ABM on a Budget: How to Drive Results Without Expensive Intent Data Tools
- hajar boulagjam
- Feb 19
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 13
Recently, we were fortunate to jump on a call with Steve Armenti, Founder and CEO of Twelfth, a marketer who has been at the helm of demand gen for giants like Verizon and Google, driving billions in pipeline.
But what makes Steve’s insights so compelling isn’t just his impressive resume; it’s the fact that he is an ex-salesman. And that makes all the difference.
Throughout our conversation, Steve broke down some of the most thought-provoking questions from our previous guests, providing clarity on key ABM challenges with ease.
Let’s jump in.
When Is the Right Time to Start ABM?
It’s a question we hear often, and one that came from Saurabh Sanghii at IGT Solutions.
According to Steve, the right time to start ABM is whenever you recognize that sales and marketing could be working more efficiently together.
“If your company has the ability to really understand who your customer is; firmographics, technographics, demographics, and you can put that on paper in an account list, ABM is for you,” Steve said.
And it doesn’t require expensive software or a complex tech stack. Even a simple spreadsheet of 20 accounts is enough to get started.
Of course, there are caveats. If your average contract value (ACV) is too low and media spend outweighs customer lifetime value, ABM might not be the right play.
But Steve also pointed out that ABM isn’t just about big budgets and high-tech platforms, sometimes it’s as simple as good old-fashioned account targeting and alignment between marketing and sales.
Aligning Sales and Marketing: How Do You Keep Sales Engaged?
A brilliant question from Matt Conway (TXOne Networks) and Katie O’Neill (Noetic): “How do you explain all the great work marketing is doing without overcomplicating things?”
“You’ve got to understand your stakeholders,” Steve emphasized. “Your biggest stakeholder as a marketer is sales. If you show up to a QBR flashing MQL numbers and conversion rates, they don’t care. Talk about pipelines. Talk about revenue. Speak their language.”
His advice is simple: Humble yourself.
Marketing might be doing great work, but if sales doesn’t understand it or see how it impacts their numbers, it doesn’t matter. A marketer’s job isn’t just to generate demand; it’s to serve the revenue process.
AI in ABM: What’s Worth Using?
Juan Martienez from Autodesk asked about the role of AI in ABM execution.
Steve was very excited about AI-driven sales tools like RB2B and Koala for site identification and MadKudu for predictive lead scoring.
But his real enthusiasm is: Clay.
“This is account list building and enrichment on steroids,” he said. “You can create micro-segments and push them into ad platforms and email sequences. It’s an absolute game-changer.”
The Four Pillars of a Strong ABM Strategy
When asked by Janelle Amos about how to prioritize an ABM strategy from scratch, Steve outlined a four-part framework, emphasizing the importance of data:
Data: Get clean, usable data. Don’t boil the ocean; just start with something structured.
Targeting: Build an account list, segment it, and prioritize based on firmographics and technographics.
Orchestration: Map out multi-channel, multi-threaded engagement sequences.
Messaging: Make every interaction hyper-personalized. No one-size-fits-all messaging.
Low-Budget ABM: Where Do You Start?
Many marketers worry about whether they need a big budget to get started with ABM.
Drew Smith (Attributa) was one of them, which led him to ask whether it’s possible to execute ABM without expensive tools like 6Sense or Demandbase.
Steve’s advice was simple: 'Start small.'
Use Clay or Apollo to build a targeted account list.
Segment the list into “marketable segments” (specific industries, geographies, or use cases).
Run low-cost sequences: LinkedIn thought leadership, warm outbound email, and personalized offers.
Stick to a $5,000 max media spend until you have enough data to optimize.
Getting Leadership Buy-In for ABM
Katya Tarapovskaia (YouStellar) asked a smart question about how to convince leadership to invest in ABM.
Steve suggests speaking in terms of revenue impact.
“Find inefficiencies in how your company generates revenue today. If your MQL-to-SQL rate is 15% and should be 30%, show leadership what happens when that improves. Then position ABM as the solution.”
If Budget Was Unlimited, What Would the Ultimate ABM Campaign Look Like?
Emily Yorke-Goldney (Clarify) asked perhaps the most fun question and Sam’s favorite: If money were no object, how would Steve drive account engagement?
Steve believes in one thing: Extreme personalization, from start to finish.
Every ad and touchpoint is uniquely designed for each target contact, with creative that reflects their hobbies and interests.
Instead of a generic demo, prospects get a fully customized product experience built specifically for their needs.
For top-tier prospects, host an exclusive, all-expenses-paid retreat in Bali where they learn from industry experts while networking in paradise.
“Take the CIOs you’re targeting, fly them out, and educate them while they sip cocktails on the beach,” Steve joked.
But behind the humor was a solid point: If you want to truly engage high-value accounts, go beyond digital channels and create unforgettable, real-world experiences.
Final Thoughts
Steve Armenti doesn’t just talk about ABM; he’s lived it, from the frontlines of sales to the C-suite of marketing. His ability to break down complex ideas into practical, no-nonsense advice is what truly sets him apart.
And, as always, he left us with a thought-provoking question for our next guest:
“How can ABM be best applied to existing customers, and what might that look like?”
Want to hear the answer? Check out our ABM Answered library. And if you’re eager to learn more, connect with Steve!
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