ABM Starts with Buyer Understanding, Not Better Tools According to Outcomes Rocket Report

Account Based Marketing (ABM) is scary and can be a drain on resources if it is not implemented thoughtfully. Many companies, therefore, avoid it or worse, are wasting significant time and effort on the wrong ABM strategies. ABM isn’t hard to get right, but it does take planning.

Why Most ABM Programs Stall Before They Start
Saul Marquez, CEO of Outcomes Rocket, joined Swaay.Health to unpack why ABM delivers such a strong ROI in healthcare and why so many teams struggle to see those results. The conversation covered what actually holds ABM back, how AI is changing how ABM can be executed, and why foundational strategy is a key to success.

Key Takeaways

1. ABM breaks down when strategy is missing, not because teams execute poorly. Most programs launch without a clear view of the buyer journey, leaving even well-run campaigns without a foundation.
2. ABM feels expensive when it’s treated as a platform decision instead of a practice. Many teams delay progress by assuming ABM requires new tools, when focus and coordination matter more than software.
3. AI is accelerating ABM execution, but it doesn’t replace buyer understanding. Automation improves targeting and analysis, yet documented personas and journeys remain the difference between efficiency and noise.

Why ABM fails without mapped customer journeys

One of the most revealing data points from Outcomes Rocket’s State of Account-Based Marketing Insights Report was how un-prepared for ABM companies are. Many teams are running ABM programs without fully understanding how buyers move from awareness to decision.

“Only 17.3% of B2B marketers have fully mapped their customer journeys,” Marquez shared. “If you start doing ABM and you have not mapped your customer journey or getting your personas right, your campaigns will miss the mark.”

Here’s the truth: healthcare buying cycles are long and multi-threaded. Economic buyers, clinical users, technical evaluators, and internal champions all enter at different moments. Each has different levels of influence and authority over the final buying decision. Without a shared map of how your buyers make their decisions, your marketing activity just fills space instead of creating momentum.

Why ABM does not require enterprise platforms to work

ABM carries a reputation for being complex and costly. Much of that perception comes from equating ABM with high-priced platforms. Marquez sees that misunderstanding stall progress before teams even give ABM a fair shake.

“Most people in marketing get intimidated when somebody says ABM,” said Marquez. “They think you need to use Demandbase or 6sense. You don’t have to use them. In fact, most people running ABM programs are not using these platforms. ABM is accessible with your existing tech stack.”

Marquez stressed repeatedly that ABM does not start with software. It starts with choosing which accounts matter most, investing in understanding your buyer’s journeys and building outwards from what you already have in place.

How ABM 2.0 builds efficiency on top of strategy

AI is changing how ABM is executed, but not what makes it effective.

“Eighty-six percent of companies expect AI to increase the return on investment from their ABM activities over the next year,” stated Marquez. “With AI we’re becoming more efficient, more accurate, and more precise in our ability to target. ABM 2.0 is leveraging AI to get there faster and more intelligently.”

Marquez was quick to point out that AI is an intelligent assistant for ABM, not master control. AI does not decide which accounts matter or why. That’s something that only Marketing teams can do in collaboration with Sales and company leadership.

Why ABM focus and understanding matter more than scale

The best ABM programs were not louder or more complex. Successfully companies knew which accounts mattered, how their buyers moved, and where attention was truly needed (and where it was being wasted). In other words, the key to ABM success is, and always will be, grounded in the reality of your buyers + business.

Learn more about Outcomes Rocket at https://www.outcomesrocket.com/

Download the State of Account-Based Marketing Insight