How to Select ABM Accounts

Account-Based Marketing or ABM is a very popular marketing approach and is being deployed across companies in many different sectors to target marketing spend on the accounts with the highest potential. The first step is often a tricky one - that of which accounts to include in the ABM work.

In this blog, we explore how to select ABM accounts - is it a science or is it an art? Which accounts are in the 1:Many, 1:Few, or 1:1? and what makes a good selection for each of those categories.

What is Account Based Marketing?

Account-Based Marketing is a strategic approach that concentrates sales and marketing resources on a clearly defined set of target accounts. Rather than casting a wide net to attract individual leads, ABM flips the traditional funnel by identifying high-value accounts first, then creating personalized campaigns designed to engage decision-makers within those specific organizations.

This approach treats each account as a market of one, aligning marketing and sales efforts to deliver coordinated, personalized experiences across multiple touchpoints. The result is often higher conversion rates, shorter sales cycles, and stronger relationships with your most valuable prospects and customers.

How are ABM accounts usually categorized?

ABM programs typically segment accounts into three tiers based on their strategic value and the level of personalization they warrant. This tiered approach allows you to allocate resources appropriately while maintaining personalization at scale.

1:Many

The 1:Many approach applies to a larger pool of accounts that share similar characteristics and challenges. While these accounts receive personalized content, the personalization is at a segment or industry level rather than account-specific. You might create industry-specific campaigns, customized landing pages, or tailored messaging that speaks to common pain points across dozens or even hundreds of similar accounts. This tier allows you to maintain an ABM mindset while achieving some degree of scale.

1:Few

The 1:Few tier represents your high-value accounts that warrant more focused attention but don't quite justify fully bespoke programs. Here, you might cluster accounts by industry vertical, company size, or specific business challenges, creating semi-customized campaigns for small groups of 5-15 accounts. This approach balances personalization with efficiency, allowing you to develop targeted content, events, and outreach that feels relevant without requiring completely unique assets for each account.

1:1

The 1:1 tier is reserved for your most strategic accounts - often your largest potential deals, most important customers, or accounts with the highest lifetime value potential. These accounts receive completely customized programs with bespoke content, dedicated resources, and highly personalized engagement strategies. Every touchpoint is tailored to that specific account's business objectives, challenges, and stakeholder needs.

How many accounts should be in each category?

There's no universal answer, as the right number depends on your market, sales cycle, average deal size, and available resources. However, some general guidelines can help you think through the appropriate distribution.

For 1:1 accounts, most organizations work with between 5 and 50 accounts, depending on team size and deal complexity. If you can't name the key stakeholders and articulate each account's specific business challenges, you probably have too many in this tier. Quality of engagement matters far more than quantity here.

The 1:Few tier typically includes 50 to 500 accounts, organized into clusters that allow for meaningful personalization without overwhelming your team. The key is ensuring you can still deliver genuinely relevant, targeted content to each cluster.

For 1:Many programs, you might work with several hundred to a few thousand accounts, though the upper limit should be determined by your ability to maintain meaningful segmentation and personalization. If your 1:Many program starts to look like generic demand generation, you've likely gone too broad.

What makes a good ABM account pick?

Selecting the right accounts requires balancing quantitative signals with qualitative judgment. The best ABM accounts typically exhibit several key characteristics.

Strong fit with your ideal customer profile is foundational. This includes the right company size, industry, geography, and technology stack. Accounts should match the profile of your most successful existing customers in terms of both demographics and firmographics.

Revenue potential matters significantly. Look for accounts with substantial deal sizes, potential for expansion, or high lifetime value. Consider not just the initial opportunity but the total addressable value within the account over time.

Strategic alignment is crucial for your top tiers. The best ABM accounts are those where winning or growing the relationship provides strategic advantages - perhaps they're market leaders that could serve as reference accounts, or they operate in segments where you're trying to establish credibility.

Signs of active need or intent should influence your selections. Accounts showing buying signals through research behavior, technology changes, organizational shifts, or public announcements about relevant initiatives make stronger candidates than those showing no indication of need.

Accessibility and existing relationships can accelerate success. Accounts where you already have some connection - whether through customers, partners, or personal networks - or where you can identify clear pathways to decision-makers often warrant higher prioritization.

Why ABM account selection is an art and a science

The science of account selection involves leveraging data, analytics, and clearly defined criteria. You can use firmographic data, technographic information, intent signals, and predictive scoring models to objectively identify accounts that match your ideal customer profile. Financial metrics, market share analysis, and propensity models provide quantifiable measures to compare and rank potential accounts.

However, the art comes in interpreting this data within context and applying judgment that algorithms can't capture. You need to understand the nuance of organizational dynamics, recognize emerging opportunities that aren't yet reflected in the data, and factor in the competitive landscape and market timing. Sometimes the data might suggest an account is perfect, but your sales team knows there's a long-standing relationship with a competitor or that the account just completed a major purchase cycle.

The best account selection processes combine both elements. Start with data and criteria to create an initial list, then apply human judgment, market knowledge, and strategic thinking to refine it. Involve both marketing and sales in the process, as their different perspectives on account value, accessibility, and potential create a more complete picture than either could alone.

How accounts can transition between categories

Account categorization shouldn't be static. As relationships evolve, business situations change, and opportunities develop or contract, accounts should move between tiers to ensure resources align with potential.

Accounts typically move from 1:Many to 1:Few when they show increased engagement, stronger buying signals, or when you identify a specific opportunity worth focused attention. Perhaps an account in your 1:Many program has been consistently engaging with content, attending events, and showing research behavior that indicates growing interest. This progression might warrant the investment of more personalized resources.

The transition from 1:Few to 1:1 usually occurs when a significant opportunity crystallizes - you've identified a specific initiative, connected with key stakeholders, and determined the account warrants dedicated, bespoke attention. This might also happen when an existing customer shows expansion potential that justifies a fully personalized approach.

Movement can also go the other direction. A 1:1 account might move to 1:Few if an opportunity stalls, timing shifts, or the account completes a major purchase and enters a period where less intensive engagement is appropriate. Similarly, accounts in your 1:Few tier might move to 1:Many if engagement drops or priorities change.

The key is building regular review processes - perhaps quarterly for 1:1 accounts and semi-annually for other tiers - to reassess categorization. Look at engagement metrics, opportunity development, changes in account circumstances, and feedback from sales teams to determine whether each account is properly tiered. This flexibility ensures your ABM program remains dynamic and responsive rather than locked into decisions made months or years earlier.

Want to learn more about ABM?

As mentioned at the very start of the blog, ABM is popular right now and there is so much to learn. Viewpoint Analysis, although not an ABM agency, work with lots of ABM teams to help them to understand their accounts and buyer group contacts.

Check out our ABM blog content here