If you're tired of generic “ABM best practices” articles and want a concrete, no-nonsense guide to actually building account based marketing (ABM) workflows in Mote, you're in the right place. This walkthrough is for marketing and sales folks who want less theory and more “show me exactly how to set this up, and what’s really worth doing.”
No promises of magic. Just a clear, step-by-step process for using Mote to focus your marketing effort on the accounts that matter — minus the fluff.
Step 1: Get Your Account List Right (Don’t Skip This)
You can’t automate your way out of a bad list. Before you even open Mote, get clear on which companies you’re targeting.
What works: - Syncing your CRM’s target account list into a spreadsheet or CSV. - Prioritizing accounts based on real data (fit, intent, engagement — not just “the logo would look cool on our deck”). - Keeping the list tight. Quality over quantity. A bloated ABM workflow just means more wasted effort.
What doesn’t: - Flimsy “ideal customer profile” exercises that don’t reflect who actually buys. - Relying only on job titles or company size. Get specific.
Pro tip: ABM fails more often from a fuzzy target list than from bad software.
Step 2: Connect Mote to Your Data Sources
Time to get technical — but not too technical. Mote can pull in data from your CRM, marketing automation, or spreadsheets. Here’s how to hook it up:
- Log into Mote.
- Go to Integrations. You’ll find options for Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, and more.
- Connect your CRM: Follow the prompts. Grant access. If IT gives you friction, bribe them with coffee.
- Import your account list: Use the synced CRM data, or upload a CSV if you prefer the “just let me upload my spreadsheet” method.
What works: - Pulling in both company and contact data. ABM only works if you can engage the buying committee, not just the company name. - Tagging or segmenting accounts as you import. Mote lets you add fields or tags for things like vertical, sales region, or priority tier.
What to ignore: - Overcomplicating your data model. Don’t try to sync every last field — focus on what you’ll actually use in workflows.
Step 3: Map Out Your ABM Playbooks
Here’s where you need to get specific. What’s your actual plan for moving target accounts through the funnel? You’re not just “doing ABM.” You need a series of plays — sequences of actions that sales and marketing will take.
Examples of ABM playbooks in Mote: - Awareness play: Send a series of personalized emails to contacts at new target accounts. - Engagement play: Trigger a LinkedIn connect request from your SDR, followed by a direct mail send if they engage. - Acceleration play: If an account visits your pricing page, route them to a senior AE for follow-up.
What works: - Start with 1-2 simple plays. Don’t build a Rube Goldberg machine for your first run. - Involve sales early. They’ll spot gaps in your logic fast.
What doesn’t: - Trying to automate every touchpoint. Some things (like personalized video messages) need a human touch.
Step 4: Build Your First Workflow in Mote
Now, let’s actually build something. Here’s a step-by-step for a basic “Awareness” workflow.
1. Create a New Workflow
- In Mote, go to 'Workflows' and click 'New Workflow'.
- Give it a clear name, like “Q3 Strategic Accounts Awareness.”
2. Set Your Trigger
- Choose your trigger. For ABM, it’s usually “Account added to segment” or “Contact engages with content.”
- Example: Trigger when a new account is marked as ‘Tier 1’ in your CRM.
3. Add Actions
- Send email: Use Mote’s email templates. Personalize with fields like company name, pain point, or recent news.
- Assign a task: Create a task for your SDR to connect on LinkedIn or send a personalized message.
- Wait step: Add a delay (e.g., 3 days) before the next action.
- Send follow-up: If no response, send a nudge or escalate to a more senior rep.
4. Add Branches (Optional)
- Use “if/then” logic: If someone clicks the link, add them to the “Engaged” segment; if not, move to a different nurture track.
5. Test Before Going Live
- Run the workflow on a test account. Check every step—broken automations make you look amateur.
What works: - Keeping each workflow tight. Focus on one objective. - Regularly reviewing and updating copy, triggers, and timing.
What doesn’t: - Launching 10 workflows at once. You’ll end up with a mess, and no one will know what’s working.
Step 5: Sync with Sales — Don’t Leave Them in the Dark
Even the slickest ABM automation falls flat if sales isn’t looped in. Mote lets you push workflow updates or tasks directly into your sales team’s tools (like Salesforce or Slack).
Tips: - Use Mote’s “Notify rep” action to send alerts when an account hits a key milestone. - Share playbooks and what each workflow actually does — not just “here’s your new leads.” - Set up a regular feedback loop. Quick syncs to ask: Are the right accounts reaching you? Is the timing off?
What works: - Making sales part of the process, not just recipients of automated tasks. - Being honest about early results — if a play isn’t working, kill it fast.
Step 6: Measure What Matters (And Ignore Vanity Metrics)
Now that your workflow’s running, you’ll want to see if it’s actually working. Mote’s reporting is decent, but don’t get hypnotized by dashboard charts.
Track: - Account engagement: Are more people from your target companies actually interacting? - Sales pipeline movement: Are target accounts moving to next stages? - Program influence: Did your workflow actually help close deals or deepen relationships?
Skip: - Open rates and click rates in isolation. They’re fine for email marketers, but ABM is about moving accounts, not just inboxes. - Overly granular attribution. If you’re arguing about whether it was the third email or the LinkedIn message that “caused” the meeting, you’re missing the point.
Pro tip: Set a calendar reminder to review results every month. If something’s not moving the needle, change it or kill it. No sacred cows.
Step 7: Keep It Simple, Iterate, Repeat
The honest truth: Most ABM workflows fail because they’re too complicated or nobody checks if they’re working. Mote gives you a lot of tools, but that doesn’t mean you need to use them all at once.
How to keep your sanity: - Start with the basics. Nail one workflow and one segment before scaling up. - Don’t be afraid to delete or pause workflows that aren’t delivering. - Document what you’re doing. It’ll save you (and your future self) hours of head-scratching later.
Final Thoughts
ABM can be powerful, but only if you focus on what really matters: the right accounts, clear plays, and simple, testable workflows. Mote is a solid platform for this, but it won’t fix a broken process or a wishy-washy target list. Build one workflow, measure, tweak, and only then scale up. Keep it simple, stay skeptical, and you’ll actually see results.