Breaking Barriers: Transforming Siloed Functions into Cross-Functional ABM Teams

In the fast-paced B2B marketing landscape, account-based marketing (ABM) has emerged as a powerful strategy for precisely targeting high-value accounts.

However, many organizations still operate in silos, with sales, marketing, and customer success working independently, leading to misalignment, wasted efforts, and lost opportunities.

Transitioning from siloed teams to cross-functional ABM teams is critical for maximizing success. Businesses can ensure seamless alignment and drive stronger results by fostering collaboration, shared goals, and unified strategies.

In this guide, we will explore actionable strategies to break down silos, build cross-functional ABM teams, and create a cohesive ecosystem that accelerates business growth.

The Problem with Siloed Functions in ABM

Silos occur when teams or departments operate independently with little to no communication or alignment. While silos might seem natural in large organizations, they create significant challenges for ABM programs, including:

1. Misaligned Goals: Marketing focuses on lead generation, sales focuses on revenue, and customer success focuses on retention. Without a shared vision, efforts are fragmented.

2. Inefficient Processes: Teams working in isolation often duplicate efforts, waste resources, and miss opportunities for collaboration.

3. Poor Customer Experience: Siloed communication leads to inconsistent messaging, delayed responses, and frustration among high-value accounts.

4. Data Discrepancies: Isolated systems and tools cause inconsistencies in data, making it difficult to track and measure ABM performance effectively.

According to a Forrester report, companies with misaligned sales and marketing processes experience 24% lower revenue growth than aligned organizations.

The Solution? Building a cross-functional ABM team that bridges these gaps and fosters collaboration across all key stakeholders.

What is a Cross-Functional ABM Team?

A cross-functional ABM team consists of professionals from multiple departments - sales, marketing, customer success, and operations - working together toward a common ABM goal. This team aligns on shared metrics, goals, and responsibilities to target high-value accounts effectively.

Core Benefits of a Cross-Functional ABM Team:

Improved Alignment: Teams focus on common objectives rather than individual KPIs.

Better Collaboration: Regular communication and joint planning foster stronger relationships.

Enhanced Customer Insights: Combining expertise ensures a 360-degree view of target accounts.

Higher ROI: Unified efforts reduce inefficiencies and drive better outcomes.

Insight: Companies that align their marketing and sales teams achieve 208% higher marketing revenue than misaligned organizations (MarketingProfs).

Key Steps to Build a Cross-Functional ABM Team

1. Secure Executive Buy-In

Leadership plays a pivotal role in breaking silos. Without executive support, it becomes difficult to align teams and allocate the necessary resources for ABM's success.

Action Steps:

- Highlight the impact of silos on ABM outcomes. - Showcase successful case studies where cross-functional teams improved ROI. - Set clear expectations and demonstrate how collaboration aligns with overall business goals.

2. Define Common Goals and Metrics

For a cross-functional ABM team to succeed, all members must work toward shared goals and track unified metrics.

Key Metrics to Align On:

- Account engagement levels - Marketing-qualified accounts (MQAs) - Sales-qualified opportunities (SQOs) - Pipeline velocity - Customer lifetime value (CLV)

Pro Tip: Use platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Marketo to unify data and track performance across teams.

3. Foster a Culture of Collaboration

Breaking silos requires a cultural shift. Teams must adopt a collaborative mindset and prioritize open communication.

Action Steps: - Schedule regular cross-functional meetings to discuss ABM progress and challenges. - Encourage knowledge-sharing sessions to align messaging and strategies. - Promote transparency by sharing real-time insights and data.

Stat: Companies with a collaborative culture are 5x more likely to be high-performing in their marketing efforts (McKinsey & Company).

4. Align on Target Accounts and Personas

Sales, marketing, and customer success must collaborate to identify and prioritize the right target accounts and personas for ABM campaigns.

Action Steps:

- Use data and analytics to identify high-value accounts with the greatest potential. - Develop ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and buyer personas based on shared insights. - Continuously refine targeting criteria based on feedback and results.

Insight: Businesses that prioritize the right accounts can see up to 73% higher deal size (Terminus).