# How to Build ABM Pilot Programs That Prove Value
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is the most effective way for Australian B2B companies to land high-value accounts, but jumping in head-first can be risky. A well-structured pilot program allows you to prove the ROI of a targeted approach without exhausting your entire marketing budget.
At Local Marketing Group, we see many Brisbane businesses struggle with long sales cycles. ABM solves this by aligning your sales and marketing teams to hunt 'whales' rather than casting a wide net for 'minnows'. This guide will walk you through building a pilot that delivers measurable results.
Prerequisites: What You’ll Need
Before you start, ensure you have the following ready:- A CRM (like HubSpot or Salesforce): To track account engagement.
- Sales Alignment: A commitment from your sales lead to follow up on specific accounts.
- Budget for Personalisation: ABM requires a higher spend-per-account than traditional lead gen.
- Basic Content Assets: Case studies or whitepapers relevant to your target industry.
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Step 1: Define Your Pilot Goals and KPIs
Don't start by promising millions in revenue. For a pilot, your goals should focus on "leading indicators." This includes account engagement, meeting rates, and pipeline velocity. What you should see: A spreadsheet or dashboard clearly listing your North Star metric (e.g., "Secure 5 discovery calls with ASX 200 companies").Step 2: Form Your "Tiger Team"
ABM is not a solo marketing project. You need a small, agile team consisting of one marketer, one sales development rep (SDR), and one account executive. In an Australian small business context, this might just be the founder and a marketing coordinator.Step 3: Create Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Generic targeting is the enemy of ABM. Define exactly who your best customers are. Look at your current client list—who has the highest Lifetime Value (LTV)? Are they in the mining sector, professional services, or Queensland's growing tech hub?Pro Tip: Use your ABN lookup tools or LinkedIn Sales Navigator to ensure the companies you target actually fit your financial and geographic criteria.
Step 4: Select 5-10 Target Accounts
For a pilot, less is more. Select a small cluster of accounts (5 to 10) that share similar pain points. This allows you to scale your content without losing the personal touch. If you try to target 50 accounts in a pilot, it’s just traditional marketing with a different name.Step 5: Map the Decision-Making Unit (DMU)
In B2B sales, one person rarely makes the call. You need to identify the 'Champion' (who uses the product), the 'Economic Buyer' (who signs the cheque), and the 'Gatekeeper' (IT or Procurement). Screenshot Description: In LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you should see a list of leads filtered by "Company" and "Seniority Level," showing at least 3-4 contacts per target account.Step 6: Identify Relevant "Hooks"
Research each account. Have they recently expanded into a new state? Did they just release an annual report mentioning a shift toward sustainability? Use these triggers to customise your outreach. In Australia, checking the AFR (Australian Financial Review) or industry-specific news sites is a great way to find these hooks.Step 7: Develop Personalised Content Assets
You don’t need to write a new book for every lead. Use the "80/20 Rule": 80% of the content is standard, and 20% (the intro, the executive summary, the specific examples) is hyper-personalised to the account.Step 8: Choose Your Channels (The Multi-Touch Playbook)
A successful ABM pilot uses at least three channels. A typical Australian B2B sequence might look like:- LinkedIn: Personalised connection requests and sponsored content.
- Direct Mail: Sending a high-quality physical item or a printed case study to their Brisbane or Sydney office.
- Email/Phone: Direct follow-up from the sales rep once engagement is detected.
Step 9: Set Up Tracking and Attribution
You need to know when a target account visits your website. Tools like Leadfeeder or HubSpot can alert you when someone from "Company X" is looking at your pricing page. This is the signal for your sales team to pick up the phone.Step 10: Execute the 30-Day Sprint
Launch your campaign. Ensure the sales team is following up within 24 hours of any digital engagement. Consistency is more important than perfection during this phase.Step 11: Review and Optimise Weekly
Meet with your "Tiger Team" every Friday for 15 minutes. Ask: "Are we getting through? Do we need to change the messaging?" If a specific hook isn't landing, pivot quickly.Step 12: Calculate the "ABM Lift"
At the end of the pilot (usually 60-90 days), compare these accounts to your traditional leads. Are the deal sizes larger? Is the time-to-close shorter? This data is what you’ll use to secure a larger budget for a full-scale program.---
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Mistake 1: Treating ABM like Lead Gen. Don't measure success by the number of clicks. Measure it by the depth of the relationship with the account.
- Mistake 2: Missing the Sales Hand-off. If marketing generates interest but sales doesn't call for two weeks, the pilot will fail.
- Mistake 3: Over-Automating. If your "personalised" email looks like a template, it will be deleted. Take the extra 10 minutes to write a genuine opening line.
Troubleshooting
- Problem: No one is responding to emails.
- Problem: We can't find the right contacts.
- Problem: High website traffic but no conversions.
Next Steps
Once your pilot proves value, it's time to scale. You can move from a "1-to-1" approach to a "1-to-few" approach, targeting clusters of similar businesses.Need help identifying your high-value accounts or setting up the technical tracking for your ABM pilot? The team at Local Marketing Group can help you build a strategy that works for the Australian market. Contact us today to start your pilot program.