---
title: "Account-based marketing (ABM): an example"
url: "https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/account-based-marketing.md"
canonical_url: "https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/account-based-marketing"
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
type: "conceptual"
summary: "Account-based marketing treats a short list of chosen companies as markets of their own. See how it works and how to measure it by account."
related: ["https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/ideal-customer-profile.md", "https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/multichannel-outreach.md", "https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/intent-data.md"]
---

# Account-based marketing (ABM): an example

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Account-based marketing treats a short list of chosen companies as markets of their own. See how it works and how to measure it by account.

**What is account-based marketing (ABM)?**

Account-based marketing (ABM) is an approach where you pick a short list of target companies and run tailored outreach to several people at each one, instead of sending the same message to a wide list. Results are measured by account, not by individual contact.

Group: 1. Targeting.

## The parts

1. **A short target list**: Usually dozens of accounts, not thousands. You choose them because they match your profile and are worth the extra effort.
2. **Several contacts per account**: A purchase involves more than one person. Reach the people who use the product, run the team and approve the budget.
3. **Tailored messages**: Each account gets a message that refers to its own situation, not a generic template.
4. **Account-level measures**: Count accounts that replied or booked a meeting, not just the number of emails opened.

## Worked example: Fleetnote runs outreach by account

Fleetnote is a made-up fleet-telematics vendor. It picks a set of target accounts, contacts several people at each and counts results by account.

1. Fleetnote selects 25 target accounts and finds 4 contacts at each.
2. Contacts to reach: 25 x 4 = 100.
3. 7 accounts had at least one reply: 7 / 25 = 28%.
4. 3 accounts booked a meeting: 3 / 25 = 12%.

Share of the target accounts at each stage

- Target accounts: 25 accounts
- At least one reply: 28%
- Meeting booked: 12%

## How to apply it

1. Pick a small set of accounts that match your ideal customer profile and show a reason to act.
2. Find two to five relevant people at each account and note what each one cares about.
3. Write a short, specific first message per account and vary the angle by role.
4. Track replies and meetings per account and review the list every few weeks.

## Common mistakes

- Calling a large list "account based" when every account gets the same template.
- Contacting only one person per account and stalling when that person is silent.
- Judging success by email opens instead of by accounts that moved forward.

## Related terms

- [Ideal customer profile](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/ideal-customer-profile.md): An ideal customer profile (ICP) is a written description of the type of company that gets the most value from what you sell and is easiest to win and keep.
- [Multichannel outreach](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/multichannel-outreach.md): Multichannel outreach means contacting one prospect on several channels, for example email, LinkedIn and the phone, following a plan for which comes when.
- [Intent data](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/intent-data.md): Intent data is information about what a company or person has been doing that suggests they may be looking for a solution, such as reading about a topic, visiting a pricing page or hiring for a related role.

## Keep reading

- [Prospect lists in ColdMeetings](https://coldmeetings.com/product/prospect-lists.md)
- [B2B sales prospecting](https://coldmeetings.com/blog/b2b-sales-prospecting.md)
- [Pipeline coverage calculator](https://coldmeetings.com/tools/pipeline-coverage.md)

## Questions

### How is ABM different from regular outbound?

Regular outbound sends to a wide list of contacts. ABM focuses on a short list of accounts and tailors the outreach to each one.

### How many accounts should I target?

Enough that you can write something specific for each. For a small team that is often a few dozen at a time.

### Does ABM work with cold email?

Yes. Cold email is one channel for reaching several people at a target account, often alongside calls or professional-network messages.

Questions about outbound for your own company? Email hello@coldmeetings.com.

## Related

- [Ideal customer profile (ICP): an example](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/ideal-customer-profile.md)
- [Multichannel outreach: definition and example](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/multichannel-outreach.md)
- [Intent data: definition and example](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/intent-data.md)