Modern ABM and Demand Generation in the Age of Buyer Fatigue
A conversation with Rick Collins, VP of Demand Generation at Connectwise.





“We’ve hit what I call the Great Ignore. Everyone’s overwhelmed with messages across channels… even the good ones are getting ignored.”
In the past 12–18 months, pipeline generation has become increasingly challenging. Rising revenue goals and shrinking budgets have pushed marketing teams into a corner. Traditional tactics—especially high-volume lead generation—are no longer effective. In this environment, Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has emerged as a vital strategy. But to truly succeed, teams must rethink how they define ABM, how they align with sales, and how they scale through integrated processes.
This blog, based on a Revenue Lounge podcast episode with Rick Collins, VP of Demand Generation at ConnectWise, is your deep dive into:
The evolution of ABM in modern demand gen
Aligning go-to-market teams
Building operational systems for scale
Tools, data, and attribution best practices
Key lessons Rick learned the hard way
From IT to Demand Gen: Rick's Unconventional Path
Rick’s journey began in IT—working in QA, implementation, and CRM systems. Over time, he gravitated toward marketing operations, and eventually demand generation.
“I bring a different lens to demand gen. I’ve built the ops side first, which gave me an appreciation of data, systems, and how to scale programs with precision.”
He was the first marketing ops hire at ConnectWise, scaled the team through multiple acquisitions, and later took over demand gen during one of the toughest periods for pipeline creation in SaaS.
The Death of Traditional Lead Generation
Rick calls out three seismic changes that made legacy demand gen ineffective:
The Rise of the Empowered Buyer: Buyers now reach 80–90% of the way through the journey before contacting a vendor.
Digital Fatigue: Automation misuse has saturated inboxes and weakened outreach quality.
Market Competition: More players, more noise, and higher ad costs.
“We used to be a lead-gen machine. Now it’s all about understanding signals, providing value, and making every touchpoint count.”
Strategies That Actually Work
Rick’s team has focused on three core strategies to cut through the clutter:
1. Provide Thought Leadership Without Selling
Publish content that helps the audience do their job better.
Avoid product mentions in early stages.
“The more we can help you without asking for anything, the more trust we build.”
2. Respond Fast When Intent is Declared
If someone shows intent, ensure a quick, seamless follow-up.
Architect systems for real-time handoff to sales.
3. Revive Direct Mail
Physical mail cuts through the noise and makes an impact.
Combine gifting with value-driven messaging.
“You send me a direct mail piece—I’m going to see it. It stands out.”
ABM is Not a Tool. It’s a Strategic Motion
“Start with the strategy. Don’t buy the tool until you know what you want to achieve.”
Too many organizations make the mistake of buying an ABM platform before defining their motion. Rick recommends starting small and proving success manually.
Strategic ABM Checklist:
Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) based on firmographic and technographic criteria
Segment and tier accounts (e.g., Tier 1: High-Value, Tier 2: Strategic Growth, Tier 3: Scalable Outreach)
Involve sales in validating and refining account lists
Build cross-functional account plans with sales and SDRs
Develop persona-specific messaging and value narratives
Align marketing and sales cadences for multi-threaded outreach
Choose channels and tactics based on account tier (field, digital, gifting, events)
Establish shared KPIs and cohort-based measurement plans
Start small (e.g., pilot 25 Tier 1 accounts), iterate based on learnings
Scale with technology only after proving success manually
MQLs vs Buying Groups: A Nuanced Approach
Rick doesn’t claim MQLs are dead—but they are misunderstood. The definition varies drastically across companies. What’s more effective? Tracking buying group signals.
“We’re operating under the buying group model in our upmarket motion. One person may raise their hand, but we’re watching the whole committee.”
Infographic: MQL vs Buying Group Comparison
Criteria | MQL | Buying Group |
---|---|---|
Focus | Individual | Committee/Swarm |
Common in | SMB | Enterprise, Mid-market |
Trigger | Email open, form fill | Intent + multiple touchpoints |
Limitation | Ignores influence | Holistic engagement |
Ideal motion | Automated lead nurture | High-touch ABM |
Solving Attribution & Measurement Challenges
“We use cohort reporting to measure ABM. Attribution is helpful, but it’s directional.”
Attribution is complex—especially when sales teams don’t tag every contact or touchpoint in CRM. Rick’s solution is cohort-based reporting:
Cohort Reporting Process:
Choose a set of 500 target accounts
Launch a defined campaign or series of campaigns
Measure:
Pipeline creation
Opportunity conversion
Win rates
Double-click into successful accounts and identify what worked
Aligning with Sales: The Non-Negotiable Element
“If sales isn’t bought in, it’s just marketing playing by themselves. It doesn’t work.”
Rick emphasizes that sales buy-in is crucial. Here’s his playbook for driving that alignment:
Sales Alignment Checklist:
Infographic: Joint Sales-Marketing ABM Execution Plan
Phase | Action | Owner |
Account Selection | Agree on Tier 1 accounts | Sales + Marketing |
Persona Mapping | Identify roles & pains | Marketing |
Messaging | Customize value stories | Marketing + Enablement |
Outreach | Sequence delivery | SDRs + Reps |
Follow-Up | Meetings & nurture | Sales |
Reporting | Track cohort progress | Ops |
Tech Stack and Data Activation: A Pragmatic View
“Tools won’t fix your strategy. They help scale what’s already working.”
Rick breaks the ABM tech landscape into three layers:
Signal Aggregation – intent data, website visits, email behavior.
Activation – digital ads, gifting, outreach.
Measurement – pipeline contribution, cohort lift, influence.
His recommendation: push data into Salesforce and trigger workflows from there. Otherwise, data sits idle.
“We built a prospecting dashboard showing intent scores, untouched accounts, and pipeline priority. Next step: automate the whole motion.”
Balancing Short-Term Metrics vs Long-Term Relationship Building
“If someone has the answer to balancing short- and long-term pipeline generation, I’m all ears.”
Rick’s team avoids meeting-based comp for SDRs. Instead, they’re measured on accepted pipeline and closed-won influence. But this is still a work-in-progress.
SDR Measurement: Old vs New
Model | Meeting-Based | Pipeline-Influence-Based |
Pros | Easy to track | Aligned with revenue |
Cons | Short-term focus | Complex to implement |
Outcome | Flimsy meetings | Better qualified pipeline |
The Power of Insightful Personalization
A campaign that stood out to Rick? A vendor targeting ConnectWise built a hyper-personalized series referencing his CMO’s Boston roots and even tied it to Tom Brady.
“It wasn’t just clever—it was relevant. And it solved a real pain. That’s what made it stick.”
Lesson: Don’t just personalize. Make it insightful and timely.
Final Lessons Learned
“We made two big mistakes early on: Lack of executive alignment and poor account selection.”
What Rick Would Do Differently:
Spend more time aligning with sales leadership.
Don’t rely only on systems to pick accounts—get sales input early.
“Sales will throw out your list if even one account looks off. And then you’ve lost them.”
Conclusion: Context is Everything
“As a demand gen leader, 60% of my job is setting context. Why does this matter? Why should our CRO care?”
Rick’s approach blends strategy, systems thinking, and human alignment. ABM success isn’t about tech or tactics—it’s about trust, process, and focus.
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