ABM: What To Start, Stop, and Scale in 2026
Three marketing leaders share what ABM motions, tools, and audience strategies are worth starting, stopping, and scaling for enterprise B2B teams in 2026.
Most ABM advice sounds great in a keynote but falls apart when you actually try to build the audience in your CRM. That’s because there is no single “playbook” for marketing in 2026, there is only what’s working for your specific ACV, your specific sales cycle, and your specific team.
For companies selling to the enterprise, ABM isn’t a “tactic”—it’s just the reality of how your customers buy. You can’t wait for the right people to find you; you have to be account-based by necessity.
But what is actually working today? What tools are still worth the line item in your budget? How do you use AI to move faster without just creating more noise? And how do you measure success when “leads” aren’t the goal?
This month’s Exit Five Live session is all about ABM, and we’re bringing on three marketing leaders to share what they are going to start, stop, and scale in 2026 with their programs.
We’ll cover:
- What ABM motions are working right now
- What tools marketing teams are using and finding effective
- How teams define audiences and buying groups
- How intent, product signals, CRM data, and web behavior work together
- How to optimize ad targeting with Conversion APIs
- Where AI fits into ABM and what’s worth automating
- Real examples of ABM plays marketers are running now that are bringing in qualified buyers
This session is brought to you by Hightouch.
Speakers
Brian Kotlyar — CMO, Hightouch
Casey Patterson — Director of ABM, Snowflake
Dave Gerhardt — Founder, Exit Five
Drew Pinta — Director, Growth Data Science, Ramp
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a single ABM playbook that works for every company?
No — the session’s premise is that what works depends on your specific ACV, sales cycle, and team, not a generic keynote-style playbook. For enterprise sellers, ABM isn’t optional; it’s simply how customers buy.
What ABM tools are still worth the budget in 2026?
The session covers which tools marketing teams are actually finding effective right now, based on live programs at Snowflake, Hightouch, and Ramp — not a generic vendor list.
How do you measure ABM success when leads aren’t the goal?
This is a specific focus of the session, alongside how intent data, product signals, CRM data, and web behavior work together to define real account progression.
Where does AI fit into ABM programs?
The session covers where AI is worth automating in ABM versus where it just adds noise, including optimizing ad targeting with Conversion APIs.
Want More Sessions Like This?
Join the Exit Five community to get notified about upcoming live sessions and access our full library of replays.
Join the Community