We’ve all heard the famous quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” (Though Einstein likely never said it, the sentiment still holds.) And yet, here we are as Demand Generation and ABM leaders, repeating the same old tactics, using the same channels, and expecting improved results. Believe me, I’ve been leading Demand Gen Teams for the past 15+ years, and I’m certainly not immune to this either.

At least by now, we’ve all recognized that the shotgun approach to demand generation no longer works. So, most of us have shifted gears to ABM, putting in the effort to define our Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs), pinpointing key personas, and targeting the organizations most likely to buy our products or services.

But despite this newfound focus, we still struggle to locate the right contacts within these accounts and get them to engage, book meetings, and ultimately make a purchase. So here it is, the uncomfortable truth. (Sit down because this may sting a little)

We are afraid to move away from the programs and channels we know, even if they stopped working long ago. We believe they will magically start working again.

Yep, I said it. And deep down, though you don’t want to admit it, you likely know it’s true. Once we identify our ideal accounts (and there’s a better way to do this as well, but that’s a topic for another time), we fall back on the same tired channels and strategies—leaning on outdated contacts in our CRM that we swear we can reawaken, purchasing freezing cold lists, running ridiculously expensive paid search ads, or launching content syndication campaigns that attract little more than uninterested leads who never seem to actually remember downloading your content. Then, to make matters worse, we waste time nurturing these frigid contacts with the same tired messages, convinced we’ve “personalized” our outreach just because we mentioned the college they attended years ago.

But I promise you, there is a better way.

Here's the reality: While we're all focused on building our target account lists and fine-tuning our ICPs, we're missing the most obvious crucial elements like timing, relevance, and relationships. We're still too reliant on the same old methods to identify and engage contacts: purchasing outdated static lists the moment we receive them, running expensive ads hoping to catch someone's attention, or banking on generic intent data everyone else has access to.

But what if I told you that the hottest contacts that can open the door for you are already in your ecosystem? They're your former champions who just started new roles at target accounts, and they're the executives who visited your pricing page recently after getting promoted. They're the new decision-makers who previously used your solution at another company and cannot live without it.

Let me share my real-life example. While I was at UserTesting, we discovered that by focusing on tracking job changes of past users, champions, and opportunities, and personalizing our outreach, we generated approximately $39 million in pipeline and $10 million in closed-won revenue over a 4 year span. We didn't achieve this by sending even more emails to cold prospects, running more content syndication, or doubling up on our ad strategy – we did it by focusing on the right buying signals, from the right people, at the right time, with UserGems.

Instead of drowning your sales team with cold contacts who may or may not actually be in-market, you're providing them with warm leads who are ready and willing to engage with you

Think about it:

• When a past champion starts a new role at a target account, they're 3x more likely to buy from you again
• New executives spend 70% of their budget in their first 100 days
• Website visitors from your target accounts are showing active interest right now

The best part?

This isn't just about generating more leads - it's about capitalizing on MUCH warmer relationships that are more likely to convert. Your BDRs spend less time on research and more time on meaningful conversations. Your AEs get warmer introductions through past relationships and more champions within the account.

And your marketing team? They finally get to show concrete pipeline impact instead of just activity metrics.

Learn how to select accounts that convert and build an ABM program that drives pipeline, here.