• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, October 25, 2021

Those old enemies, sales and marketing, now get along, judging by the 2021 State of Account-based Marketing Report, a study from Conversica, conducted by Renegade LLC. 

Of the marketers polled, 40% say ineffective ABM processes are due to a lack of cooperation between sales and marketing. Only 19% of salespeople agree. And many firms blame their ineffective ABM on the sides failing to work together.

Yet both sides agree the other team is doing its best. For instance: 

- 81% of sales and marketing believe sales is doing everything it can to close deals. 

- 76% of salespeople believe marketing is doing everything it can to help sales close deals. 

- 77% of salespeople believe marketing drives qualified leads into the funnel. 

- 69% of marketers agree that marketing is driving qualified leads into the funnel. 

For all that, ABM execution is perhaps not what it should be. Here are the sources salespeople typically check before sending that person an email: 

• Company website — 67% 
• Google — 52% 
• LinkedIn personal profiles — 49%
• News about the company — 46%
• Facebook — 45%
• Intent data gathered by an ABM platform — 40% 
• Twitter — 38%

What elements do salespeople use in personalized email outreach? They utilize:

• Relevant information in the email body — 51% 
• Useful information in the email body — 49% 
• Relevant subject lines — 47% 
• Personalized message informed by intent data — 42.3% 
• An offer the recipient will find valuable — 41% 
• First/Last names — 40% 

Intent data usage falls off as the prospect moves through the funnel:  

• Initial outreach to outbound sales prospects — 68% 
• Initial outreach to inbound leads — 58%
• Post-first meeting outreach to drive early-stage progression — 48% 
• Post-opportunity creation to drive middle stage progression — 23%

Why are not companies gaining maximum effectiveness out of ABM? They cite:

• Insufficient experience — 37%
• Insufficient staff — 33%
• Lack of cooperation between and sales and marketing — 30%
• Inability to personalize at scale — 31%
• Lack of time to personalize touches — 29%