I ran a rapid-test #ABM campaign that went from zero to generating enterprise leads in just weeks.
Most enterprise #ABM campaigns take months to show results. But I knew we couldn't wait that long. it was a special case!
Don't try that in public, as you will fail.
Won't lie, there was luck involved but it was my 6th sense as well, that the market, the product, the team, they were already prepped for this to succeed.
Here's what we did differently:
We picked one specific industry vertical
Created a basic ideal customer profile
Built a minimal viable targeting approach
Tested 3 different message variations
Started with just 50 accounts
The results after week 1 were terrible.
2% response rate.
0 meetings booked.
But we had data.
We adjusted the messaging, refined the targeting, and tested again with another 50 accounts.
Week 2: 8% response rate
2 meetings booked
Better, but not great.
Week 3: Complete pivot
- New value proposition
- Different pain points
- Fresh creative assets
- Expanded to 100 accounts
The results?
18% response rate
12 meetings booked
2 opportunities in pipeline
Week 4:
Scaled to 500 accounts
Maintained 15% response rate
Generated 45 qualified meetings
8 opportunities created
Key learning: Start small, measure obsessively, pivot fast.
The traditional "perfect" #ABM approach would still be in the planning phase.
Instead, we:
1. Built minimum viable everything
2. Tested quickly
3. Failed fast
4. Learned rapidly
5. Scaled what worked
Sometimes the fastest path to scale is through calculated micro-failures.
Your first attempt will probably fail.
Your second might stumble.
But by the third iteration, you'll know exactly what works.
Question for founders:
What's one initiative you could test at a micro-scale this week?