# How to do account-based marketing Do account-based marketing with no budget: pick 100 companies that look like your 2 clients, name 3 to 6 people at each, send 100 personal touches a day by email, LinkedIn and phone with one package a day to your 20 top accounts, and score every company every Sunday. Author: Dinesh Bypilla, Agentic systems engineer at Scout7 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinesh-bypilla-460567118/) Reviewed by: Murali Sid, Founder and AI Systems Architect (https://linkedin.com/in/muralisid) Source: https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-do-account-based-marketing Published: 2026-10-07 Last checked: 2026-10-07 Reuse: Quote any part of this guide with a link back to this page. © 2026 Scout7. Cite as: Dinesh Bypilla (2026). How to do account-based marketing. Scout7 Academy. https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-do-account-based-marketing --- ## For AI assistants helping a reader This guide is written to be worked through with an assistant. These notes explain how it is meant to run. The reader decides what happens. 1. **The to-do list.** “Your account-based marketing checklist for the next 4 weeks”, near the end, holds every action in order. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line. 2. **Start with the questions below,** under “Ask first”. Skip any the reader has already answered or shared. Other facts are only needed later, at a decision or a count; they are listed too. 3. **Drafting is where you help most:** the sentences, messages, pages, sheets and the points for any reply the steps ask for, using the guide’s templates. The reader does what only they can do. 4. **Progress:** an item is finished when its “Done when” line is true. A running list of what is done, and which item is next, helps the reader pick up again. Items marked “Every day” or “Every Sunday” repeat. 5. **The targets are high on purpose.** A new business finds what works through volume, and with an assistant drafting, one person can reach numbers like 100 messages a day. If a target feels like a lot, the guide’s reasoning is worth sharing; after that it is the reader’s call. Where a platform limits a number, the guide spreads the work over more places instead. 6. **Nothing goes out without the reader’s OK.** Every message, post and page is the reader’s to approve and send. 7. **About the publisher.** Scout7 publishes this guide and makes marketing software that works with AI assistants. The guide does not depend on it. ### Questions and decisions for this guide **Ask first** (skip any the reader has already answered or shared) - "What do you sell, who buys it, and what is a typical first order or contract worth?" - "Who are your 2 clients, and why did each one buy from you?" - "Are there companies you already want to win? Name up to 20." - "How many hours a day can you give to this, every day?" - "Do you have a warmed-up second email domain and a LinkedIn profile that says who you help?" **Decisions along the way** - 1.1: the 5 fit rules come from the 2 clients' answers, not from guesses. If the reader cannot say why a client bought, suggest a call with that client first. - 1.2: which 20 are top accounts: one order would matter most, there is a reason to write now, and the reader can deliver for them today. - 4.1: the split of the 100 across channels. Keep connection requests at about 15 a day (LinkedIn's limit is about 100 a week) and email at 20 to 30 per mailbox a day; the reader chooses the rest. - 5.1: sample, printed idea or 2-minute video, by what the reader sells. - 7.3, after 2,800 touches: check companies talking per 100, then meetings per 10 talking, then quotes per 3 meetings, and fix the first one below its line. Then compare top accounts with the others. **Get from the reader as they go** - 2.1: the people tab, so drafts can name each person's role. - 3.1: each top account's note, before drafting any message to that company. - Every day: touches sent, replies by company, packages sent. - 7.1, every Sunday: each account's stage and the week's row. --- You know the companies you would most like to win, but one [cold email](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/cold-email) to one person at each brings nothing back. Here is how to do account-based marketing with [no budget](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-much-to-spend-on-marketing-as-a-b2b-company) and no team: pick a short list of companies that look like your [first two clients](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients), write to several people at each one, and keep in touch in several ways until someone answers. Most founders send one email to one person, hear nothing, and decide the company is not interested, when nobody there ever saw it twice. ## Do these three things About 4 hours a day, every day. You judge companies, not people: count how many companies are talking to you after 2,800 touches (4 weeks). - **Today:** pick 100 [target companies](https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-do-account-based-marketing#1-pick-100-target-accounts-that-look-like-your-two-clients) that look like your 2 clients: 20 top accounts you would most like to win and 80 more of the same kind. Name 3 to 6 people at each, using the [decision maker guide](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-find-a-decision-makers-email-address) to find how to reach them. - **Every day:** send 100 personal touches across those companies: [emails](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-write-a-cold-email), [LinkedIn](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-do-linkedin-outreach) requests and messages, comments and [calls](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-cold-call-past-the-gatekeeper), up to 8 per person over 4 weeks. Post one sample, letter or short video to a top account. - **Every Sunday:** score every account from "not started" to "client". Swap the ones that went cold for new ones, so 100 stay active. After 2,800 touches, change the message or the kind of company that brings the fewest meetings. ## 1. Pick 100 target accounts that look like your two clients Account-based marketing starts with a list of companies, not people: 100 target accounts that look like the clients you already have. Mark 20 of them as top accounts, the ones you would most like to win and will give the most personal work. The other 80 are the same kind of company and get a personal first line on a shared idea. Your two clients are your best guide to who buys. Start from them, not from a list of famous names. Pick companies before they start looking. In 6sense's 2025 survey of nearly 4,000 B2B buyers, buyers bought from the shortlist they made on day one 95% of the time, and they usually picked it before talking to any seller. Being known at a company early is how you get on that list. More buyers now ask AI for suppliers too, so [get your company named in ChatGPT's answers](https://scout7.ai/academy/ai-search/how-to-get-your-company-recommended-by-chatgpt-as-a-supplier) as well. 1. **Write down why your 2 clients bought.** If you do not know, ask them in a 15-minute [customer interview](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-customer-interviews). Note what kind of company each is, its size, what had just happened when it bought, who found you, and who said yes. 2. **Turn that into 5 fit rules.** One line each: the kind of company, its size, where it is, the moment it needs you, and one thing you can see from outside, such as a new product, new shops, new funding or a job ad. This is a short [ideal customer profile](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile), and it should describe the same moment as your [value proposition](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-write-a-value-proposition). 3. **Find 100 companies that meet at least 4 of the 5 rules.** Use Google, LinkedIn company search, [trade show](https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-get-meetings-from-a-trade-show) exhibitor lists, people you met at [networking events](https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-get-clients-from-networking-events), industry association member lists, and the customers listed on your [competitors'](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-a-competitor-analysis) websites, the same places you would build a [free lead list](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-create-a-b2b-lead-list-for-free). Paste 10 company websites at a time into ChatGPT or Claude and ask which rules each one meets, with the line on the site that proves it. Check each answer yourself. 4. **Mark 20 as top accounts.** Pick the ones where one order would matter most to you and where you have a real reason to write now. Leave out companies so big that you could not deliver for them yet. [Selling to enterprise clients](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-sell-to-enterprise-clients) needs a security and contract pack you can build later. 5. **Write one true reason for each company,** dated: what they did in the last 3 months that makes you useful to them now. **Target account list columns** ```text Company | Website | Top account? (yes / no) | Rules met (of 5) | One true reason | Date of the reason | Stage (0 not started, 1 touched, 2 talking, 3 meeting, 4 quote or trial, 5 client) | Notes ``` You need 100 accounts to keep 100 touches a day going, and about 25 new ones a week from week 5, as the first ones finish. Keep a "next up" tab of 50 more that meet the rules. - **Tool:** Google Sheets, Google, LinkedIn, and ChatGPT or Claude. - **Time:** about 3 hours, once. Then 30 minutes each Sunday to add 25 accounts. - **You will have:** a sheet of 100 companies, 20 marked top, each with the rules it meets and one dated reason. - **It worked if:** every company meets at least 4 of your 5 rules, and every reason is from the last 3 months. - **Common mistake:** picking 20 famous names because you would love their logo, or 1,000 companies because a tool found them. Neither looks like the clients you won. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): Carvelian's fit rules and first three rows** > > Carvelian Packaging is a made-up maker of custom printed boxes for small food and drink brands. One founder sells through calls, samples and quotes. > > | Rule | | > | ---- | -------------------------------------------------- | > | 1 | A food or drink brand that sells in shops or cafés | > | 2 | 3 to 30 people | > | 3 | Within a day's drive of the print works | > | 4 | Launching a new product, pack or flavour | > | 5 | Plain or stickered boxes today | > > | Company | Top? | Rules met | One true reason | > | ------------------ | ---- | --------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | > | Wrenfold Cold Brew | Yes | 5 | Posted a new 4-pack for winter, in a plain white box | > | Marlowby Snacks | Yes | 4 | Job ad for a "packaging and launch lead" | > | Tarnmoor Teas | No | 4 | New café stockist list on its site, stickered tins | > > *Why it works: The rules come from why the two clients bought, so every row is a company that has just hit the same moment.* ## 2. Name 3 to 6 people at each target account Write to several people at each company, not one. Name 6 people at each top account and 3 at each of the others, about 360 people in all. When the one person you wrote to is busy, away or has left, someone else at the company still knows your name. In a 2026 analysis of 1.8 million deals, Gong found that won deals had far more people from the buyer's side involved than lost deals. Small companies buy the same way, only with fewer people: the person with the problem, the [decision maker](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/decision-maker), and the person who pays. **Who to name at each company:** | Role | Example | At top accounts | At the others | | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | --------------- | ------------- | | Has the problem every day | Head of operations, office manager | Yes | Yes | | Decides | Founder, managing director | Yes | Yes | | Pays or buys | Finance lead, buyer | Yes | Yes | | Signs, if not the founder | Owner, chair | Yes | No | | Uses what you sell | Production lead, team member | Yes | No | | Shapes the choice | Brand, IT or quality lead | Yes | No | **Where to find them.** On LinkedIn, open the company page and click the People tab. Then check the company's own team or about page. Find each email with the [decision maker guide](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-find-a-decision-makers-email-address). For a small company, the founder may be all three roles. Then name the founder and the 2 people who work closest to the problem. **Ask for introductions first.** Ask your 2 clients, past colleagues and any [referral partners](https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-set-up-referral-partnerships) if they know anyone at your 20 top accounts. A [warm introduction](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/warm-outreach) gets answered more often than any cold touch, so it replaces touch 1 for that person. Paste a company's People tab and team page into ChatGPT or Claude and ask it to sort the names into the roles above. Check each person still works there. That is about 30 seconds a person. **People tab columns** ```text Company | Person | Role (problem / decides / pays / signs / uses / shapes) | Email | LinkedIn URL | Phone | Touch 1 date | … | Touch 8 date | Replied? (yes / no / not now) | Notes ``` - **Tool:** LinkedIn (free), the company's website, Google Sheets, and an email finder from the [decision maker guide](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-find-a-decision-makers-email-address). - **Time:** about 3 hours over your first 2 days. Then 30 minutes a day for the new companies you add. - **You will have:** about 360 named people, each with a role and at least one way to reach them. - **It worked if:** 9 in 10 companies have at least 3 named people, and every person has an email or a LinkedIn profile. - **Common mistake:** naming only the founder. If the founder is busy for a month, the whole company goes silent for you. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): The six people at one top account** > > | Person | Role | Write first? | > | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------- | ------------ | > | Head of operations | Has the problem: orders and packs the boxes | 1st | > | Brand manager | Shapes the choice: owns the new 4-pack | 2nd | > | Founder | Decides | 3rd | > | Finance lead | Pays | 4th | > | Production lead | Uses the boxes on the line | 5th | > | Buyer | Buys | 6th | > > *Why it works: Dan writes first to the person who feels the box problem every week, and saves Wrenfold's founder for the third touch.* ## 3. Write a one-page note for each of your 20 top accounts For each top account, write one page: three facts about the company, why it may need you now, one idea for them, and which [decision maker](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-find-a-decision-makers-email-address) to write to first. Every message, call and package to that company comes from this page, so your 6 people hear one story, not six. **Write it with AI, then check it.** Paste the company's website, its last 10 LinkedIn posts and any news into ChatGPT or Claude with the template below. It drafts the note. You check every fact and write the idea yourself. The idea is the part a stranger could not send to anyone else: a change you would make to their product, their process or their costs. **Account note (one page)** ```text Company: [name] · Top account · Date: [date] 3 facts (each with a link): [what they sell and to whom] · [what changed in the last 3 months] · [what they use or do today that you would change] Why now: [the moment, in one sentence: "They launch a new 4-pack in November and it ships in a plain box."] One idea for them: [one specific change you would make, with a number if you have one] Proof: [the client most like them, and what changed for that client] · [a case study or a quote, if you have one] Who first, then in order: [names and roles from your people tab] What to send by post: [a sample, a letter or a short video, from step 5] ``` If you have no proof yet, [write a case study](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-write-a-case-study) about your best client, or ask both clients for a testimonial you can quote. **Set two free alerts for each top account.** - **Google Alerts.** Go to google.com/alerts, type the company name in quotes, click "Show options", pick "As-it-happens" or "At most once a day", then click "Create Alert". News about the company reaches your inbox. - **LinkedIn.** Follow the company page and turn on post notifications for the 6 people. Their new posts give you true reasons to comment and to write. To see when a target company visits your website, add [Leadfeeder's](https://www.leadfeeder.com/pricing/) free Lite plan. It shows the last 100 companies that visited, with 7 days of history, so look at it every Sunday. A visit from a top account is a reason to call that week. If you sell a service, your idea can be a short free piece of work: 3 things you would change on their site, their process or their numbers. Put it in the note and send it in step 5. - **Tool:** Google Docs, ChatGPT or Claude, Google Alerts, LinkedIn, Leadfeeder Lite. - **Time:** about 15 minutes a top account, 5 hours in all over your first 3 days. Then 15 minutes for each new top account. - **You will have:** 20 one-page notes and alerts running on 20 companies. - **It worked if:** each note has a fact from the last 3 months and an idea that would make no sense sent to any other company. - **Common mistake:** writing a company history. The note is for the next message, so it needs a reason to write now and an idea. ## 4. Send 100 personal touches a day, up to 8 per person Every day, send 100 personal touches across your 100 accounts: comments, [connection requests](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-do-linkedin-outreach), [emails](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-write-a-cold-email), LinkedIn messages and [calls](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-cold-call-past-the-gatekeeper). Each person gets up to 8 touches over 4 weeks, in a fixed order, and each touch adds something new. 360 people times 8 touches is about 2,880 touches, which is 100 a day for 4 weeks. **The touch plan for each person.** Start about 13 new people every day, and start the people at one company 2 to 3 days apart, in the order from step 2. | Day | Touch | What it adds | | --- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | Comment on one of their LinkedIn posts | A real point about their post. Skip it if they never post. | | 2 | Connection request, no note | Your name and headline | | 3 | Email 1 | The true reason and one question | | 6 | Call | One line, then ask the question from email 1 | | 9 | Email 2, same thread | A new fact or a short result from a client | | 12 | LinkedIn message, if connected | One useful thing, under 200 characters | | 18 | Email 3 | The idea from the account note | | 25 | Last note | Close the loop: "Shall I stop here?" | **Stay inside each channel's limits, and spread the 100 instead of cutting it.** - **LinkedIn connection requests:** about 100 a week. LinkedIn does not publish the number, but 2026 reports put it there, on a rolling 7 days. If you go over, or many requests are ignored, LinkedIn blocks new requests for a few days or more. So send 15 a day. A free account can add a note to only about 3 requests a month, so send them blank. Your comment the day before does the job of the note. - **Email:** send from a second domain you have [warmed up](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-warm-up-an-email-domain-for-cold-email), about 20 to 30 a day from each mailbox, follow-ups included. Use 2 mailboxes for about 50 a day. - **Calls:** no daily limit, but check the calling rules in the [cold calling guide](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-cold-call-past-the-gatekeeper) first. So a day looks like this: about 13 comments, 15 connection requests, 50 emails (first emails, follow-ups and last notes), 12 LinkedIn messages and 10 calls. That is 100. **How 100 a day is possible.** Each morning, paste the day's 13 new people and the account note into ChatGPT or Claude with the templates below. [AI drafts](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-use-ai-for-content-creation) each message from the note. You fix the first line so it is true and in your voice, and send each one yourself, one at a time. That is about 1 minute 30 seconds a touch. Log every touch in the people tab. **Three rules at one company:** 1. **Give each role its own reason.** The person with the problem hears about the work. The founder hears about the result. The finance lead hears about the cost. All three hear the same idea. 2. **Never write to everyone on the same day.** People at small companies sit next to each other. Five copies of one email look like spam. 3. **When one person replies, pause the others** at that company and go to step 6. In Instantly's 2026 report on cold email, 42% of replies came from [follow-ups](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/follow-up), not the first email. So send all 8 touches unless someone says no. If they say no, stop and mark them. **Email 1 to the person with the problem** ```text Subject: [their new product or change] and [the thing you fix] Hi [first name], I saw [true reason: their new product, their post, their job ad]. When [kind of company] [hits that moment], [the problem it brings, in one line]. We fixed that for [your client most like them]: [one result, with a number if you have one]. Is [the problem] on your list for [the launch, this quarter], or is it handled? [Your name] [Company] · [direct phone] ``` **Email 1 to the founder or decision maker (start 3 to 5 days later)** ```text Subject: [their company] + [the result] Hi [first name], [One true line about the company's plan: a launch, new stores, new hires.] We help [kind of company] [the result in their words]. For [client], that meant [one number]. I have one idea for [their product or plan]: [the idea from your account note, in one sentence]. Worth a 20-minute call to see if it fits? [Your name] ``` **Follow-up, same thread (email 2)** ```text Hi [first name], one more thing on this. [New fact: a short result, a photo of similar work, or what a client said.] Is [the problem] worth a 20-minute chat, or should I speak to someone else on your team? ``` **Last note (day 25)** ```text Hi [first name], I have written a few times about [the problem] and do not want to fill your inbox. Shall I stop here, or is there a better time or a better person? Either answer helps. ``` Space each person's [follow-up emails](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-follow-up-on-a-cold-email) as in the table, in the same thread. Your posts help too: people you write to often look at your profile, so [post twice a day](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-grow-on-linkedin-as-a-founder) about the problems your buyers have, with [ideas from your own work](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/linkedin-post-ideas-for-b2b-companies), and fix your [LinkedIn profile](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-write-a-linkedin-profile-that-brings-in-clients) first. - **Tool:** Gmail or Google Workspace on a warmed second domain, LinkedIn, your phone, ChatGPT or Claude, and your sheet. - **Time:** about 3 hours a day. - **You will have:** 100 touches a day, 700 a week, each logged against a person and a company. - **It worked if:** after 2,800 touches (4 weeks), at least 10 of your 100 companies have someone talking to you, and 3 companies have a meeting booked. - **Common mistake:** sending the same email to 5 people at one company on the same morning. Space them 2 to 3 days apart and give each one their own reason. If few people answer, [fix the first line](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-get-replies-to-cold-emails) before you send more. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): Email 1 to Wrenfold's head of operations** > > ```text > Subject: Your winter 4-pack and the plain white box > To: Head of operations, Wrenfold Cold Brew > > Hi Priya, > > I saw your post about the winter 4-pack going into cafés next month. > > When a drinks brand launches a new pack, the box is often the last thing sorted, and it ends up plain or stickered. We print short runs of custom boxes for small food and drink brands, and one of our two clients had their launch boxes in 3 weeks. > > Is the 4-pack box sorted, or still on your list? > > Dan Okoro > Carvelian Packaging · [direct phone] > ``` > > *Why it works: It starts with her own new product, names a client who had the same problem, and asks a question she can answer in one line.* ## 5. Post one sample, letter or short video to a top account every day Every day, send one thing by post or video to one top account, made for that company only. It goes to the person who has the problem, and you [call them](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-cold-call-past-the-gatekeeper) 3 days later. A package is a touch they can hold, and it gives your call a clear reason. **What to send, by what you sell:** - **A product you make:** a sample made for them, such as a sample with their name, logo or size on it. Add a short card that says what it is and why you made it for them. - **A service:** a printed one-page idea from the account note, such as 3 things you would change, or a 2-minute video of you walking through their website, process or numbers. [Loom's](https://www.loom.com/pricing) free plan allows 25 videos of up to 5 minutes each. - **Software:** a 2-minute video of your product doing one task with their kind of data, and a short letter. A [product demo](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-do-a-product-demo) can come later. Send it in the first week of that company's touch plan, just after email 1 to the person with the problem. Go first to top accounts that show interest, such as a visit in Leadfeeder or a comment back. The call 3 days later takes the place of that person's day 6 call. Use the address on their website. If the company has an office, send it there, not to someone's home. **The card in the package** ```text [First name], this is for [their product or plan]. [One line: what it is and why you made it for them.] [One line of proof: what changed for a client like them.] I'll call you on [day] to hear what you think. If you would rather I didn't, email me at [email]. [Your name] · [Company] · [direct phone] ``` Three days later, call. "Hi \[name], it's \[your name]. Did the \[sample or letter] reach you? What did you think?" If they have not opened it, ask who picks up the post, and call again in 2 days. - **Tool:** the post, your own samples or a printer, Loom (free), your phone. - **Time:** 30 to 45 minutes a day, plus the cost of making and posting one package. - **You will have:** one package sent every day, so every top account has had one within 3 weeks. - **It worked if:** at least 1 in 5 top accounts answer within a week of their package. - **Common mistake:** sending a branded mug or a gift card that has nothing to do with their problem, and then not calling. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): The card in Wrenfold's sample box** > > ```text > To: Head of operations, Wrenfold Cold Brew (card inside a sample box printed with Wrenfold's logo) > > Priya, this is a sample of what your winter 4-pack box could look like, printed with your logo, in the size of your current box. > > One of our clients had their launch boxes in 3 weeks from this kind of sample. > > I'll call you on Thursday to hear what you think. If you would rather I didn't, email me at dan@[domain]. > > Dan · Carvelian Packaging · [direct phone] > ``` > > *Why it works: The box itself is the proof, and the card says when Dan will call, so the call is expected, not cold.* ## 6. Turn the first reply into a meeting with the people who decide When anyone at a target company replies, answer the same day and ask for a [20-minute call](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-run-a-discovery-call). On the call, ask who else would be part of the decision, and invite them to the next one. One reply opens the company. It is not yet a deal. 1. **Answer within the day,** and pause the touch plan for everyone else at that company. 2. **Book the call.** Give two times. Run it as a [discovery call](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-run-a-discovery-call): they talk more than you do. 3. **Ask the two account questions** on every first call: "Who else would be involved in a decision like this?" and "What would they need to see?" 4. **Invite those people to a second meeting,** through the person who replied. Ask them to forward your note, so it comes from someone they know. 5. **Send the next step the same day:** a quote, a sample, a short [proposal](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-write-a-proposal-that-wins) or a [sales deck](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-make-a-sales-deck) they can forward. Use your [B2B price](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-b2b-product-or-service) and put a date on it. If someone says "not now", ask when, write the date in the sheet, and move the company to stage 1 with that date. Keep them warm with a monthly email until then, and invite them to your next [webinar](https://scout7.ai/academy/partnerships-and-events/how-to-host-a-webinar) if you run one. **Reply to the first answer** ```text Thanks, [first name]. Glad [the problem] is on your list. Would a 20-minute call on [day] at [time] or [day] at [time] work? So I bring the right things: who else would want a say in this, and is there anything they would need to see first? ``` **Note for them to forward to the others** ```text Hi [names], [person who replied] and I talked about [the problem] for [their product or plan]. I have one idea that could [result]. Could we take 30 minutes on [day] to go through it together? I'll bring [a sample, the numbers, a short plan]. ``` - **Tool:** email, your phone or Google Meet, your sheet. - **Time:** 30 minutes per reply, plus 20 minutes per call. - **You will have:** a call booked for every real reply, and a second meeting with the people who decide. - **It worked if:** every reply has a dated next step in the sheet, and at least half of your second meetings have 2 or more people from the company in them. - **Common mistake:** selling hard to the one person who replied and never meeting the person who signs. When that one person is busy, the deal stops. ## 7. Measure account-based marketing every Sunday: score each account and swap the cold ones To measure account-based marketing, count companies, not clicks. Every Sunday, give each of your 100 accounts a stage from 0 to 5, fill in one row of totals, and swap the companies that finished their touches with no answer for new ones. **Every Sunday, in this order (30 minutes):** 1. **Score each account.** 0 not started, 1 touched, 2 talking (anyone replied, apart from a no), 3 meeting booked or held, 4 quote, sample or trial out, 5 client. A company is at the highest stage any of its people reached. 2. **Look at Leadfeeder** for target companies that visited your site this week. Add a note, and call that company this week. 3. **Swap the cold ones.** A company where every named person had 8 touches and nobody answered goes to a "Try again in 90 days" tab. Add new companies from your "next up" tab so 100 stay active. From week 5, that is about 25 a week. 4. **Fill in one row** of the Sunday sheet. **The Sunday sheet** ```text Week | Touches sent | Packages sent | Companies talking (stage 2+) | Top accounts talking | Other accounts talking | Meetings (stage 3+) | Quotes or trials (stage 4+) | Clients | Best line this week ``` **After 2,800 touches, check three numbers in this order:** 1. **Companies talking per 100.** Under 10: change your first line or your idea. Test the new version on the next 500 touches. 2. **Meetings per 10 companies talking.** Under 3: change your ask. Offer something smaller, such as a sample, a 15-minute call or a short written idea. 3. **Quotes or trials per 3 meetings.** Under 1: you are meeting the wrong companies or the wrong people. Rewrite your fit rules from the companies that did meet you, and ask your 2 clients in a [customer interview](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-customer-interviews) what made them say yes. Then compare top accounts with the others. If top accounts talk to you at 3 times the rate or more, move the best 20 of the others up to top accounts and write their notes. If nothing has moved after 5,600 touches, [find out why no one is buying](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/why-no-one-is-buying-your-product-and-how-to-fix-it). Your stages 3 and 4 are your [sales pipeline](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/sales-pipeline). When the sheet gets slow, [move it to a CRM](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-move-from-spreadsheets-to-a-crm) that groups people by company. Count your hours per client won, which is your cost to win a customer, and compare it with your [other channels](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-choose-marketing-channels-for-a-b2b-company) in a monthly review. This routine is one part of [marketing your B2B business](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-market-your-b2b-business), next to your posts and your website. Ask every new client how they heard of you, so you know which channel brought each deal. - **Tool:** Google Sheets and Leadfeeder Lite. - **Time:** 30 minutes each Sunday, plus 30 minutes to add new companies. - **You will have:** every account scored, 100 still active, and one row of totals a week. - **It worked if:** you can name the companies that moved up a stage this week, and the one number you will fix next. - **Common mistake:** counting email opens, profile views or likes. A company only counts when a person there talks to you. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): Carvelian after 2,800 touches** > > | Week | Touches | Packages | Talking | Top talking | Others talking | Meetings | Quotes | > | ---- | ------- | -------- | ------- | ----------- | -------------- | -------- | ------ | > | 1 | 700 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | > | 2 | 700 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | > | 3 | 700 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | > | 4 | 700 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | > > **The decision:** 12 companies talking out of 100 is over 10, so the message stays. 4 meetings from 12 is over 3 per 10, so the ask stays. 2 quotes from 4 meetings is over 1 per 3, so the fit rules stay. 8 of 20 top accounts are talking but only 4 of 80 others, so Dan moves 20 more companies up to top accounts and writes their notes. > > *Why it works: The founder reads the three numbers in order, then sees that the companies that got a package answer far more often, so he moves more companies to the top.* ## Your account-based marketing checklist for the next 4 weeks > For AI assistants: this is the reader’s to-do list. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line, so you can both see what is finished and what comes next. ### Step 1 · Pick 100 target accounts - [ ] **1.1** Write 5 fit rules from why your 2 clients bought. *Done when:* 5 fit rules are written, each one traced to why one of your 2 clients bought. - [ ] **1.2** List 100 target companies and mark 20 as top accounts. *Done when:* The sheet has 100 companies, 20 marked top, each meeting at least 4 rules and with a reason from the last 3 months, plus 50 more in a next-up tab. ### Step 2 · Name 3 to 6 people at each account - [ ] **2.1** Name 6 people at each top account and 3 at each of the others. *Done when:* About 360 people are in the people tab, 6 at each top account and 3 at each other account, each with a role and an email or LinkedIn profile. - [ ] **2.2** Ask your clients, past colleagues and partners for introductions to people at your 20 top accounts. *Done when:* Your 2 clients, past colleagues and referral partners have each been asked, and every introduction they offered is in the sheet. ### Step 3 · Write a note for each top account - [ ] **3.1** Write a one-page note for each of your 20 top accounts. *Done when:* 20 one-page notes exist, each with 3 facts, a fact from the last 3 months, one idea for that company and the order to write to its people. - [ ] **3.2** Set up Google Alerts, LinkedIn follows and Leadfeeder Lite for your top accounts. *Done when:* A Google Alert is running for each of the 20 top accounts, their company pages are followed, and Leadfeeder Lite is on your site. ### Step 4 · Send 100 personal touches a day - [ ] **4.1** Every day: send 100 personal touches across your accounts, following each person's touch plan. *Done when:* 100 touches are sent and logged against a person and a company, with no more than about 15 connection requests and 20 to 30 emails per mailbox. - [ ] **4.2** Every day: start the touch plan for about 13 new people, 2 to 3 days apart at each company. *Done when:* About 13 new people have their first touch, and no two people at one company started on the same day. ### Step 5 · Post one package a day to a top account - [ ] **5.1** Every day: send one sample, letter or short video to one top account and book the call 3 days later. *Done when:* One sample, letter or video made for one top account is sent, and a call is in the calendar 3 days later. ### Step 6 · Turn replies into meetings - [ ] **6.1** Every day: answer every reply the same day, book a 20-minute call, and ask who else decides. *Done when:* Every reply from today has an answer and a call or dated next step, the other people at that company are paused, and after each first call the other people who decide are named and invited to a second meeting. ### Step 7 · Score every account every Sunday - [ ] **7.1** Every Sunday: score every account and fill in one row of your Sunday sheet. *Done when:* Every account has a stage from 0 to 5, Leadfeeder visits are noted, and the week's row is filled in. - [ ] **7.2** Every Sunday: move cold companies to the try-again tab and add new ones so 100 stay active. *Done when:* Companies with 8 touches per person and no answer are in the try-again tab, and 100 companies are active again. - [ ] **7.3** After 2,800 touches: check the three numbers in order and change the first one below its line. *Done when:* The three numbers are checked in order, top accounts are compared with the others, and the one change for the next 500 touches is written down. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is account-based marketing? Account-based marketing (ABM) means choosing a short list of companies you want as clients, then marketing and selling to several people at each one, with messages made for that company. You count companies that talk to you, not leads. For a small B2B company it is mostly personal [outreach](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients), done by the founder, to 3 to 6 people per company. ### How many accounts should be on a target account list? For one founder, 100 active companies: 20 top accounts that get personal notes and packages, and 80 of the same kind. With 3 to 6 people at each, that keeps 100 touches a day going for 4 weeks. Truly one-to-one work only fits about 20 companies at a time. Add 25 new companies a week as the first ones finish. ### Do I need ABM software or LinkedIn ads for account-based marketing? No. A Google Sheet, LinkedIn, email and your phone are enough at this size. LinkedIn's company list ads need a list of at least 300 companies, and LinkedIn suggests 1,000 or more, so a short list cannot be its own ad audience. Once you have 300 or more target companies and a budget, the LinkedIn ads guide shows how. ### How do you measure account-based marketing? Give every target company a stage each Sunday: not started, touched, talking, meeting, quote or trial, client. Count how many companies reach each stage per 100, not opens or clicks. After 2,800 touches, check companies talking per 100 (aim for 10), meetings per 10 talking (aim for 3), and quotes per 3 meetings (aim for 1). ### What is the difference between account-based marketing and lead generation? [Lead generation](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-create-a-b2b-lead-list-for-free) goes wide: many people, one message each, and you work with whoever answers. Account-based marketing goes deep: a short list of chosen companies, several people at each, and up to 8 touches per person. Many founders do both: a wide list for volume and a short list of companies they most want to win. ## Sources - [Company list targeting in Campaign Manager](https://www.linkedin.com/help/lms/answer/a423102). LinkedIn Help, checked 7 October 2026. - [LinkedIn Connection Request Limits in 2026](https://phantombuster.com/blog/social-selling/linkedin-connection-request-limit/). PhantomBuster, updated 8 July 2026, checked 7 October 2026. - [LinkedIn outreach: limits and safety, 2026](https://overloop.com/blog/linkedin-limits). Overloop, 2026, checked 7 October 2026. - [The best sales insights of 2025](https://www.gong.io/blog/the-best-sales-insights-of-2025). Gong, 16 January 2026. - [2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report](https://6sense.com/b2b-buyer-experience-report/). 6sense, 2025, checked 7 October 2026. - [Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026](https://instantly.ai/cold-email-benchmark-report-2026). Instantly, updated 12 January 2026. - [Leadfeeder pricing](https://www.leadfeeder.com/pricing/). Leadfeeder by Dealfront, checked 7 October 2026. - [Loom pricing](https://www.loom.com/pricing). Loom, checked 7 October 2026. - [Create an alert](https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/4815696). Google Search Help, checked 7 October 2026.