What you'll get
- 7 copy-ready blocks
- 1 table
- 5 min read
- ABM fit test (yes or no)
- Account signals
- Buying committee grid
- Play A: the platform play
- Play B: the deadline play
- Play C: the new leader play
- and 1 more
How to use it
- Step 1: Take the fit test in Part 1.
- Step 2: Pick 30 to 50 accounts using the signals in Part 2, then tier them with the account tiering worksheet.
- Step 3: Map each Tier 1 account with the grid in Part 3.
- Step 4: Give every account one play from Part 4, and put a named person against it.
IT services firms are a natural fit for account-based marketing: the market is often a few hundred companies, every deal has several approvers and one new client can change the year. This playbook adapts ABM to how IT services are bought.
Part 1: Which IT services firms benefit most
ABM fit test (yes or no)
1. Losing one bid would hurt this quarter. [ ]
2. Three or more people on the client side approve a project. [ ]
3. You could name most of the companies that could ever buy. [ ]
4. Your best clients share an industry or a technology. [ ]
5. Your sales cycle is longer than three months. [ ]
Three or more YES: run ABM on a short named list.
Two or fewer: broad outreach will probably suit you better.Specialists tend to gain most: partners of one platform, or firms that serve one industry.
Part 2: Signals that an account needs you now
Account signals
SIGNAL WHERE YOU SEE IT WHAT IT MAY MEAN
Same platform as your best clients Job ads, their case studies They need skills you have
Support for their system is ending Vendor notices, job ads An upgrade or migration is coming
New CIO, CTO or head of digital LinkedIn, press Suppliers may be reviewed
Hiring for the skills you supply Job ads Their own team is stretched
New market, site or acquisition Press, annual report Systems must be joined or extended
A supplier review or tender Tender notices, press A door is open for a whileWrite the signal and its date on the account record. A signal with no date is a guess.
Part 3: Who decides an IT services deal
Buying committee grid
ROLE WORRIES ABOUT NEEDS FROM YOU
Business owner The outcome, on time Proof you know their process
CIO or CTO Fit with their systems, risk A credible technical lead
Their delivery head Who does the work Your team, your method
Procurement Terms and supplier risk Clean paperwork, no surprises
Finance Budget and milestones A cost they can defend
The current supplier Keeping the work Nothing. Know who they areClients buy the team as much as the firm. Put your delivery lead in front of their delivery head early, not after the proposal.
Part 4: Four plays for IT services
Take the touch counts and exit rules from the Tier 1, 2 and 3 Account Playbook.
Play A: the platform play
Fits: Tier 2 clusters on the platform you know best
Roles, in order: their delivery head > CIO or CTO > business owner
Reason: what you learned on [platform] projects in [industry]
Owner: a named seller. Your delivery lead writes the brief.Play B: the deadline play
Fits: Tier 1 accounts facing an upgrade, end of support or migration
Roles, in order: CIO or CTO > business owner > procurement
Reason: what the deadline means for their systems and their year
Owner: a named seller, with your technical lead on every callPlay C: the new leader play
Fits: any account where a new CIO, CTO or head of digital has arrived
Roles, in order: the new leader > their direct reports
Reason: one observation useful to someone in their first months
Owner: a named sellerPlay D: the expand play
Fits: current clients with another division, country or business unit
Roles, in order: your client sponsor > the new unit's head
Reason: what you delivered, offered as a reference, with permission
Owner: the account owner, with your delivery leadWorked example (illustrative, not a real company)
Kestrel Systems is a 60-person IT services firm that implements warehouse systems. Ravi Menon, its founder, runs two plays. All names are invented.
| Account | Tier | Signal | Play | First role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield Logistics | 1 | A second site opens before its system upgrade | B: deadline | Marcus Lee, Head of IT Applications |
| Calder Cold Chain | 2 | Same warehouse system as two Kestrel clients | A: platform | Their delivery head |
| A current client | 1 | Its parent plans a new site abroad | D: expand | Kestrel's client sponsor |
Ravi's delivery lead joins the first call with Marcus.
Five mistakes to avoid
- Opening with headcount and certifications. Open with their signal.
- Selling only to IT. The business owner holds the reason to act.
- Forgetting your own clients. The expand play is often the shortest path.
- Hiding the delivery team until the proposal. Then you are compared on price.
- Waiting for the tender. If the first you hear of a project is the request for proposal, someone else may have shaped it.
Why this works on named accounts
Common questions
What is ABM for IT services?
Account-based marketing for IT services means choosing a short list of companies you want as clients, mapping who decides in each and approaching several of them with a reason that is true for that company now.
Which IT services firms benefit most from ABM?
Specialists: firms built on one platform or one industry, with large projects approved by several people and a market they can name. Firms selling small jobs to anyone benefit least.
How many accounts should an IT services firm target?
As many as your team can research properly. A small team can work 30 to 50 accounts well.
Read next
Related articleLead Generation for IT Companies: Why Volume Fails and What Works on Named AccountsRead →More from the Academy
Tier 1, 2 and 3 Account Playbook
For sales and marketing leads with a tiered account list and no agreed way to work each tier.
You leave with three written plays, a blank play card, an ownership grid and four exit rules.
ABM Plan Template: A One-Page ABM Strategy
For marketing and sales leaders starting ABM on a first list of named accounts.
You leave with a one-page plan, a play for each tier, a written handover rule and a 30-day start.
Buying Committee Map
For sellers working a large account through a single contact.
You leave with nine roles to look for, a map you can paste into a spreadsheet, a brief for each person and a coverage check that shows where the account is exposed.
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