If you’ve been in B2B marketing for a while, you’ve probably heard the phrase “account-based marketing” (ABM) tossed around more times than you can count. It’s been the gold standard for targeting high-value accounts, running personalized campaigns, aligning with sales, and building pipelines.
But here’s the thing: the B2B buying process has changed. A lot.
Prospects don’t just want to be marketed to anymore. They want a seamless, helpful, and relevant experience every step of the way. That’s where account-based experience (ABX) comes in.
ABX takes the foundation of ABM, targeting the right accounts with personalized outreach, and expands it across the entire customer journey.
Instead of focusing only on getting new leads into the funnel, ABX is about creating a consistent, personalized experience from first touch all the way through renewal and expansion.
It’s not just marketing’s job anymore, it’s a team sport between marketing, sales, and customer success.
Here’s a quick snapshot of how they stack up:
| ABM | ABX |
| Marketing owns most of it | Shared across marketing, sales, and CS |
| Focused on driving pipeline | Focused on building relationships |
| Personalized campaigns | Personalized experiences |
| Metrics: leads, MQLs, opportunities | Metrics: revenue, retention, advocacy |
ABM is all about asking, “How do we identify and win this account?” while ABX shifts the question to, “How do we deliver an experience this account genuinely values?”
In tech, buyers are doing more research on their own, comparing vendors side by side, and expecting interactions that feel connected — not siloed.
If your marketing feels different from your sales pitch, or your post-sale communication doesn’t line up with the buying experience, it creates friction. And friction kills deals (and renewals).
With an ABX approach, your teams:
When marketing, sales, and CS all speak the same language and focus on experience, customers notice, and they stick around.
At the end of the day, ABX is about more than strategy — it’s about mindset. It asks every team that touches an account to think beyond their own goals and focus on delivering real value at every stage. When marketing, sales, and customer success work together to create one cohesive experience, that’s when the magic happens. The result? Stronger relationships, happier customers, and long-term growth that feels a lot less like “selling” and a lot more like partnering.
If your “account-based marketing” still feels like just... marketing, it’s time for an upgrade. ABX is where marketing, sales, and success actually work together — and your customers can feel the difference.