The forces driving ABM adoption include (i) advances in technology, (ii) access to an ever-growing B2B network of customer data, and (iii) a more competitive, customer-driven business landscape.

On the technology and data side, ABM as a strategy is attainable today. Advances in analytics and data gathering techniques have allowed ABM to achieve enterprise-level scalability. Historically, ABM meant a team of sales executives and creatives working a small number of accounts to deliver a very expensive, white-glove service to the most strategic and high-value prospects. Today, technology enables the creation of a long-tail of target accounts. Paired with marketing automation, B2B marketers can apply an ABM level of service to a larger portion of the market.

On the business side, the confluence of 2 forces is driving ABM adoption. First, as digital marketing tactics mature within B2B companies, competition and consolidation in many industries are forcing marketing teams to take on a new level of revenue accountability. Second, the consumerization of the B2B experience is driving customer expectations for service and personalized support on par with B2C brands.