Is Gen AI Really Overrated in ABM, or Are You Just Using It Wrong?
- hajar boulagjam
- Feb 19
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 13
Have you ever wondered if Gen AI in ABM is just overhyped? If so, you're not alone. This question comes up a lot, even among top marketers who are still figuring out AI’s real value in Account-Based Marketing.
To get to the bottom of this, we didn’t just ask anyone. We asked Freya Ward, Global Growth Director at Headley Media. And trust us, when Freya speaks, you’ll want to pay attention. She knows her stuff.
In our chat, we covered ABM strategies, sales and marketing alignment, and of course, how AI is shaping the future of personalized outreach. It was a quick conversation, but her insights will stick with us for a long time.
In this blog, we’ve taken her best thoughts and distilled them into a powerful, actionable summary. Let’s dive in.
When Should You Adopt an ABM Strategy?
Freya didn’t hesitate: The best time to go with ABM is when you have a crystal-clear understanding of your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
She explained, “You need to know what success looks like; who your key buyers are, their job titles, company size, and more.”
But that’s just the start. She also called out the importance of identifying hidden buyers stakeholders who influence purchasing decisions but aren’t always the ones you're talking to directly.
One of the biggest pitfalls she sees is misalignment between sales and marketing.
“If your sales and marketing teams aren’t speaking the same language about who to target and why, you’re setting yourself up for failure.”
Companies need to ask themselves: Are we targeting a wishlist of accounts, or are we focusing on businesses where we have a proven track record of success?
How to Identify Your ICP (And Keep It Evolving)
If Freya were joining a new company tomorrow, she’d start by sitting with the sales team.
“Who are the clients you love working with? Where do you see the best conversations happening? Who are the hardest accounts to work with, and why?”
She stressed that ICP identification isn’t a one-time task; it should be a continuous process. Buyer personas and decision-making structures change over time, particularly in the tech space where procurement, finance, and legal are playing bigger roles in software buying decisions.
Freya also emphasized the power of internal research.
“You can have all the CRM data in the world, but without context, it’s meaningless. Sit down with marketing and sales, analyze past wins and losses, and talk to your best customers to understand why they chose you.”
The Secret to Sales and Marketing Alignment
When asked about improving communication between sales and marketing, Freya said that many problems come from misunderstandings.
Marketing thinks sales knows how to handle leads. Sales thinks marketing doesn’t get what it takes to close a deal. So, what’s the solution?
“Show them. Sit in on sales calls. Get sales to shadow marketing teams. And most importantly, create an environment where honest feedback is encouraged and acted on.”
At Headley Media, they recently tackled a miscommunication issue head-on. The sales team wasn’t providing detailed feedback on why leads were being rejected. When asked why, one salesperson admitted, “I didn’t want to be that salesperson who just says the leads are rubbish.”
That small realization opened the door for more productive conversations and ultimately improved lead quality.
ABM Email Best Practices & Measuring Success
Freya shared some valuable insights on email outreach in ABM, including:
Don't optimize too early.
“It takes time to see what works. We often see engagement pick up around the fourth to sixth email in a sequence. If you tweak too soon, you might miss the full picture.”
Consider the buying committee.
“For low-value products, one or two contacts might be enough. But for enterprise solutions, you need multiple stakeholders on board.”
Don’t obsess over vanity metrics.
“An email open means nothing if it doesn’t lead to real engagement. Focus on responses, website actions, and actual conversions.”
Is AI really Overhyped in ABM?
Freya believes the initial AI buzz was exaggerated:“We were told AI would change everything overnight, but reality has been more nuanced.”
However, she sees AI as an incredibly useful co-pilot in ABM. Some of the ways AI can support ABM efforts include:
Research & List Building: AI can generate account lists based on existing ICP data, helping teams scale research efficiently.
Personalization at Scale: AI tools can help craft customized messages for different personas within an account.
Data Analysis & Reporting: AI can process large data sets to find patterns and insights that help refine ABM strategies.
Here’s something to consider: Freya pointed out that marketers need to stay aware of AI-generated content quirks, like the use of long dashes in automated writing, so their outreach still feels authentically human.
Final Thoughts: The Future of First-Party Data in ABM
To wrap up, Freya posed an eye-opening question for our next guest: “What does first-party data mean to you, and how do you see it shaping ABM in 2025 and beyond?”
With third-party cookies on the way out, it’s a critical time for ABMers to rethink their data strategies.
Stay tuned for insights from our next expert, or explore our ABM Answered library to see how other marketers have responded!
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