This document provides an overview of account-based marketing (ABM) technologies and the vendor landscape. It summarizes findings from a survey of 1,500 business managers regarding their ABM plans and priorities. It also discusses research firms that evaluate ABM vendors, such as Gartner and Forrester, and introduces Research In Action's methodology for assessing vendors. The document concludes with a vendor selection matrix evaluating 20 ABM software vendors.
Value Proposition canvas- Customer needs and pains
Â
How to make sense of the abm technology landscape
1. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
How to Make Sense of the
ABM Technology Landscape
Peter OâNeill
Research Director, Marketing
Research in Action GmbH
@poneillexforr
2. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
HOUSEKEEPING
Yes, this webinar
is being recorded
Put your questions
in the chat box
3. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
WHAT IS ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING?
⢠The Account-Based Marketing (ABM) process is actually a long-established marketing/sales
methodology
⢠ABM software can be used to support one or more of these processes:
Ă Post localized and contextual content
Ă Target online advertising at website visitors
Ă Send personalized/specific marketing content to individual prospects
Ă Re-targeting prospects who may have left the website
Ă Gather and model âpropensity to buyâ or intent data
Ă Aggregate individual digital behavior across an account buying team.
⢠ABM is first and foremost a strategy
4. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
RESEARCH: ARE YOU PLANNING TO IMPLEMENT OR REPLACE
YOUR ABM SOLUTION IN THE NEXT 1/3 YEARS?
Comments:
⢠57.3 % of companies plan
to invest in a new ABM
system
⢠Over half of these
companies are migrating
from another system.
N = 1,500 Business Managers with budget responsibilities
5. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
Where Do You Start Your Search For a Vendor?
Ăź Ask your peer contacts
Ăź Look at vendor websites
Ăź Talk to a vendor salesperson
Ăź Visit events or conferences
Ăź Read reports / market overviews
Ăź Read press reviews
Ăź Other
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
6. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
Gartner and Forrester â The Research Process
7. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
Gartner and Forrester â The Research Process
1.Analyst defines a technology area
2.Analyst selects which vendors to be included
3.Analyst develops questionnaire & demo scenario
4.Vendor invests time and resources for questionnaire/ demos
5.Analyst scores vendor & product
6.Analyst reviews customer references
7.Analyst writes Report
8. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
There are Different Types of Research Reports
9. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
There are Different Types of Research Reports
10. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
Research in Action â The Research Process
1. Analyst defines a business process
2. Analyst surveys 1500 business decision-makers who score vendor(s)
3. Analyst shares survey results with top 20 vendors named
4. Analyst takes a briefing and completes the scoring
5. Analyst writes Report
11. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
THE VENDOR SELECTION MATRIX⢠METHODOLOGY
12. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
RESEARCH: WHAT IS YOUR #1 INVESTMENT AREA IN THE ABM
SPACE FOR 2019?
N = 1,500 Business Managers with budget responsibilities
Comments:
⢠One in 5 of companies are
focused on sales success
⢠System infrastructure and
performance are next
5.7%
5.9%
6.3%
6.6%
7.5%
7.8%
10.1%
11.9%
Enabling marketing and sales to agree on one list of target
accounts
Better personalization
Integration with other marketing systems
Account-Based Marketing platform selection and implementation
System performance and responsiveness
Migration to SaaS platform
Enabling sales staff to better understand their target buyers
Increasing the quality of leads processed by our marketing
system
13. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
RESEARCH: WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 PRIORITIES WHEN
CONSIDERING AN ABM SOLUTION (3 ANSWERS)?
Comments:
⢠The price sensitivity is
because buyers are
cautious about pricing
which can be variable
⢠Companies recognize
they need help to succeed
with their ABM strategy
N = 1,500 Business Managers with budget responsibilities
7.5%
8.0%
8.3%
10.5%
10.8%
11.2%
SaaS platform
Local (regional) support
Implementation assistance
Solution flexibility
Innovation
Price/value ratio
14. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
Insights: ABM Market Predictions
Ă Customer expectations drive demand for ABM across all industries
Ă Business buyers are protesting over marketing deluge - will unsubscribing where possible
Ă Expect all suppliersâ communications should be relevant to their current business issues.
Ă The emergence of ABM platforms
Ă Many respondents deploy 2, 3,or even 4 ABM vendors, with integration an issue. 30% want to migrate to a
more suitable system (unusually high)
Ă Current mire of confusingly-positioned vendors will converge to a few platform providers, supporting account
and contacts selection; analytics and insights; content personalization; customer engagement orchestration;
and performance assessment analysis
Ă The convergence of ABM and B2B Marketing Automation
Ă Currently, most connect their ABM to the incumbent marketing lead management (MLM) platform
Ă There will be an industry-consolidation between ABM and B2b-oriented MLM vendors
Ă ABM solutions will add sales engagement features
Ă As businesses invest in sales engagement management (SEM) software and relegate their CRM database to a
system of record architecture.
15. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
VENDOR SELECTION MATRIXâ˘
ABM SAAS AND SOFTWARE: EVALUATION CRITERIA
STRATEGY
Vision & Go-To-Market 30% Does the company have a coherent vision in line with the most probable future market scenarios?
Does the go-to-market and sales strategy fit the target markets and customers?
Innovation & Partner Ecosystem 20% How innovative is the company?
How is the partner ecosystem organized and how effective is the partner management?
Viability & Execution Capabilities 15% How likely is the long-term survival of the company in this market?
Does the company have the necessary resources to execute the strategy?
Differentiation & USP 35% Does the solution have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and clear differentiators?
EXECUTION
Breadth & Depth Of Solution Offering 30% Does the solution cover all necessary capabilities expected by the customers?
Market Share & Growth 15% How big is the market share and is it growing above market rate?
Customer Satisfaction 25% How satisfied are customers with the solution and the vendor?
Price Versus Value Ratio 30% How do customers rate the relationship between the price and perceived value of the solution?
17. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited 17
Engagio: The engagement orchestration platform for B2B marketers
⢠General: Founded in 2015 in San Mateo, CA, by a group of ex-Marketo executives, Engagio has 80 employees
and nearly 250 customers mostly tech industry, and mostly headquartered in North America. Engagio software
modules help clients to Understand (aggregate behavioral data to the account level); Align (log activity and
engagements); Act (plan and execute customer journeys); and Measure (counting âengagement minutesâ to
create an account journey scorecard). It also partners with other ABM vendors like Demandbase, Madison
Logic, Rollworks and Terminus to provide a complete ABM solution portfolio.
⢠Strategy: The vendorâs vision is to become the engagement platform that orchestrates and measures ABM
programs. Clients start with the base module, now renamed to Engagio B2B Marketing Engagement Platform,
pricing based on company size and breadth of account teams, supported by a dedicated onboarding team and
educational programs. There are add-on modules called Orchestrate and Dash. Engagio probably has the
strongest association with ABM through its evangelistic public speaking and digital marketing activities.
⢠Execution: Its sales activity is mainly out of its San Mateo office, plus several reps working remotely around the
US. Engagio also partners with some marketing agencies specializing in B2B and/or ABM. Much of the Engagio
functionality gets embedded into the clientâs CRM system (Salesforce) so there are often more sales than
marketing users. Users see innovative tools such as account heat maps, engagement checkboards, and journey
scorecards, all of which help them to be personally successful and enthusiastic. In our survey, Engagioâs
solution breadth and depth score was the joint highest of all the twenty vendors. It was also the overall winner.
⢠Bottom Line: Engagio is the perceived market leader for ABM based on its strong association with the term. The
companyâs focus on B2B marketing and on its customersâ success will ensure future growth in other sectors in
North America. Engagio is already being used internationally as its clients deploy the software to its
international subsidiaries and the vendor could expand further by opening offices and/or partnerships outside
of North America.
VENDOR SELECTION MATRIX⢠â ACCOUNT-BASED
MARKETING SAAS AND SOFTWARE
STRATEGY RESULT
Vision & Go-To-Market 4.50
Innovation & Partner Ecosystem 4.75
Viability & Execution Capabilities 4.50
Differentiation & USP 4.75
4.64
EXECUTION RESULT
Breadth & Depth Of Solution Offering 4.75
Market Share & Growth 4.50
Customer Satisfaction 4.50
Price Versus Value Ratio 4.75
4.65
18. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited 18
Highlight:
⢠300% growth in 12 months
⢠Expanded global sales team by 4X
⢠Leveraged ABM program success to raise
$450 million funding round
THE SECRET TO SCALE:
ONE OF THE HOTTEST GROWTH COMPANIES USES ENGAGIO TO
HELP SALES TAKE DOWN THE BEST DEALS
19. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
Recommendations to the Vendor Selection Process
Ă Develop your Vision first, then consider People, Process and then Technology
Ă Use âDesign Thinkingâ â not only about customers but also employees
Ă Instead of automating a process, focus on the experience for users
Ă Create a Reality Show for your Shortlist Vendors
Ă Realistic business scenario
Ă Include roles for your employees
Ă Review and test vendor resources for âCustomer Successâ
Ă Most Suitable Partner may not be the Software Vendor
Ă Local Implementation Resources are Critical
Ă If using a local consultant or agency as implementation partner - ensure that the
recommended software is the right one for YOU (not them)
20. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
CONTACT
RESEARCH IN ACTION
Research In Action GmbH
Alte Schule
56244 Hartenfels
Germany
Office: +49 2626 291251
Fax: +49 2626 291272
Email: info@researchinaction.de
Peter OâNeill, Research Director
+49 174 3210020
poneill@researchinaction.de
21. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
O U R I N V E S T O R S
2 0 0 + C U S T O M E R S
R E C O G N I T I O N
Trusted by companies
like you
Led by the marketing automation experts that
built Marketo, ABM Platform that helps
marketers understand, act, and measure
account-based initiatives. Unlike other tools,
we grow with you as your strategy evolves.
23. Š 2019, Research In Action GmbH Reproduction Prohibited
Disclaimer
Peter OâNeill does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in his research publications, and does not advise technology
users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. The information contained in his research has been obtained from both
enterprise as well as vendor sources believed to be reliable. His research publications consist of the analystsâ opinions and should
not be considered as statements of fact. The opinions expressed are subject to change without further notice. Peter OâNeill
disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness
for a particular purpose.
About:
Peter OâNeill is an IT industry veteran with more than 37 years of experience in advising IT vendor and end-user clients and
performing research-based consulting, combining strong research capabilities with comparative vendor assessments and
actionable advice.
Peter is most known for his 12 years of service at Forrester Research, where he held various analyst and management positions.
Most recently Peter had the global responsibility for managing Forresterâs research on B2B Marketing and leading a large team that
delivers research to help these professionals. He was responsible for a research agenda that illuminates strategic opportunities and
risks, market demand and competitive dynamics, and go-to-market, as well as organizational strategies and the use of marketing
technology to improve business results.
After working for 20 years at Hewlett-Packard in Germany and in the USA, in various marketing positions, Peter ran the vendor
consulting business in EMEA for META Group from 2001 to 2005 before joining Forrester.