If you’re serious about account based marketing (ABM), your target account list is where everything starts—or falls apart. Whether you’re in sales, marketing, or ops, this guide’s for anyone who has to actually use tools like Orcaforce to build, manage, and get real results from target account lists. We’ll skip the fluff and get right to what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid wasting time.
Step 1: Know What Makes a Good Target Account (And What Doesn’t)
Before you open up Orcaforce or start fiddling with filters, get clear on what makes a company a “target” for your ABM efforts. This isn’t just about big logos or wishful thinking.
What to focus on: - Firmographics: Industry, company size, revenue, geography. Be realistic—don’t chase Fortune 100s if you’re a tiny startup. - Fit: Does your solution actually solve a pain for them? (Not “could theoretically solve.”) - Intent: Are they showing signs they’re in-market? If you’re using intent data, great. If not, don’t pretend you are. - Existing Relationships: Warm intros beat cold emails every time.
What to ignore: - Vanity targets (“We want Nike because it’d look cool on our website.”) - Pure guesswork, or making the list so broad it’s pointless. - Copying someone else’s list—your ICP is not theirs.
Pro tip: Pressure-test your “ideal customer profile” with your sales and customer success teams. They’ll tell you who actually closes and sticks around.
Step 2: Get Your Data House in Order
Orcaforce is only as good as the data you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out.
What you need: - Clean account data: Company names, domains, industry codes, and revenue ranges. If your CRM is a mess, fix that first. - Deduplication: Merge duplicate entries. Nothing kills ABM like emailing the same company three times under three spellings. - Enrichment: Use data providers (like Clearbit, ZoomInfo, etc.) if you’re missing key info. But don’t go overboard—buy only what you’ll actually use.
What to skip: - Importing every lead you’ve ever met. Smaller, tighter lists win. - Overcomplicating with 30+ data fields “just in case.” Focus on what actually matters.
Pro tip: Spot-check a handful of target accounts. If you see a lot of missing or weird info, fix it before you build your list in Orcaforce.
Step 3: Build Your List in Orcaforce (The Right Way)
Now you’re ready to use Orcaforce. Don’t start by clicking buttons—start with a plan.
A. Set clear criteria - Define your ICP filters upfront. Example: “US-based SaaS companies, 100-1,000 employees, Series B or later.” - Don’t get too cute with the criteria. Simple is better, especially early on.
B. Use Orcaforce’s filters and segments - Orcaforce’s segmentation tools let you slice by industry, revenue, geography, and custom fields. Use these—don’t just dump in a CSV. - Save your filters as reusable segments. You’ll want to tweak and rerun lists later.
C. Tag and label accounts - Use tags (like “Top 50,” “Expansion,” “Renewal Risk”) to keep lists organized. - Don’t rely on memory or sticky notes—if it’s not tagged, it doesn’t exist.
D. Avoid common mistakes - Don’t make one mega-list with 500+ accounts. You’ll never work them all. Focus on the top 50-200. - Don’t ignore account status. Mark if they’re current customers, open opportunities, or cold.
Pro tip: Revisit your list every month. Markets change, people leave jobs, companies get acquired. Your list should reflect reality, not last quarter’s fantasy.
Step 4: Get Buy-in Across Teams (or Be Ready to Fail)
You can build the perfect account list, but if sales, marketing, and leadership aren’t aligned, it’s a paperweight.
How to do it: - Share the list early and often. Drop it in Slack, walk through it in meetings, and get feedback. - Document the “why.” For every account, be ready to explain why it made the cut. “Big logo” doesn’t count. - Assign ownership. Someone needs to own each account—or it’ll fall through the cracks. - Set expectations. Not every target will answer your emails. That’s normal.
What to ignore: - Endless debate on the “perfect” list. Good enough beats never done. - Chasing consensus from 10 stakeholders. Get buy-in from sales and marketing leads, then move.
Pro tip: Make it someone’s job to update the list monthly. Otherwise, it’ll rot.
Step 5: Integrate With Your Workflows (Don’t Let the List Gather Dust)
A target account list is only valuable if it’s actually used. This is where a lot of teams drop the ball.
Must-do’s: - Sync with your CRM: Orcaforce can push lists to Salesforce, HubSpot, etc. Make sure this is set up—or you’ll end up with parallel universes. - Connect to outreach tools: Pipe the list into whatever you use for outbound (Salesloft, Outreach, etc.) so reps see only their accounts. - Track engagement: Use Orcaforce’s engagement dashboards, but don’t trust them blindly. Cross-check with other sources.
What doesn’t work: - Building a list and then just… staring at it. If it’s not driving action, it’s a spreadsheet, not a strategy. - Over-automating. If every touch is a sequence, you’ll sound like everyone else.
Pro tip: Run a simple “Are we working these accounts?” check every week. If nothing’s happening, figure out why—and fix it fast.
Step 6: Measure, Iterate, and Ruthlessly Trim
ABM isn’t set-and-forget. Your account list should get better over time, not just bigger.
Keep it tight: - Drop accounts that never engage, go out of business, or clearly aren’t a fit. - Add new accounts only if they meet your original criteria, not just because someone had a hunch.
Track real outcomes: - Meetings booked, deals created, revenue won. Don’t fall for “leads generated” as your north star. - Compare list performance over time—did this quarter’s list work better than last?
Honest takes: - Most teams overestimate how many accounts they can work. Fewer, better-researched targets almost always win. - Don’t get precious about accounts that aren’t working. Cut them and move on.
Pro tip: Set a recurring calendar event to review and trim the list. If it’s not scheduled, it won’t happen.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
Don’t get hung up chasing the “perfect” list or overcomplicating things. Start with a tight, realistic target account list in Orcaforce, get buy-in from the people doing the work, and make sure your lists actually drive action. Iterate ruthlessly. The best ABM teams keep things simple and focus on what works—not what looks good in a dashboard.
Now, go build a list that actually gets results. And remember: if it feels too easy, you’re probably missing something. If it feels too complicated, you probably are.