Account-based selling

What is account-based selling?

Account-based selling is treating a defined set of target accounts as markets of one, with coordinated sales and marketing effort on each. When marketing leads the effort, it is usually called account-based marketing (ABM), a term that came out of the Information Technology Services Marketing Association (ITSMA) in the early 2000s. Gartner defines ABM as a strategy in which a supplier gives named, high-potential accounts tailored marketing and sales support.

Why it matters to a revenue leader

Account-based selling puts effort where the revenue potential justifies it. In commercial services, the natural targets are multi-site owners such as property managers, healthcare systems, retailers and manufacturers whose portfolios could become national accounts. The trade-off is coverage. Fewer accounts get deeper attention, so target selection and coordination across branches decide whether the effort pays back.

A fire and life safety platform with 11 branches picks 25 property management firms that each own buildings in at least four of its markets. Each account gets a named lead, one plan shared across the branches and content on the firm's code exposure. Within a year, three of the firms consolidate inspections across all their sites under a single agreement.