One of my favorite boxing moments is Muhammad Ali dodging 21 punches in 10 seconds:

He embodied what it meant to be a great boxer in many ways (accuracy, power, defense, discipline, intelligence, and guts), but perhaps most notable (as demonstrated above) he could move with an absolutely unmatched speed. These traits made him the legend he is.

What qualifies someone for the difficult world of Account Based Everything?

What skills are needed to drive a high-performing program?

At Engagio, we’ve seen a lot of success, and some failure, as companies work to put account-based strategies into place. What we’ve noticed in that experience are common talents that separate the exceptional from the standard. They are traits you should consider when assembling your Account Based Everything team.

5 traits of successful Account Based Everything professionals:

  1. Collaborative
    Working with others under common objectives.
  2. Data-driven
    Compelled by facts and evidence.
  3. Leaders with a strategic orientation
    Interested in the long-term and big-picture gains and how to achieve them.
  4. Top-notch communication skills
    Including the ability to listen, assertiveness, clarity, recognizing emotions, and empathy.
  5. Naturally curious
    The best ABE professionals are actively interested in the business of business. What’s interesting to them are the complex value chains and relationships between many different players in a market. With such a steep learning curve in Account-Based Everything, a natural interest in the dynamics of business is important.

8 Traits of Great Account-Based Salespeople:

  1. Intelligent
  2. Disciplined
    With a systematic approach to prospecting, nurturing, staying focused on goals and improving over time.
  3. Goal-oriented but patient
  4. Great listeners and users of information
  5. Have respect for their marketing peers
  6. Open to new processes
  7. Organizational networkers
    Enthusiastic about forging connections and persistent about strengthening contacts within organizational structures.
  8. Natural followers of The Challenger Sale*
    In an age where well-informed buyers are in control of much of the purchase process, the Challenger seller takes back control of the purchase conversation in a way that leads customers back to the unique strengths of their organization. They teach, tailor, and tech control of the buying process. Learn more.

8 Traits of Great Account-Based Marketers:

  1. Seasoned, senior marketers
  2. Can hold their own with account executives
  3. Well-rounded team players
  4. Business knowledge and consultative abilities
  5. Solution marketing experience (to focus on insight)
    “ABM marketers have to understand how to take account information – behavioral, profile, contact and predictive data – and turn it into insights that are relevant to different people in the organization.” – Megan Heuer, SiriusDecisions
  6. Field marketing experience (to focus on interaction and orchestration)
  7. Leadership and relationship skills to pitch and manage campaigns
  8. Strong project management

Leadership potential

For both sales and marketing professionals with leadership aspirations, Account Based Everything can be a fast-track to future growth. That’s because this is a highly resource-intensive, cross-functional strategy that demands excellence from its players, and its coaches. Those who are successful with ABE as practitioners are often the best candidates for promotion to future management positions.

The team you choose will be critical to the ultimate success – or failure – of your Account Based Everything strategy. With these traits in mind, building the right team for your Account Based Everything strategy comes down to finding the best people for the right roles.

How do you describe the top-performing players on your team?

Bonus Muhammad Ali quote:

“It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.”