ABM Trailblazer Mandy Hanson Serves Up Uber Personalized Campaigns

Demandbase Champion Mandy Hanson, Director of Global Account-Based Marketing, spent the first part of her career honing her expertise in demand generation before turning her full attention to ABM several years ago. She is a passionate promoter of ABM — and in her experience it soundly outperforms a typical demand generation program. We sat down with Mandy to chat about her ABM journey, go-to-market strategies, and her life outside of work — all of which help Mandy lead her team to crush it using Demandbase One.

How did you get your start with ABM?

I was introduced to ABM 10 years ago at a large and quite popular industry event. I thought the concept was smart and wanted to experiment with it in my own work. To my delight, when I introduced the concept to the sales team, they were supportive and allowed me to test an ABM approach with a small portion of our strategic accounts. The test was a success and I was sold on using ABM as a core part of my marketing efforts going forward.

What do you like best about your job?

I enjoy diving into each account to understand more about their engagement level, who the decision makers and influencers are, our current relationship with them and what their interests are so I can build a custom campaign that resonates with them. Being able to push the engagement along, influence the deals, and make an impact on some of our top strategic accounts is very rewarding for me. What I love about using Demandbase, in this context, is that it gives me the data to demonstrate positive results for my campaigns, and the justification to ask for additional budget when needed.

I appreciate that my executive leadership and the sales team have complete confidence in me and in our ABM program. They’ve said, “Tell us what you need: support, budget, and tools. We’re going to make it happen because we believe in ABM.” And the support from our Sales leadership is amazing as well. They encourage their teams to get on board and take advantage of the ABM program because it helps them build pipeline and accelerate their current opportunities.

How do you make Demandbase sing?

Demandbase One brings a lot to the table so that’s half the battle. But, one of my favorite attributes is that it helps me deliver very targeted messages to each account. I spend a significant amount of time focused on our very top strategic accounts. I meet with the account owner to learn everything about the account and then move on to create custom one-to-one campaigns. Every single touchpoint is unique, embodying the very definition of ABM. I do the same for specific persona and vertical market campaigns, so that there’s a consistent call to action, relevant content, and focused messaging throughout. That’s critical because depending on the role of the person you’re talking to, you need to adjust your message so that they can see the value.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

My favorite thing is spending time with my family. My youngest son has special needs and I’m passionate about being a voice for him and being an advocate for the special needs community. I chair the Special Olympics committee at his school, which allows our family to pursue another shared passion: sports. We enjoy watching sports together and are big Auburn l fans. We also love watching the Atlanta Braves and attending the games.

What is your superpower?

I’m a positive and energetic person. In most situations, I see the glass as half full. If something isn’t going well, I feel like it’s happening for a reason and truly believe good things can come from something that appears to be bad. Managers over the years have commented that I’m always very enthusiastic and energetic when promoting my programs and initiatives. Because of my energy and positivity, I am able to get people on board and to support my ABM programs — even if they are nervous about trying a new approach.

What would you tell someone who is just starting out in ABM?

Start by talking with the sales team and finding someone who is already thinking about account-based selling. Then you can pilot a small account list together, log your successes, and go from there. ABM only works when there’s a good relationship between sales and marketing.

Don’t be afraid to fail. My motto is that it’s always important to try something new, if it is unsuccessful, fail fast, and then move on. Every account is different so what worked with other accounts, may not work with all. Trying new things can be scary, but it’s important to experiment by using different tactics and messaging indifferent industries and with different people — you never know what tactic will result in a big success.

Watch Mandy’s presentation, ” How to Leverage Demandbase One Intent,” On Demand here.