Welcome to another session of Funnel Lab Fridays, where data-savvy marketers gather to discuss challenges and use cases in marketing. I’m your host Eric Westerkamp, CEO at CaliberMind, and we’re delving into the complexities of organizing target accounts for Account-Based Marketing (ABM) at scale. Joining me are Raja Walia, CEO and Founder of GNW Consulting, and Kelsey White, Director of Revenue Analytics and Attribution at GNW Consulting.
Setting the Scene: ABM Challenges at Scale
Eric kicked off the discussion by asking Raja and Kelsey about their experiences guiding clients through the intricacies of ABM. While most clients already have a rough idea of ABM, they often lack the insight into everything it entails. Raja, with his background in consulting and martech stacks, didn’t hesitate to break down the two types of clients they often see, those already on their ABM journey and those at the very beginning.
Ideal vs. Real Customer Profiles
A difficult step for GNW Consulting clients when building an ABM strategy is separating the ideal customer profile (ICP) from the real one. Raja makes an important observation—many companies tend to focus too much on who they want to sell to rather than who is actually interested in buying from them. It’s easy to fall into the trap of aiming for industry giants like Google or Microsoft, but as Raja put it: “I’d love to sell to Google too, but what’s important is focusing on who’s actually engaging with your brand.”
Kelsey agrees that it’s all about looking at the data—who’s already buying from you, what they have in common, and how you can replicate that success. In short, understand who your true customers are and make data-driven decisions around your ABM strategy.
Personalization Beyond First Names
Personalization is often misunderstood in ABM strategies. Raja and Kelsey shed light on how companies might confuse tokenized personalization, like “Hi [First Name],” with true, value-driven personalization. Real ABM personalization goes beyond plugging in first names and company names.
Instead, it’s about tailoring messaging to actual data-driven insights. If you’ve already had success with an account, leverage those metrics to show potential clients how you can meet their needs in similar ways.
Vertical-specific messaging often drives more success than generic personalization. For example, if your product works well with educational institutions, speak directly to the challenges those institutions face. Share metrics that matter to them—whether it’s student sign-ups or retention—and build campaigns based on that.
Measuring ABM Success
Eric raised an important point about measuring success within an ABM strategy. While revenue is the end goal, it’s crucial to look at the entire buyer journey, not just the final transaction. Raja provided valuable insights here, saying, “You need to know who’s engaging, why they’re engaging, and on what channels.” It’s not just about saying, “We need more revenue,” it’s about understanding how people interact with your brand at different stages of the funnel and optimizing based on that.
Kelsey agreed, adding that companies sometimes stumble when trying to fully flesh out a buyer journey. Instead of getting stuck in building complex models, focus on what’s driving revenue and how you can apply that knowledge to similar accounts.
Tool Time: Measuring Engagement, Not Just Revenue
Eric transitioned the conversation into Tool Time, highlighting how CaliberMind’s platform allows marketers to measure engagement rather than just focusing on backward-looking attribution. Engagement is about understanding how your audience interacts with your content and campaigns over time. Eric demonstrated how CaliberMind’s tools can break down data points to show which campaigns drive the most engagement and how marketers can use that information to refine their ABM strategy.
Raja, impressed with the tool’s AI-driven summaries, mentioned how useful it is to have all this data in a “human-readable format” without having to sift through endless reports. The AI can provide clear insights into what actions led a customer to engage, saving time and helping teams make data-driven decisions.
Closing Thoughts
Raja, Kelsey, and Eric all agree—ABM strategies need continuous iteration. No strategy works in a vacuum. Instead, companies should constantly evaluate their ICPs, personalize campaigns based on real data, and use tools to measure engagement and optimize efforts.
Funnel Lab Fridays continues with Meredith Foulke from Etumos, who will join us to discuss how to declutter your funnel performance data so you can make sense of it all.
