ABM Playbook (TIER Framework)
Build a complete Account-Based Marketing playbook - tiered account list, buying-group map per tier, coordinated multi-channel plays, and pipeline acceleration plays for accounts already in cycle. ABM is structurally different from PLG, sales-led, and channel motions; this skill captures that difference rather than bolting it onto a generic GTM template.
Core Principle
ABM is a coordination problem, not a targeting problem. Most failed ABM programs pick the right accounts and then run the same demand-gen plays they always did. The TIER framework forces explicit coordination across channels and across tiers, with different play patterns for different account intimacy levels.
The TIER Framework
| Letter |
Stage |
The Question |
| T |
Tier the Accounts |
Which accounts get 1:1, which get 1:few, which get 1:many? |
| I |
Identify the Buying Group |
Who are the personas in each account, and what's each one's win condition? |
| E |
Execute Coordinated Plays |
What multi-channel plays run per account (not per persona)? |
| R |
Re-route on Signal |
When an account hits an in-cycle signal, which acceleration play activates? |
Account Tiering
| Tier |
Account Count |
Investment per Account |
Personalization |
Signal Cadence |
| 1:1 |
5-25 |
High (custom content, exec engagement, dedicated SDR) |
Per-account creative |
Weekly |
| 1:few |
25-150 |
Medium (cluster-level personalization, named SDR pod) |
Per-cluster (3-8 accounts share) |
Bi-weekly |
| 1:many |
150-2000 |
Low (scaled programs with industry/persona personalization) |
Per-segment creative |
Monthly |
Buying Group Mapping
Every targeted account has a buying group, not a single buyer. The skill enforces explicit mapping:
| Role |
Win Condition |
Common Title Patterns |
| Champion |
Personal outcome (career capital, problem solved) |
Director / Sr. Manager in problem domain |
| Economic Buyer |
Business outcome (revenue, cost, risk) |
VP / SVP, CFO |
| Technical Evaluator |
Risk reduction (architecture, security, fit) |
Sr. Engineer / Architect / IT Director |
| End User |
Day-to-day usability |
Individual contributors |
| Procurement / Legal |
Compliance, terms, pricing posture |
Procurement, Legal, Security |
A play that engages only the Champion fails because the deal stalls at Economic Buyer or Procurement. The skill enforces multi-role engagement design.
Output
Save to outputs/abm-playbook-[motion]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md
| Artifact |
Description |
| Tiered Account List |
Account names + tier assignment + rationale |
| Buying Group Maps |
Per-account (1:1) or per-cluster (1:few) with named roles + engagement state |
| Play Library |
6-10 named plays, each tagged by tier + buying-group role + channel mix |
| Acceleration Plays |
3-5 plays triggered by in-cycle signals |
| Coordination Calendar |
Weekly view across all channels per tier - catches over- and under-engagement |
| Measurement Plan |
Per-tier KPIs: account-level engagement, opportunity creation, pipeline velocity, win rate |
The Play Library Pattern
Every play follows this structure:
| Field |
Example |
| Name |
"Exec-to-Exec Insight Letter" |
| Trigger |
New 1:1 account assigned, or champion change |
| Roles Engaged |
Economic Buyer, Champion |
| Channels |
LinkedIn (exec), Email (champion), Direct mail (exec) |
| Sequence |
Day 0 LI connect → Day 3 letter delivered → Day 5 champion email → Day 14 ABR follow-up |
| Personalization Level |
Per-account (researched insight specific to stated priorities) |
| Success Signal |
Exec response or champion-confirmed read |
| Hand-off |
Signal → SDR books exec briefing; no signal in 21 days → re-route |
Acceleration Play Triggers
| Signal |
Acceleration Play |
| Intent surge (3rd-party) |
Account-level ad burst + SDR re-engagement within 48h |
| Pricing-page or competitor-comparison hit |
Inbound BDR call within 1 business day, deal-context-aware script |
| Security questionnaire received |
Pre-built security artifact pack + named SE engagement |
| Deal stalled > 21 days in stage |
Champion enablement kit + multi-thread to EB + Procurement |
| Champion changes role / leaves |
"Land the new champion" play within 1 week of signal |
Process
- Tier the accounts with explicit rationale per tier; cut accounts that don't justify any tier
- Map buying groups - full named mapping for 1:1, role patterns for 1:few, persona-level for 1:many
- Build the play library - 6-10 plays covering cold start through expansion; every play names a role
- Design acceleration plays for each in-cycle signal - trade scale for speed
- Build the coordination calendar - weekly view to catch over- and under-engagement
- Define per-tier measurement with ABM-friendly metrics (lead-level MQLs are not the right yardstick)
Per-Tier Measurement
| Tier |
Primary KPI |
Secondary KPIs |
| 1:1 |
Pipeline created per account |
Account engagement score, EB meetings booked, deal velocity |
| 1:few |
Pipeline created per cluster |
Cluster engagement rate, opportunity conversion |
| 1:many |
Pipeline created per program |
Account engagement coverage, MQA rate |
Tips
- Tier with rationale, not gut feel - every 1:1 is an investment commitment
- Plays are per-account, not per-channel - channel-led ABM almost always over-engages
- Acceleration > acquisition - in-cycle accounts are 5-10× more efficient than cold ABM
- Re-tier quarterly - accounts that don't engage in 1:1 for 2 quarters drop to 1:few
- Pair with intent scoring + channel orchestration - ABM consumes those outputs
Pairs With
- journey-architect - Maps the buyer journey; ABM coordinates above it
- demand-engine - Channel-level orchestration the calendar consumes
- enablement-forge - Produces the assets each play needs
- competitive-battlecard - Per-deal cards that drop into in-cycle acceleration
1---2name: abm-playbook3description: Account-Based Marketing playbook builder - tiered account list (1:1, 1:few, 1:many), buying-group mapping, coordinated multi-channel plays per account, and pipeline acceleration plays for in-cycle accounts. Use when: ABM playbook, account-based marketing, target account list, tiered accounts, 1:1 marketing, buying group, named-account strategy, ABM plays, pipeline acceleration, in-cycle account acceleration.4---56# ABM Playbook (TIER Framework)78Build a complete Account-Based Marketing playbook - tiered account list, buying-group map per tier, coordinated multi-channel plays, and pipeline acceleration plays for accounts already in cycle. ABM is structurally different from PLG, sales-led, and channel motions; this skill captures that difference rather than bolting it onto a generic GTM template.910## Core Principle1112**ABM is a *coordination* problem, not a targeting problem.** Most failed ABM programs pick the right accounts and then run the same demand-gen plays they always did. The TIER framework forces explicit coordination across channels and across tiers, with different play patterns for different account intimacy levels.1314## The TIER Framework1516| Letter | Stage | The Question |17|--------|-------|--------------|18| **T** | Tier the Accounts | Which accounts get 1:1, which get 1:few, which get 1:many? |19| **I** | Identify the Buying Group | Who are the personas in each account, and what's each one's win condition? |20| **E** | Execute Coordinated Plays | What multi-channel plays run *per account* (not per persona)? |21| **R** | Re-route on Signal | When an account hits an in-cycle signal, which acceleration play activates? |2223## Account Tiering2425| Tier | Account Count | Investment per Account | Personalization | Signal Cadence |26|------|--------------:|------------------------|-----------------|----------------|27| **1:1** | 5-25 | High (custom content, exec engagement, dedicated SDR) | Per-account creative | Weekly |28| **1:few** | 25-150 | Medium (cluster-level personalization, named SDR pod) | Per-cluster (3-8 accounts share) | Bi-weekly |29| **1:many** | 150-2000 | Low (scaled programs with industry/persona personalization) | Per-segment creative | Monthly |3031## Buying Group Mapping3233Every targeted account has a **buying group**, not a single buyer. The skill enforces explicit mapping:3435| Role | Win Condition | Common Title Patterns |36|------|---------------|----------------------|37| **Champion** | Personal outcome (career capital, problem solved) | Director / Sr. Manager in problem domain |38| **Economic Buyer** | Business outcome (revenue, cost, risk) | VP / SVP, CFO |39| **Technical Evaluator** | Risk reduction (architecture, security, fit) | Sr. Engineer / Architect / IT Director |40| **End User** | Day-to-day usability | Individual contributors |41| **Procurement / Legal** | Compliance, terms, pricing posture | Procurement, Legal, Security |4243A play that engages only the Champion fails because the deal stalls at Economic Buyer or Procurement. The skill enforces multi-role engagement design.4445## Output4647Save to `outputs/abm-playbook-[motion]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md`4849| Artifact | Description |50|----------|-------------|51| **Tiered Account List** | Account names + tier assignment + rationale |52| **Buying Group Maps** | Per-account (1:1) or per-cluster (1:few) with named roles + engagement state |53| **Play Library** | 6-10 named plays, each tagged by tier + buying-group role + channel mix |54| **Acceleration Plays** | 3-5 plays triggered by in-cycle signals |55| **Coordination Calendar** | Weekly view across all channels per tier - catches over- and under-engagement |56| **Measurement Plan** | Per-tier KPIs: account-level engagement, opportunity creation, pipeline velocity, win rate |5758## The Play Library Pattern5960Every play follows this structure:6162| Field | Example |63|-------|---------|64| **Name** | "Exec-to-Exec Insight Letter" |65| **Trigger** | New 1:1 account assigned, or champion change |66| **Roles Engaged** | Economic Buyer, Champion |67| **Channels** | LinkedIn (exec), Email (champion), Direct mail (exec) |68| **Sequence** | Day 0 LI connect → Day 3 letter delivered → Day 5 champion email → Day 14 ABR follow-up |69| **Personalization Level** | Per-account (researched insight specific to stated priorities) |70| **Success Signal** | Exec response or champion-confirmed read |71| **Hand-off** | Signal → SDR books exec briefing; no signal in 21 days → re-route |7273## Acceleration Play Triggers7475| Signal | Acceleration Play |76|--------|-------------------|77| Intent surge (3rd-party) | Account-level ad burst + SDR re-engagement within 48h |78| Pricing-page or competitor-comparison hit | Inbound BDR call within 1 business day, deal-context-aware script |79| Security questionnaire received | Pre-built security artifact pack + named SE engagement |80| Deal stalled > 21 days in stage | Champion enablement kit + multi-thread to EB + Procurement |81| Champion changes role / leaves | "Land the new champion" play within 1 week of signal |8283## Process84851. **Tier the accounts** with explicit rationale per tier; cut accounts that don't justify any tier862. **Map buying groups** - full named mapping for 1:1, role patterns for 1:few, persona-level for 1:many873. **Build the play library** - 6-10 plays covering cold start through expansion; every play names a role884. **Design acceleration plays** for each in-cycle signal - trade scale for speed895. **Build the coordination calendar** - weekly view to catch over- and under-engagement906. **Define per-tier measurement** with ABM-friendly metrics (lead-level MQLs are not the right yardstick)9192## Per-Tier Measurement9394| Tier | Primary KPI | Secondary KPIs |95|------|-------------|----------------|96| 1:1 | Pipeline created per account | Account engagement score, EB meetings booked, deal velocity |97| 1:few | Pipeline created per cluster | Cluster engagement rate, opportunity conversion |98| 1:many | Pipeline created per program | Account engagement coverage, MQA rate |99100## Tips1011. **Tier with rationale, not gut feel** - every 1:1 is an investment commitment1022. **Plays are per-account, not per-channel** - channel-led ABM almost always over-engages1033. **Acceleration > acquisition** - in-cycle accounts are 5-10× more efficient than cold ABM1044. **Re-tier quarterly** - accounts that don't engage in 1:1 for 2 quarters drop to 1:few1055. **Pair with intent scoring + channel orchestration** - ABM consumes those outputs106107## Pairs With108109- **journey-architect** - Maps the buyer journey; ABM coordinates above it110- **demand-engine** - Channel-level orchestration the calendar consumes111- **enablement-forge** - Produces the assets each play needs112- **competitive-battlecard** - Per-deal cards that drop into in-cycle acceleration
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