ABM Target Account Selection Framework
A structured framework for identifying, scoring, and prioritizing target accounts for ABM campaigns.
Account Selection Criteria
Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) using firmographic, technographic, and intent signals. Score each criterion on a 1-5 scale.
| Criteria | Weight | Data Source | Score Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Revenue | 20% | ZoomInfo, LinkedIn | 1-5 |
| Employee Count | 10% | LinkedIn, Crunchbase | 1-5 |
| Industry Fit | 20% | CRM, Manual Research | 1-5 |
| Tech Stack Match | 15% | BuiltWith, HG Insights | 1-5 |
| Intent Signals | 20% | Bombora, G2 | 1-5 |
| Existing Relationship | 15% | CRM, LinkedIn | 1-5 |
Tiering Model
Assign each account to a tier based on total weighted score:
- Tier 1 (Score 4.0-5.0): Full 1:1 ABM treatment. Custom content, executive engagement, dedicated SDR coverage. Target 20-30 accounts.
- Tier 2 (Score 3.0-3.9): 1:Few ABM treatment. Industry-specific messaging, personalized outreach at the account level. Target 50-100 accounts.
- Tier 3 (Score 2.0-2.9): Programmatic ABM. Automated ad targeting, templated sequences with light personalization. Target 200-500 accounts.
Selection Process Steps
- Pull a long list of 500+ accounts from your CRM and enrichment tools.
- Apply firmographic filters (revenue, headcount, industry) to narrow to 200-300.
- Layer in technographic data to confirm tool compatibility.
- Check intent signals from the past 90 days to identify active buyers.
- Cross-reference with existing pipeline and closed-lost history.
- Score and tier all remaining accounts using the criteria table above.
- Review the final list with Sales leadership for alignment and approval.
- Load approved accounts into your ABM platform and assign ownership.
Quarterly Review Cadence
Re-evaluate your target account list every quarter:
- Remove accounts that have gone dark for 90+ days with no engagement.
- Add new accounts showing strong intent surges.
- Promote or demote accounts between tiers based on updated scores.
- Validate that Sales and Marketing agree on the final list before the new quarter begins.
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