Introducing RAISED Framework for SaaS ABX: Why It Matters & How to Do It

Why ABX Is Crucial for Enterprise SaaS

For early-stage SaaS companies, user-driven, trial-to-buy motions often power the lion’s share of revenue. But as you aim to scale beyond founder-led sales and move toward the $10M+ ARR milestone, you’ll find that enterprise deals are an entirely different beast. Long sales cycles, multi-stakeholder buying committees, and bigger contract values demand a more coordinated, cross-functional approach.

Enter ABX (Account Based Experience). While “ABM” (Account Based Marketing) is a familiar term, ABX underscores that this isn’t just a marketing initiative, it’s an organizational mindset. When done right, ABX orchestrates a seamless, data-driven journey for your highest-value accounts, aligning marketing, sales, and customer success around a shared mission: win and retain the best customers at scale.

ABM vs ABX: Understanding the Shift

• ABM (Account Based Marketing): Often seen as a marketing-led strategy focusing on targeted outreach to specific accounts. While effective, it can become siloed if not adopted across sales, customer success, finance, and even the C-suite.
• ABX (Account Based Experience): Emphasizes that every touchpoint, from the first ad impression to post-sale onboarding, should be orchestrated and personalized. It’s a company-wide effort where each function plays a role in driving engagement, trust, and ultimately revenue.

Key takeaway: ABX moves beyond marketing campaigns, it’s about crafting a holistic experience that resonates with multiple stakeholders in an enterprise deal.

Introducing the RAISED Framework for ABX Success

The RAISED framework is inspired by the classic AIDA model (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action), adapted for the complexities of B2B SaaS. It helps you visualize and measure your GTM effectiveness across six key stages.

R – Recognize

What it is: You identify which accounts (and stakeholders) best fit your ICP.

Goals: Gather intent data, firmographic details, and buyer signals to prioritize your highest-value targets.

ABX Tips:

• Use AI-driven tools to discover “lookalike” accounts.
• Align with sales on the final target list, avoiding a purely marketing-led approach.

Recommended Tools:

• Data Enrichment & Account Identification: Clearbit , ZoomInfo , Apollo.io , Lead Forensics , Visitor Queue
• Predictive Platforms: 6sense, Demandbase , MadKudu

A – Attract

What it is: Target accounts become aware of your brand and solution offerings.

Goals: Create brand familiarity and initial curiosity.

ABX Tips:

• Launch targeted ads on LinkedIn or Google, focusing on key personas.
• Position your brand on industry review sites (e.g., G2) to gain credibility.

Recommended Tools:

• Account Based Advertising: Terminus (by DemandScience) , Demandbase , 6sense
• Web & Product Analytics: Google Analytics, Amplitude , Mixpanel
• Review & Comparison Sites: G2 , TrustRadius ,

I – Involve

• What it is: Prospects begin engaging, downloading content, attending webinars, requesting demos.
• Goals: Convert casual interest into deeper involvement and active conversation.

ABX Tips:

• Personalize your outreach with relevant case studies and ROI calculators.
• Deploy chatbots or conversational marketing (e.g., Intercom) to capture real-time engagement.

Recommended Tools:

• Conversational Marketing & Website Engagement: Intercom , Drift
• Personalized Outreach: Outreach.io, Salesloft , Warmly,
• Marketing Automation: HubSpot , Adobe Marketo , Pardot

S – Scrutinize

• What it is: Prospects actively evaluate your solution against competitors, weighing pros, cons, and ROI.
• Goals: Address objections, build trust, and equip champions to advocate for your product internally.

ABX Tips:

• Provide comparison guides, security documentation, and TCO/ROI frameworks.
• Conduct regular check-ins with your champion(s) to handle internal objections quickly.

Recommended Tools:

• Sales Enablement: Highspot, Seismic
• CDP and Intelligence: Segment , Tealium , ZoomInfo
• ROI & Value Tools: Custom-built ROI calculators, Navattic or Storylane for interactive demos

E – Evaluate & Commit

• What it is: Decision-makers finalize their selection and sign the deal.
• Goals: Ensure a frictionless buying process and reinforce confidence in your solution.

ABX Tips:

• Offer customized demos tailored to their unique workflows or use cases.
• Streamline legal, procurement, and compliance steps to reduce friction.

Recommended Tools:

• Deal Acceleration & Collaboration: Gong , Chorus
• Contract Management: Docusign , Ironclad
• Opportunity Management: Salesforce , HubSpot

D – Delight & Grow

• What it is: Post-sale adoption, expansion, and advocacy.
• Goals: Drive product adoption, identify upsell/cross-sell opportunities, and turn customers into evangelists.

ABX Tips:

• Ensure a seamless handoff to Customer Success with structured onboarding plans.
• Track usage and engagement metrics to spot growth opportunities or early churn.
• Encourage satisfied customers to provide referrals and case studies.

Recommended Tools:

• Customer Success & Product Usage: Gainsight , ChurnZero , Amplitude
• Attribution & Revenue Analytics: Dreamdata , CaliberMind
• Referral & Advocacy Management: Influitive , ReferralCandy

Why RAISED? This model captures the entire account journey, from initial recognition of fit all the way through delight and expansion. It’s based on real-world experiments (both successes and failures) that underscore the need for a holistic, multi-stage approach in enterprise SaaS.

Key Pillars of a Winning ABX Program

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Align on what “ideal account” means, when to pass a lead to sales, and how you measure success. Hold weekly or bi-weekly pipeline reviews with shared dashboards.
• ICP Clarity: Use historical wins, intent data, and buyer insights to define your ICP. Refine continuously as markets shift and products evolve.
• Personalized, Human-Centric Engagement: Create persona-specific messaging for different stakeholders (e.g., CFO vs. IT champion). Use omnichannel approaches (LinkedIn, email, direct mail, webinars) and ensure AI-generated content still feels human.
• Metrics That Matter: Track revenue and pipeline impact, including deal velocity and closed-won rates. Monitor account engagement across multiple stakeholders. Measure expansion, renewal, and lifetime value.
• Seamless Customer Experience: Onboarding and adoption are crucial. Integrate Customer Success into the ABX process early. Don’t stop at closed-won; nurture existing accounts for cross-sell, upsell, and advocacy.

Using AI in an Agentic World

• Research & Data Enrichment: Quickly identify new accounts that mirror your ICP and enrich them with firmographic or technographic details (e.g., Clearbit, ZoomInfo).
• Predictive Scoring & Prioritization: Rank accounts by likelihood to convert, ensuring focus on the most promising leads first (e.g., 6sense, Demandbase).
• Content Drafting & Personalization: Draft emails, landing pages, and social posts faster, but always review to maintain authenticity (e.g., ChatGPT, Jasper).
• Analysis & Reporting: Parse large data sets to spot engagement patterns and churn risks (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Gainsight PX).

Practical Steps to Implement ABX with RAISED

• Secure Leadership Buy-In: Present ABX as a revenue growth strategy, not just a marketing initiative. Involve C-suite stakeholders early.
• Assemble a Cross-Functional Task Force: Include marketing, sales, CS, finance, and product teams for a 360° view. Designate an ABX champion to coordinate efforts and track metrics.
• Map Out the RAISED Stages: Customize each stage to fit your product and buyer personas. Determine metrics or milestones for each stage (e.g., MQL to SQL to Opportunity to Closed-Won).
• Pilot, Measure, and Refine: Start with a pilot group of accounts. Document hypotheses, measure outcomes, gather feedback, and iterate on messaging and targeting.
• Integrate Customer Success Early: Align with CS well before the sale closes. This ensures a seamless handoff and stronger relationships over time.
• Leverage AI Wisely: Use AI to speed up data collection, research, and first-draft content. Maintain a human touch in final messaging and relationship-building.

Conclusion: ABX as Your Growth Engine

Scaling a SaaS company beyond founder-led sales to $100M+ ARR requires more than just a user-driven trial funnel. It demands an orchestrated, data-driven approach that unites the entire organization around high-value accounts. ABX, rooted in frameworks like RAISED, helps you meet prospects and customers where they are, guiding them from initial recognition to full-scale adoption and advocacy.

By combining the cross-functional alignment of ABX with the structured stages of RAISED, you create a repeatable growth engine that thrives in an increasingly complex, AI-driven world. Whether you’re at $10M ARR looking to break into the enterprise market or well on your way to nine figures, ABX done right can be the catalyst that propels your SaaS business to the next level