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Outreach Engine

Definition

What is Account Based Marketing (ABM)?

The short answer

Account based marketing is a B2B strategy in which Marketing and Sales concentrate their effort on a defined list of target accounts, and engage the people inside each account with coordinated, relevant outreach, rather than marketing to a broad audience and filtering for fit afterward.

Key figure

13 + 9

The typical B2B buying decision now includes 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers, rising for more complex or strategic purchases.
Forrester, The State of Business Buying, 2026

Why it matters

ABM strategy decides which accounts matter. Account based outbound is the execution layer that reaches the buying committee inside them across email, LinkedIn and phone.

Put it to work

Where account based marketing matters on a program.

Research

What the research says

  • 13 + 9

    The typical B2B buying decision now includes 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers, rising for more complex or strategic purchases.

    Forrester, The State of Business Buying, 2026, Jan 2026.

  • 53%

    Procurement professionals are decision makers in 53% of business buying cycles, engaging from the start of the process.

    Forrester, The State of Business Buying, 2026, Jan 2026.

  • 94%

    94% of buying groups ranked their preferred vendors before first contact with a seller, and the vendor preferred before engaging sellers still wins 80% of deals.

    6sense, 2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report, Nov 2025. More than 4,000 buyers across North America, EMEA and APAC.

See the full research library

Related terms

The full glossary

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