# How to Implement Sales and Marketing ABM Alignment
In the Australian B2B landscape, the traditional 'handover' model—where marketing generates leads and throws them over the fence to sales—is becoming obsolete. Account-Based Marketing (ABM) requires a unified front; if your sales and marketing teams aren't perfectly aligned, you’re essentially shouting at high-value prospects from two different rooms. When these teams work in lockstep, you'll see higher conversion rates, shorter sales cycles, and significantly larger deal sizes.
Prerequisites
Before you begin this alignment process, ensure you have the following:- A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System: Such as HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive.
- Historical Sales Data: To identify what your 'best' customers look like.
- Buy-in from Leadership: Alignment starts at the top; both the Head of Sales and Head of Marketing must be committed.
- A Defined Budget: ABM often requires specific spend for personalised content and targeted ads.
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Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Alignment starts with agreeing on who you are actually chasing. Sit both teams in a room (or a Zoom call) and define the characteristics of your most profitable, long-term Australian clients. Consider factors like industry, annual turnover, employee count, and geographic location (e.g., East Coast vs. National). Screenshot Description: You should see a shared document or spreadsheet with columns for 'Firmographics', 'Technographics', and 'Psychographics'.Step 2: Create a Shared Target Account List (TAL)
Once the ICP is set, Sales should bring their 'dream' list, and Marketing should bring data-backed suggestions. Filter these through your ICP criteria to create a single, master list of target accounts. This prevents Marketing from spending budget on accounts Sales has no intention of calling.Step 3: Map the Buying Committee
In Australian B2B sales, decisions are rarely made by one person. Identify the roles involved: the Decision Maker (CEO/CFO), the Influencer (IT Manager), and the End User. Marketing will create content for each, while Sales will build relationships with each.Step 4: Agree on 'Lead' Definitions and Thresholds
In an ABM world, we talk about 'Account Engagement' rather than just 'Leads'. Define exactly what level of activity from a target account triggers a sales follow-up. Is it three different people from the same firm downloading a whitepaper? Or the CEO visiting your pricing page? Decide this now to avoid future friction.Step 5: Develop Personalised Content Pillars
Marketing shouldn't just create 'generic' content. Based on the pain points identified by the Sales team during their cold outreach or discovery calls, Marketing should develop tailored assets. This might include industry-specific case studies (e.g., "How we helped a Brisbane logistics firm scale") or personalised landing pages.Step 6: Set Up a Unified Tech Stack
Ensure your marketing automation tool (like Mailchimp or HubSpot) talks to your CRM. Both teams must be able to see the same data. If Marketing sees an account is engaging with ads, Sales needs to see that activity on the contact record in real-time. Screenshot Description: In your CRM, look for an 'Activity Feed' or 'Timeline' that shows both email opens from Marketing and call notes from Sales in one chronological view.Step 7: Establish a Weekly 'Smarketing' Sync
Communication is the glue of alignment. Hold a 30-minute weekly meeting (often called a 'Smarketing' meeting) to review the Target Account List. Discuss which accounts are 'warming up', which have gone cold, and where Marketing needs to provide more support.Step 8: Create a Joint Outreach Sequence
ABM works best when the 'touchpoints' are orchestrated. For example:- Day 1: Marketing serves a targeted LinkedIn ad to the account.
- Day 3: Sales sends a personalised LinkedIn connection request.
- Day 5: Marketing sends a high-value physical mailer (useful for the Australian market).
- Day 7: Sales follows up with a phone call.
Step 9: Align Incentives and KPIs
If Marketing is measured on 'number of clicks' and Sales is measured on 'revenue', you will fail. Align their goals. Both teams should be measured on Account Pipeline Value and Win Rate of the Target Account List. When they share the reward, they share the effort.Step 10: Conduct a Post-Mortem on Wins and Losses
Every month, review why a target account was won or lost. Did Marketing provide the right ammunition? Did Sales follow up fast enough? Use these insights to refine your ICP and your outreach strategy for the next month.---
Pro Tips for Success
- Tip 1: Use 'Social Surround': Have your Sales team engage with the LinkedIn posts of key stakeholders in your target accounts. It makes the 'cold' call feel much warmer.
- Tip 2: Localise Your Content: If you are targeting businesses in Perth, mention WA-specific challenges or regulations. It shows you aren't just a generic global firm.
- Common Mistake: Don't pick too many accounts. A common error for Australian SMEs is trying to target 500 accounts at once. Start with 20-50 high-value targets to ensure you can actually maintain the level of personalisation required.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Issue: Sales isn't following up on Marketing-warmed accounts.- Solution: Check the 'Lead Definition' agreed upon in Step 4. Often, Sales ignores these because they don't believe the 'intent' is high enough. Re-evaluate your scoring.
- Solution: Invite a Marketing person to sit in on three Sales calls. Hearing the actual language and objections of the customer is the fastest way to fix irrelevant content.
- Solution: This is usually a CRM integration issue. Ensure your 'Account' view in your CRM is the primary dashboard for both teams, rather than individual 'Lead' views.
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Next Steps
Now that your teams are aligned, it's time to execute your first campaign.- Finalise your list of the top 20 accounts.
- Audit your existing content to see what can be repurposed for these accounts.
- If you need help setting up the technical tracking or developing a high-impact ABM strategy tailored for the Australian market, the team at Local Marketing Group is here to help.