Best of LinkedIn: The Global ABM Conference 2025

00:00:00: Welcome to the deep dive.

00:00:02: If you're involved in strategic B to B marketing, well, this is your immediate playbook, our mission today.

00:00:07: It's to deliver the ultimate shortcut into the top trends and strategic shifts discussed at the Global ABM Conference.

00:00:14: Basically, save you weeks of scrolling and synthesizing.

00:00:17: Provided by Thomas Algeier and FRIENDS, based on the most relevant posts on LinkedIn about the Global ABM Conference, FRIENDS is a B to B market research company working with enterprises to optimize their campaigns with account and executive insights far beyond AI.

00:00:30: Right and the central takeaway, you know when you look across all the insights we analyze is that ABM it's really hit maturity.

00:00:36: It's not just a tactic anymore or some program you launch and forget.

00:00:39: It's becoming this cross-functional operating model.

00:00:43: Okay, so we basically boiled down all those dense discussions into four critical shifts you need to think about.

00:00:49: Maybe act on right now.

00:00:50: first that shift to ABM as an operating system.

00:00:53: second those sort of non-negotiable practices for sales linemen.

00:00:56: third AI's role the practical side and this rise of contact level precision.

00:01:02: and finally something interesting to the comeback of human creativity.

00:01:06: Yeah, let's unpack that first one.

00:01:08: ABM is an operating model.

00:01:10: This language, you know, operating system or account-based mindset, it's definitely more than just jargon.

00:01:17: It really signifies that ABM is now the underlying infrastructure.

00:01:20: It guides how you set priorities, how you orchestrate resources, governance, a really across all commercial functions.

00:01:28: That reframing sounds fundamental.

00:01:30: Robert Norum, I think, specifically called ABM, the operating system for the commercial marketer.

00:01:34: And John Mogher suggests it's more like an account based mindset taking over.

00:01:38: But okay, what is adopting that mindset actually look like day to day for a marketer?

00:01:42: How's it different from just running a project?

00:01:44: Well, it changes the scope completely.

00:01:46: When it's an OS, you're thinking integrated motions, not just these isolated campaigns.

00:01:51: The operating system kind of forces you to look at the entire customer journey.

00:01:55: And a great framework mentioned by quite a few people, Robert Norum, Helen BB, Emily M, was this idea of the shift left and shift right.

00:02:03: OK,

00:02:03: shift left.

00:02:04: Yeah.

00:02:05: Getting involved earlier, maybe even before prospects know they have a need, right?

00:02:08: Yeah.

00:02:08: But let's dig into shift right.

00:02:10: Why is staying engaged after the sale now considered core ABM?

00:02:14: Seems like that used to be purely customer success territory.

00:02:16: Because that's where the lifetime value is, you know?

00:02:19: The shift right focus is all about retention, advocacy, customer expansion.

00:02:23: It's huge.

00:02:24: You're basically recognizing that once that deal closes, the account-based mindset needs to carry through.

00:02:29: It has to transition to customer success, renewal teams, making sure you sustain growth through that long relationship.

00:02:35: Right.

00:02:36: And that focus on infrastructure, that probably explains why Annaly Graham noted that for ABM to really stick, it needs to be part of something bigger, a business transformation.

00:02:45: Can't just be a successful little program tucked away in marketing.

00:02:49: It needs that broader organizational anchor.

00:02:52: Exactly.

00:02:52: Infrastructure, not just a project.

00:02:54: And look, if ABM is the new OS, then inherently that means better, more disciplined collaboration across functions, which leads us straight into, let's be honest, the biggest hurdle.

00:03:05: sales alignment.

00:03:06: getting sales and marketing truly on the same page about revenue.

00:03:10: Yes, alignment.

00:03:11: A parental problem child of B to B, isn't it?

00:03:13: Yeah.

00:03:13: So what practical, high-impact ways to enforce alignment came up at the conference?

00:03:18: Any silver bullets?

00:03:19: No silver bullets, sadly, but a strong consensus on needing shared rituals, not just shared goals on a slide somewhere.

00:03:25: Joint planning sessions, shared account plans.

00:03:28: Those are becoming table stakes now.

00:03:29: And high-impact formats like dedicated revenue clinics were highlighted as a really necessary operation mechanism.

00:03:37: Emma McClellan from Cognite put it really well, stressing the need to build with sales, not for sales.

00:03:41: Okay, let's pause on revenue clinics.

00:03:44: That sounds a bit more intense than your average pipeline review.

00:03:47: What actually goes on in one of those?

00:03:49: Yeah, it's typically a very structured data-driven working session.

00:03:53: The focus is laser sharp.

00:03:55: Moving specific priority accounts forward.

00:03:58: It's where marketing intelligence You know, the signals, the insights, meets actual sales action.

00:04:04: The aim isn't just status updates.

00:04:05: It's about jointly deciding on resources, next steps, specific enablement needs, all based on where that account is.

00:04:12: That's how you operationalize that build with idea.

00:04:15: That makes a lot of sense.

00:04:15: It actually puts the partnership into practice.

00:04:17: And we saw a real examples of this working, right?

00:04:20: Bex Powell from Riverbed Technology talked about embedding this data-driven collaboration deeply with sellers, solution engineers, field teams, and Lisa Kripps, shared work human story, calling that deep sales and marketing partnership their actual secret sauce.

00:04:35: And the key is that enablement has to be sharp.

00:04:37: The assets marketing provides need to be concise, role specific, tied directly to the buying stage.

00:04:43: Marketing's job is delivering that signal intelligence, yes, but the measure of success is sales actually activating on it with rigor.

00:04:50: If that handoff isn't smooth, if sales can't immediately use the Intel, the whole thing just falls apart.

00:04:56: That link between the signal and the activation, that's a perfect bridge to our third theme, AI, data, and this push for contact level precision.

00:05:05: AI was everywhere at the conference, it sounds like, but maybe less hype and more.

00:05:10: Pragmatism.

00:05:10: Absolutely.

00:05:11: It was framed very much as an accelerant and essential one, but with clear guardrails.

00:05:15: Nick Mason and others, too, really positioned AI as augmentation.

00:05:18: It handles the mechanical stuff, the sort of left brain work, you know, research synthesis, drafting initial content outlines, summarizing complex insights.

00:05:27: Right, freeing up humans for the strategic, the emotive, the right brain stuff.

00:05:32: Sounds good in theory, but is there a risk there, you know, relying on AI for the grunt work?

00:05:38: Does that risk creating marketers who lose their edge in research or writing?

00:05:42: How do teams balance that?

00:05:44: That's where the discipline comes in, absolutely.

00:05:46: Geo and Park made it clear.

00:05:48: AI is an enabler, sure.

00:05:50: But human creativity, human oversight, that's the non-negotiable foundation.

00:05:54: And tactically, people like Liza L from Honeywell and Alex Fina from Moody's Corporation advise teams to be rigorous.

00:06:01: Experiment constantly.

00:06:02: Track the results religiously.

00:06:04: And, crucially, document everything the findings the lessons learned in a shared AI book or something similar.

00:06:10: That keeps the discipline strong.

00:06:12: Documentary experiments that's classic ABM thinking.

00:06:14: apply to a new tool set.

00:06:16: Help scale the knowledge safely.

00:06:17: Okay.

00:06:18: And this focus on precision, it seems directly tied to the rise of contact level ABM.

00:06:23: That feels like the next big step in data focus.

00:06:25: Definitely.

00:06:26: The lens of sharpening moving from just the account logo down to the individual human being.

00:06:31: Adam Woosier noted that something like seventy-two percent of marketers see contact level data as the key to unlocking real ABM impact.

00:06:39: It's a huge number.

00:06:41: The goal is moving past broad account targeting to actually speaking to the same humans across different channels, tailoring that message based on their specific signals.

00:06:50: So true hyper personalization essentially.

00:06:52: Den Kozlov from Influtu talked about making sure intent data adds sales outreach.

00:06:57: It's all hitting the same individual tailored to their role and need.

00:07:00: Coherent across the journey.

00:07:02: That's exactly it.

00:07:03: And that's the new benchmark for data value.

00:07:05: Signals, whether it's intent data, account triggers, whatever, they only really matter if they directly inform outreach timing, if they help refine the content angle, dictate the channel choice.

00:07:14: It's about making every touchpoint count, maximizing precision, cutting through the noise.

00:07:18: OK, but if AI handles the mechanics and data gets hyper precise, there's a potential downside, right?

00:07:25: Everything starts sounding the same, a bit robotic maybe, which brings us neatly to our final theme and maybe the most critical one.

00:07:33: Creativity, authenticity, and the human element making a comeback.

00:07:36: Yeah,

00:07:37: this was a really crucial tension point at the conference.

00:07:40: Lorna Charlish and Chris Willicks highlighted what they termed the authenticity gap.

00:07:44: Think about it.

00:07:45: If everyone uses the same data sources, the same AI tools to draft their outreach.

00:07:51: You just end up with this massive ocean of undifferentiated noise.

00:07:54: It's fascinating, isn't it?

00:07:55: How more tech is actually forcing us back to basics, back to being human.

00:07:59: Natasha Heming cited predictions that what, eighty seven percent of content could be AI generated by twenty twenty six.

00:08:05: If that's true, the only real edge left is that distinctive human creativity, the unique brand voice.

00:08:11: And that strategic need is fueling this concept of account based branding, ABB.

00:08:15: It's about making sure your personalization goes way beyond just inserting a name or company.

00:08:20: to tackle deep problem framing, deliver role-based messaging that resonates emotionally with the individual specific challenges.

00:08:27: And what really jumped out were the examples emphasizing physical, face-to-face interaction as a way to show authenticity.

00:08:33: People crave connection.

00:08:35: AI just can't replicate.

00:08:36: We heard about Influtu's custom LEGO booth, for instance.

00:08:40: Katie Penner and Russ Powell talked about consciously designing event experiences for people, focusing on genuine interaction, not just scanning badges.

00:08:48: That human connection focus is vital, especially as Laura Rafferty pointed out, because seventy-one percent of today's buyers are Gen Z and millennials.

00:08:55: That's a cohort that inherently values transparency and authenticity.

00:08:59: So the shift isn't just technological, it's a necessary cultural and psychological realignment for marketing.

00:09:05: Yeah, absolutely.

00:09:05: And ultimately, people like Emily M. and Helena Phillips brought her back to the law.

00:09:09: view, didn't they?

00:09:10: Reminding everyone that ABM, fundamentally, it's a long game.

00:09:14: It's built on trust, community, creativity, and those things always outlast short term conversion pressures.

00:09:20: They define the brands that truly endure.

00:09:23: Okay, so wrapping up this deep dive gave you the essential framework key takeaways.

00:09:28: ABM is morphing into your commercial operating model sales alignment.

00:09:33: It needs non-negotiable joint rituals, like those revenue clinics.

00:09:36: AI is purely augmentation for the mechanical tasks, freeing up humans.

00:09:41: And that human creativity, that's now your core differentiator against the noise.

00:09:45: And maybe a final thought to leave you with.

00:09:47: If ABM is becoming the OS and AI is automating the mechanics, then the real future differentiator.

00:09:54: It might not just be having a great strategy document.

00:09:56: It could be cultivating the internal culture that a base mindset, the patience, the discipline, the consistent cross-functional stakeholder management needed for this long game to actually pay off that cultural piece.

00:10:07: That's maybe the next frontier to explore.

00:10:09: If you enjoyed this episode, new episodes drop every two weeks.

00:10:12: Also, check out our other editions on field marketing.

00:10:15: channel and partner marketing, AI and B to B, MarTech, go to market and social selling.

00:10:20: Thank you for joining us for this deep dive into the latest from the world of ABM.

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