Your sales team chases 200 leads. Only 3 close. Sound familiar?
If you run a B2B technology company, you probably know this frustration: your marketing team generates hundreds of leads, but sales complain that most of them are not qualified. Meanwhile, those strategic accounts that could truly transform your business continue to ignore you.
The problem is not that your team isn’t working hard enough. It’s that you’re fishing with a net when you should be using a harpoon.
This is where Account-Based Marketing (ABM) comes in: a strategy that flips the traditional funnel to focus all your resources on the accounts that really matter. And in the technology sector, where sales cycles are long and decisions involve multiple stakeholders, ABM is not an option. It’s a necessity.
What Account-Based Marketing is (and what it is not)
ABM is not about reaching thousands of leads, but about identifying and activating only those customers with real potential. More focus, more precision, more impact. And above all, higher-quality revenue.
It is a B2B marketing strategy that treats each target account as a market of one. Instead of broadcasting generic messages and hoping someone takes the bait, you identify the specific companies you want as customers and design personalised campaigns for each of them.
What ABM is NOT:
- It is not simply “marketing to large companies”
- It is not sending personalised emails with the company name
- It is not a one-off tactic, but a working philosophy
- It does not work without full alignment between marketing and sales
What ABM IS:
- A strategic investment in high-value accounts
- Deep personalisation based on real research
- Continuous collaboration between sales and marketing teams
- A long-term approach with clear engagement metrics
For technology companies selling SaaS solutions, enterprise software or IT services to other organisations, ABM allows you to speak directly to decision-makers in the language they understand: the language of their specific challenges.
Why ABM is especially effective in the technology sector
B2B technology companies face unique challenges that make ABM the most logical strategy:
1. Long sales cycles
Selling enterprise software or cloud solutions can take between 6 and 18 months. During that time, you need to maintain multiple relevant touchpoints with different people inside the organisation. ABM allows you to orchestrate that conversation consistently.
2. Multiple decision-makers involved
Technology purchasing decisions involve everyone from the CTO to the CFO, as well as end users, legal teams and procurement. Each has different concerns. ABM makes it possible to create role-specific content.
3. High contract value
When a single customer can represent six- or seven-figure recurring annual revenue, investing significant resources to win them makes strong economic sense. The cost of acquisition is more than justified.
4. Differentiation in crowded markets
The technology market is full of similar solutions. ABM allows you to demonstrate that you understand your prospect’s specific business, not just your product features.
5. Data available for segmentation
Technology companies often have access to intent data, digital signals and sales intelligence tools that make identifying and tracking target accounts much easier.
The three levels of ABM: choose your model
There is no single ABM approach. Depending on your resources, the size of your target market and the potential value of each account, you can choose different levels of personalisation:
1. ABM One-to-One (Strategic)
Who it’s for: top-tier strategic accounts (typically between 5 and 20 companies).
How it works: each account receives a fully personalised marketing plan. The company, its challenges, organisational structure and key stakeholders are researched in depth. Content, events and interactions are designed specifically for that account.
Tech example: if you sell an enterprise cybersecurity platform and your goal is to close one of Spain’s five largest banks, you would create an exclusive report on sector-specific threats, organise a private meeting with banking regulation experts and develop a customised demo integrating their current systems.
Investment: high. It requires significant involvement from marketing, sales and often senior management.
2. ABM One-to-Few (ABM Lite)
Who it’s for: groups of 5 to 15 accounts that share similar characteristics (same sector, size, challenges or stage of technological maturity).
How it works: personalised campaigns are created for the cluster, with elements that can be partially reused but adapted to the group’s specifics.
Tech example: if your industrial automation solution targets mid-sized manufacturing companies undergoing digital transformation, you could create a dedicated webinar on “Industry 4.0 for production plants in Spain”, inviting only operations directors from your 12 target accounts in that segment.
Investment: medium. It balances personalisation with scalability.
3. ABM One-to-Many (Programmatic)
Who it’s for: large lists of target accounts (between 100 and 1,000) that meet common criteria.
How it works: technology and automation are used to personalise messaging at scale, combining firmographic data, intent signals and digital behaviour.
Tech example: using tools such as Demandbase or 6sense, you identify companies actively researching cloud migration. You launch programmatic advertising and email marketing campaigns that display relevant content based on each company’s sector and size, in an automated way.
Investment: lower per account, but it requires a robust technology stack.
Want to accelerate your ABM strategy without waiting?
At PGR Marketing & Technology, we help B2B tech companies design and implement Account-Based Marketing strategies that turn target accounts into real customers.
If you already know ABM is the right path but need support defining your ICP, selecting strategic accounts or launching your first personalised campaigns, let’s talk.
Get in touch and we’ll analyse together how to apply ABM to your specific case.
Next article: “The 7 steps to implement ABM in your technology company”
We’ve covered the foundations: what ABM is, why it fits the technology sector perfectly and which model best suits your situation. But theory without execution doesn’t generate pipeline.
In the second part of this guide, we move into practice: the 7 steps to implement ABM in your technology company. From truly aligning sales and marketing, to building your target account list, creating personalised content and measuring results. Everything you need to move from concept to action.
If this article has helped you understand why ABM is key for your business, the next one will show you exactly how to put it into practice without wasting time or resources.
