Implementing an ABX (Account-Based Experience) strategy is good. Supporting it with a consistent technology stack is better.
In this video (above 👆), I share a real conversation with a client who is in the process of structuring their ABM/ABX approach. A simple question arises: which technology stack should we go for?
Adobe, Demandbase, Salesforce, Marketo… Do you need them all? Are your current tools sufficient? What’s missing from your stack to support your ambitions?
Follow the guide: we start with a glossary to help you find your way around, then we detail the main functional building blocks before analyzing three typical stacks.
I followed this Miro during the MOH
🧠 Glossary: understanding the acronyms
Here are some terms you will often come across in ABM/ABX projects:
| Acronym | Meaning | Role in the strategy |
|---|---|---|
| ABM | Account-Based Marketing | Marketing targeting focused on strategic accounts |
| ABX | Account-Based Experience | ABM approach extended to the entire customer journey |
| CDP | Customer Data Platform | Platform that unifies customer data from different sources |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management | Tool that centralizes sales information |
| DSP | Demand Side Platform | Media buying platform (programmatic advertising) |
| ICP | Ideal Customer Profile | Target account profile |
| MSI | Marketo Sales Insight | Sales activation tool integrated with Salesforce |
| Buying Group | Buying group | All decision-makers involved in a target account |
| Intent Data | Intent data | Data indicating an account’s interest in a given topic |
🧩 The 8 key functions of a successful ABX strategy
Any ABX strategy is based on a chain of clearly identified functions. Here are the main functional building blocks, inspired by the Miro presented in the video:
- Data collection
Multiple sources: CRM, marketing automation, web browsing, offline events, etc. - Profile unification
Construction of unified profiles (accounts and individuals) using more or less advanced merging rules. - Governance & consent
Preference management, GDPR, opt-in/opt-out, centralization of rights. - B2B modeling
Identification of buying groups, contact roles, organizational hierarchy. - Advanced segmentation
Creation of dynamic multi-source segments at different levels (individual, account, buyer group). - Marketing activation
Trigger campaigns in Marketo, emails, ads, personalized web content. - Sales activation
Send intent signals and alerts in Salesforce via MSI or Salesloft / Outreach / Demandbase. - Measurement & feedback loop
Performance analysis, attribution, dashboards cross-referencing CRM and marketing data.
🧩 How does this topic come up in business?
It often starts with good intentions… then a bit of chaos. Here are some common triggers:
- The marketing team starts a “handcrafted” ABM approach (Excel lists, manual sales sequences, LinkedIn Sales Navigator and LinkedIn Ads licenses, etc.).
- Management asks for more tangible proof of ROI on key account campaigns
- Disparate tools are used without true integration
- The sales team wants to be “alerted” when an account shows interest
- A POC is launched with 6Sense, Demandbase, or other solutions
Very quickly, the question arises: what should we do to structure this approach in a sustainable way?
🧪 Example 1: Marketo + Salesforce stack
I am well aware that this stack is not sufficient, but here I am listing the functions already provided natively by your solutions.
🟢 Maturity level: Beginner/Standard
🎯 Objective: lead nurturing, segmentation, sending personalized campaigns.
Strengths:
- Native data synchronization between Marketo and Salesforce
- Effective lead nurturing and scoring
- Ability to create powerful Smart Lists
Limitations:
- Data still siloed between marketing and CRM
- No true profile unification
- Manual ad activation
- No native intent signals, and no way to import them into the model
➡️ Ideal for a “lead-centric” ABM strategy, but difficult to scale to ABX without additional features.
| Function | Building blocks used | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 🧩 Data unification | ❌ No dedicated building block. Marketo & Salesforce store separately | Native synchronization exists, but there is no control over how profiles are unified (based on the SFDC key) |
| 📡 External enrichment | ⚠️ Possible via third-party tools (Zoominfo, Clearbit, etc.) | Requires the use of Marketo webhooks or Service Flows Steps, or custom integrations or middleware (e.g., Openprise, Segment). |
| 👥 B2B modeling | ⚠️ Lead Account Model in Salesforce + Marketo accounts | No native support for Buying Groups, must be managed manually. |
| 🎯 Advanced segmentation | ✅ Marketo Smart Lists + Salesforce reports | Very good level of segmentation at the contact/lead level, limited at the account level. |
| ⚙️ Marketing activation | ✅ Marketo (native) | Execution of email campaigns, nurturing, acquisition programs. |
| 🪄 Ads Activation | ⚠️ Manual exports to advertising platforms (LinkedIn/Google) | No real-time ad activation or synchronization. |
| 🧰 Sales activation | ⚠️ Salesforce Tasks + Marketo Sales Insight | Little orchestration, no automatic targeting or smart alerts. |
| 📊 Measurement & feedback loop | ⚠️ Marketo Analytics + Salesforce Reports | Reporting often disconnected, no unified view of the entire journey. |
| 📜 Governance & consent | ⚠️ Must be managed manually (Marketo + CRM + external tools) | No centralized management, depends on the rigor of internal processes. |
🚀 Example 2: Marketo + Salesforce + Demandbase stack
🟣 Maturity level: Structured / ABX in progress
🎯 Objective: identify hot accounts, trigger tailored campaigns, align sales & marketing.
Strengths:
- Native micro-CDP in Demandbase
- Intent signals + enriched firmography
- Buying groups and ABM activation models
- Native targeted advertising + web personalization
Limitations:
- Partially unified data (account/person, not cross-channel)
- User journey fragmented across platforms
- Dispersed GDPR governance
➡️ Ideal for companies rapidly accelerating ABX with a desire to coordinate marketing and sales around accounts.
| Function | Building blocks used | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 🧩 Data unification | ⚠️ Demandbase (micro-CDP) + Salesforce + Marketo | Partially unified data. No complete CDP, but good level of integration. |
| 📡 External enrichment | ✅ Demandbase Intent Data + firmography/technography | Very good B2B enrichment via intent data, company fit, technologies. |
| 👥 B2B modeling | ✅ Buying Groups & Account Graph (Demandbase) | Buying Committee, roles, influence: well modeled in the platform. |
| 🎯 Advanced segmentation | ✅ Demandbase Audiences + Marketo Smart Lists | Good segmentation combined by account/person, firm/intent/engagement. |
| ⚙️ Marketing activation | ✅ Marketo Engage + audience synchronization | Excellent marketing orchestration via Marketo campaigns. |
| 🪄 Ads activation | ✅ Demandbase Ads + LinkedIn + display ad sync | Ad targeting based on accounts on paid platforms. |
| 🧰 Sales activation | ✅ Demandbase Sales Intelligence + push CRM | Alerts on intent signals, enriched data for sales. |
| 📊 Measurement & feedback loop | ⚠️ Demandbase ABX Dashboards + Marketo Reporting | Measurement spread across tools, consistency to be built via CRM or BI tools. |
| 📜 Governance & consent | ⚠️ Dispersed (Marketo, CRM, Demandbase) | No unified layer for data consent or governance. |
🧠 Example 3: Marketo + Salesforce + Adobe CDP (Real-Time CDP B2B) Stack
🟡 Maturity level: High / Enterprise
🎯 Objective: unify all channels, manage in real time, orchestrate intelligent multichannel marketing.
Strengths:
- Real-time profile unification via Adobe RT-CDP
- Advanced enrichment and modeling
- Omnichannel activation with Adobe Journey Optimizer
- Full-funnel measurement via Adobe CJA
Limitations:
- Complex stack to implement
- High licensing costs
- Demanding data governance
➡️ Perfect for large, multi-product companies with strong cross-channel orchestration ambitions.
| Function | Building blocks used | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 🧩 Data unification | ✅ Adobe Real-Time CDP (via Adobe Experience Platform) + CRM | Real-time unification, comprehensive B2B profiles, links between contacts & accounts. |
| 📡 External enrichment | ✅ Connectors (e.g., Bombora, Dun & Bradstreet, etc.) | Native integration with third-party providers for firmography and intent data. |
| 👥 B2B modeling | ✅ Native in Adobe CDP: accounts, buying groups, hierarchical relationships | Natively designed, comprehensive, and actionable B2B structure. |
| 🎯 Advanced segmentation | ✅ Real-time CDP segmentation + Adobe Audience Manager | Dynamic segments that can be activated across all channels. |
| 🪄 Ads Activation | ✅ Adobe Advertising Cloud + Audience Manager | Paid media orchestration with real-time targeting and performance feedback. |
| ⚙️ Marketing activation | ✅ Marketo Engage + Adobe Journey Optimizer | Orchestrated and contextualized multi-channel activation. |
| 🧰 Sales activation | ✅ Export Salesforce + Marketo Sales Insight | Signals integrated into Salesforce, sales actions triggered. |
| 📊 Measurement & feedback loop | ✅ Adobe Customer Journey Analytics + Adobe Analytics | Detailed cross-channel analysis, integrated into the user experience. |
| 📜 Governance & consent | ✅ Adobe Privacy & Data Governance (in AEP) | Centralized GDPR management, data usage, marketing preferences. |
🎁 Let’s talk about it together!
It’s not always easy to know where you stand, let alone where to start. That’s why we’ve set up a free 1.5-hour strategic coaching session with me, Sylvain Davril.
🧙♂️ During this session:
- We take stock of your current stack
- We challenge your practices
- We suggest concrete areas for improvement
Conclusion
| Function | Adobe Stack | Demandbase Stack | Marketo + Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧩 Data unification | ✅ Real time | ⚠️ Partial micro-CDP | ❌ Not unified |
| 📡 Enrichment | ✅ Native + APIs | ✅ Demandbase Intent | ⚠️ Possible via third parties |
| 👥 B2B / Buying Groups model | ✅ Complete | ✅ Complete | ⚠️ Manual modeling |
| 🎯 Multi-source segmentation | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Good | ✅ Good |
| ⚙️ Marketing activation | ✅ Multi-channel | ✅ Targeted ABM | ✅ Email-centric |
| 🪄 Ads activation | ✅ Adobe Advertising Cloud | ✅ Demandbase Ads & LinkedIn | ⚠️ Manual export to Ads |
| 🧰 Sales activation | ✅ Marketo Sales Insight | ✅ Alerts & CRM signals | ⚠️ Basic MSI |
| 📊 Global measurement & performance | ✅ CJA + Analytics | ⚠️ Separate dashboards | ⚠️ Marketo + CRM |
| 📜 Governance / consent | ✅ Centralized (AEP) | ⚠️ Dispersed | ⚠️ Dispersed |
Choosing the right MarTech stack for your ABX strategy isn’t just about tools. It’s about orchestration, maturity, and a shared vision between marketing, sales, and IT.
And that’s where Merlin/Leonard can play its role as the “alignment genius.”
