the pipeline? That’s a much smarter signal than guessing.

#3: Is now the right time?

Did something change? Are they actively looking? Is there a reason to reach out now?

You want to focus on where all three line up. That’s what turns random activity into actual ABM plays.

Start Where You Have the Most Leverage

So no, you don’t need a huge ABM budget or shiny new tech stack. And you definitely don’t need to start from zero.

The biggest wins are likely sitting right in front of you:

• The people visiting your website
• The deals that almost closed
• The accounts in your pipeline
• The customers you’re currently working with

Start there.

Run a few simple ABM plays, see what works, then go after net-new once you’ve got something clicking.

Want a simple way to map this out? Grab our ABM Program Planning Template so your team can focus on the right opportunities without overcomplicating it.