ABM Success Starts with Metrics – Are You Measuring the Right Ones?
- hajar boulagjam
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
If you’ve ever felt that your ABM campaigns are more noise than impact, you’re not alone. Sunder Somasundaram, founder of marketbetter.ai, knows this frustration all too well. In his previous roles, he constantly hit a wall when his marketing teams could only do a limited set of activities each quarter, resulting in slow, disconnected results.
"They could only do this or that," he said. "And the results always took too long."
So, he built marketbetter.ai to solve exactly this problem; to automate marketing tasks, speed up execution, and eliminate the bottlenecks that prevent rapid, data-driven decision-making.
Why Metrics Matter More Than Dashboards
In ABM, success can’t just be about flashy dashboards and top-of-the-funnel metrics. It’s about creating real opportunities that sales teams actually care about. This is something Sunder feels strongly about and for good reason.
When asked what he would change about how sales and marketing work together, Sunder didn’t hesitate: "Agree on the metrics."
He believes that too often, marketers get caught up in vanity metrics: campaign clicks, impressions, and website visits that don’t truly reflect the value of their efforts. Instead, he argues for focusing on a single, powerful metric: opportunities.
"Opportunities are the only thing that sales really cares about," he explained. "If marketing and sales can align around this one metric, everything else falls into place."
Sunder’s advice is to build ABM campaigns that “move the needle” by focusing on accounts that show strong buying signals, not just those that engage with marketing content.
He warns against the common trap of measuring success by activity alone, emphasizing that "nobody really cares about the activities if they don’t lead to real opportunities."
Setting ABM Objectives: Play the Long Game
When it comes to setting ABM objectives, Sunder is a realist. He knows that some accounts – especially the “whales” require a longer runway to convert.
"Some deals take a whole year, maybe even 18 months," he said, stressing that marketers need to be prepared for the long game, especially when targeting strategic accounts.
His approach is to break accounts into tiers:
Must-Wins: Long-term accounts you’re willing to nurture over a year or more.
Tactical Wins: Shorter-term accounts that can close within the quarter.
Executive Nominations: High-stakes accounts selected by company leadership.
For these high-value targets, Sunder recommends doubling down on accounts that have already shown interest, even if they haven’t yet converted.
"Retarget them before the end of the quarter," he said. "Re-engage with personalized LinkedIn ads, direct SDR outreach, and hyper-specific content."
Target Account Selection: The 40% Rule
Sunder was clear that account selection is the foundation of any ABM strategy. In his view, this initial step accounts for "more than 40% of a campaign’s success." He advises teams to start by analyzing recent closed-won deals, identifying the common traits of their best accounts, and building ICPs that closely match those profiles.
"Look at your recent wins. If you closed Company X, then Companies A, B, and C who are similar in size, industry, or pain points should be high on your target list."
And it’s not just about finding look-alikes. Sunder encourages marketers to identify companies that are signaling buying intent through things like increased website visits, expanded hiring, or LinkedIn content around relevant topics.
Unconventional Tactics: Podcast Prospecting
One of Sunder’s favorite unconventional tactics is something his team pioneered at Market Better: podcast prospecting.
It’s a clever twist on social selling that uses AI to monitor podcasts for mentions of target accounts. Once a relevant mention pops up, BDRs are alerted to reach out with hyper-personalized messages.
But the real magic happens when BDRs take it a step further.
"Some of the smartest reps started reaching out to podcast hosts, suggesting their prospects as guests," Sunder shared. "Pretty soon, the prospects and BDRs became best friends, all without a single cold call."
Content Creation: Personalization, Not Just Automation
Sunder believes that personalization is the true differentiator in ABM. While AI can help scale content, it’s the human touch that drives real results. He encourages marketers to arm their SDRs with content tailored to each target account, rather than relying solely on automated tools.
"Automation is great, but the human element is what makes ABM truly impactful," he said. "Don’t just push generic content. Make it specific, make it personal, and make it relevant."
He also warns against the “one-size-fits-all” trap, emphasizing that effective ABM content must be hyper-targeted in both its messaging and delivery.
“It’s about more than just creating content,” Sunder added. “It’s about empowering your sales teams with the right messages and giving them the tools to engage in meaningful conversations. The best content doesn’t just inform; it triggers action.”
Final Reflections
Sundar’s final piece of advice was simple but impactful: don’t get too attached to a single strategy. ABM is not a set-it-and-forget-it approach. It requires constant iteration, testing, and realignment based on what’s actually working.
“If you keep feeding your campaigns with insights from closed deals and fresh ICP data, you’ll create a flywheel effect that keeps getting better over time,” Sundar said.
And with that, Sunder left us with a great question for our next ABM expert:
"What’s one unconventional tactic you’ve tried in ABM that worked surprisingly well?"
Stay tuned to hear how other experts tackle this one.
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