Claim
Account-Based Marketing has been the biggest buzzword for B2B marketers for years, yet the gap between what's spoken and what's actually implemented is enormous. The teams winning with ABM run a six-step framework anchored in tight account selection, multi-channel orchestration, and a sales-marketing pact — not the 'broadcast at named accounts' theatre most teams confuse for ABM.
Mechanism
ABM only compounds when account selection narrows enough that creative and sales effort per account become economically rational. Most teams pick too many accounts, dilute spend, and never cross the threshold where personalization changes the close rate. The six-step framework forces that discipline.
Conditions
Holds for B2B SaaS with deal sizes >$25K and identifiable target lists <500 accounts. Fails in long-tail SMB where personalization economics break.