Q2: How will we work together to achieve our goals?

One of the biggest misconceptions about Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is that it's just a marketing initiative. Account-based growth might have been a more accurate name, but ABM is the term that's stuck.

In reality, the most successful ABM programmes are built on shared ownership. Growth doesn't happen within a single team. It happens when sales, marketing, operations and senior leaders work together towards the same goal.

This series explores the seven questions behind effective ABM, one at a time. Question 1 looked at where to focus. Now for Question 2 of 7: How will we work together to achieve our goals? because even the right focus can fall short without the right people committed to it.

It's a question that gets skipped more often than you'd think. Many businesses jump straight into planning activity without stopping to agree how they'll work together to deliver it. That's when teams end up working at cross purposes, or even in conflict.

Our top tips

Get sales and marketing invested early

Bring both teams in from the start, not once the programme is already underway. People support what they help build.

Prioritise together

Where to focus shouldn't be a marketing decision or a sales decision. It's a business decision.

Score opportunities and agree priorities together. The conversation is often as valuable as the outcome.

Build a small project team

ABM doesn't need complicated governance, just a small group of committed people from across the business who are actively involved and contributing.

Create one place for collaboration

A shared workspace, project area or Teams channel keeps ideas, insight and decisions visible to everyone, instead of fragmented across inboxes.

Give people roles and clarity

Create a simple shared view of who's involved, what they're responsible for, and the key milestones and timelines.

Make sure everyone has a role they're comfortable with, and bring in the people with the right knowledge and skills for each discussion, rather than inviting everyone to everything.

Keep the conversation going

Alignment isn't something you do once at the start. Priorities change, opportunities emerge and people move roles.

Regular check-ins keep everyone focused on the same goals.

Track progress and celebrate the wins

ABM is a long-term programme, so agree how you'll measure success, celebrate the wins as you go, and share what you're achieving upwards and outwards.

It builds momentum and keeps the business bought in for the long haul.

Final thought

The best ABM programmes don't happen because marketing creates a campaign. They happen because people across the business commit to a shared goal and work together to achieve it.

And that starts long before any account engagement begins.

How well do your sales and marketing teams really work together on growth?