Account-Based Marketing Playbook — Top 100 Targets

Overview

This playbook defines the manual, personalized ABM approach used for the top 100 target companies in HubSpot. It is designed for direct personal outreach — not bulk email sends — and requires the client (or a designated sales rep) to execute each step themselves. The playbook was developed in response to a March performance clause requiring 6–12 SQLs/month.

See also: ^[1] for the automated approach applied to targets 101–500.

Core Principle: Why ABM Must Be Manual

ABM is fundamentally different from cold outreach. The goal is to make direct, personalized contact with high-value targets — not to automate bulk sends. Automating ABM defeats its purpose and reduces response rates.

"The nature of ABM is that you're supposed to make direct contact with these people, not fling cold emails at them." — Mark Hope

Emails in this playbook are sent from the client's personal email inbox, not from a bulk sending tool like SendGrid.

Target List

• Scope: Top 100 companies by fit/priority
• CRM: All targets loaded into HubSpot as company records
• Current count: 91 companies loaded as of 2026-02-11; full 100 to be completed

Playbook Structure

Each target company receives a dedicated research and strategy package, pushed to HubSpot as company properties. The package consists of:

1. Research Document (per company)

• Length: 3–4 pages
• Contents: Company background, key signals, relevant pain points, competitive context
• Method: Agent-powered web search written to a standard template

2. Contact Strategy (per company)

• Identifies the correct contact(s) to reach out to (and who to avoid)
• Specifies the recommended outreach approach for that specific company
• Example: "Reach out to this person, not this person — here's why."

3. Email Templates

• Pre-written templates tailored to the company's context
• Stored in HubSpot alongside the company record
• Sent manually by the client from their personal inbox

4. Step-by-Step Playbook Sequence

• A checklist the client works through company by company
• Each step is marked complete before moving to the next
• Designed so "all the hard work is done for him — he just has to go through it"

Execution Workflow

Research Document Created
        ↓
Contact Strategy Defined
        ↓
Email Templates Written
        ↓
All Assets Pushed to HubSpot (by company record)
        ↓
Client Executes Outreach (personal inbox, manual send)
        ↓
Engagement Tracked in HubSpot
        ↓
High Engagement → Escalate / Continue Nurture

HubSpot Configuration

Custom company properties are created to store per-company strategy data. This allows the full research and outreach plan to live alongside the CRM record.

Assets available in HubSpot at launch:
- 4 ROI calculators (pre-built)
- Case study: Collections Journey
- Reference documents for objection handling and positioning

Lead Escalation from Cold Outreach

Targets from the cold outreach sequence (101–500) can graduate into the ABM process if they demonstrate sufficient engagement:

1. Trigger: 3+ email opens (or direct reply) in the cold sequence
2. Sales rep is notified and makes direct personal contact
3. If the prospect responds positively → moved into ABM process
4. If no response → remains in cold sequence

See ^[1] for full warm-lead definition and handoff logic.

Timeline & Milestones

Success Metrics

• Primary: 6–12 SQLs generated by end of March (performance clause threshold)
• Leading indicators: MQLs generated in February, HubSpot engagement activity on target companies
• Secondary: Response rate on personal outreach emails

Related

• ^[1] — Automated 10-week SendGrid sequence for targets 101–500
• ^[2] — Parallel SEO workstream
• ^[3] — Source meeting where this strategy was aligned