If you’ve spent more than five minutes in B2B marketing, you’ve heard the hype about account based marketing (ABM). The basics are solid—focus on specific accounts, personalize your outreach, and close bigger deals. But when it comes to actually setting up ABM workflows in a tool like Scrubby, things can get messy fast. This guide is for people who want real steps, not hand-wavy advice or marketing fluff. Whether you’re new to Scrubby or just tired of pretending you know what “orchestrate omnichannel engagement” means, you’ll find something useful here.
Step 1: Set Up Your Target Account List
Let’s start with the obvious: ABM is pointless if you’re targeting the wrong companies. Scrubby makes it easy to import and organize accounts, but don’t just dump your whole CRM in and call it a day.
How to do it: - Clean your list first. Duplicates and outdated accounts will haunt you later. Spend the time up front to trim the fat. - Import your accounts. In Scrubby, go to the Accounts tab, hit Import, and upload your CSV or connect your CRM. - Tag and segment. Use tags like “Tier 1,” “Expansion,” or “High Priority.” Scrubby’s custom fields help, but don’t overthink it—simple is best.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure who to include, start with your top 20-50 accounts. You can always add more later, but you can’t get back wasted time chasing dead ends.
Step 2: Build Your ABM Workflow
Here’s where most teams either get creative or get stuck. Scrubby’s workflow builder is flexible, but don’t let that tempt you into building a Rube Goldberg machine.
How to do it: 1. Go to Workflows in Scrubby and click New Workflow. 2. Choose a trigger. For ABM, you’ll usually trigger from account status, engagement score, or a specific event (like a form fill or demo request). 3. Map out the steps. Think: - Send personalized email to account owner - Assign task for SDR call - Add account to LinkedIn ad audience - Send follow-up email - Pause and wait for engagement
Keep it simple: - Start with one or two channels. If you’re not getting traction with email and calls, adding direct mail or ads won’t magically fix things. - Don’t automate everything. Personal touches matter—leave space for manual outreach. - Use clear naming. “Q2 ABM – Tier 1 Nurture” beats “Workflow 7.”
What to ignore:
All the “AI-powered next best action” stuff Scrubby advertises? It’s fine, but it won’t save you from bad data or generic messaging. Focus on the basics first.
Step 3: Personalize, But Don’t Overdo It
Personalization is the whole point of ABM, but it’s also where marketers waste the most time. The trick is to make it feel personal without writing a novel for every account.
How to do it: - Use tokens and dynamic fields. Scrubby lets you drop in company names, pain points, or industry tidbits automatically. - Build templates for each segment. Have one for SaaS, one for manufacturing, etc. Don’t try to write a snowflake for every lead. - Set up alerts for manual intervention. When a target account engages, have Scrubby notify the right rep to jump in and actually be personal.
What works: - Referencing recent news or a product launch. - Mentioning a mutual connection or event.
What doesn’t: - Overly cute or forced personalization (“I see you went to Ohio State—go Buckeyes!”) unless it’s genuinely relevant. - Overly generic templates. If your message could go to anyone, it’ll get ignored.
Step 4: Align Your Team (Yes, Actually Do It)
This isn’t a “teamwork makes the dream work” pep talk. ABM falls apart fast if sales and marketing aren’t on the same page. Scrubby has built-in collaboration tools, but you have to use them.
How to do it: - Assign clear owners. In Scrubby, make sure every account has a single point of contact. - Set up shared dashboards. Let everyone see what’s happening—no “marketing black box.” - Use comments and task assignments. Scrubby’s notes and @mentions aren’t just for show. Use them to flag hot accounts, share insights, or hand off leads.
Pro tip:
Weekly standups are worth it. Ten minutes to review progress beats endless Slack threads.
Step 5: Measure What Matters
Scrubby will try to show you every stat under the sun. Most of it is noise. For ABM, focus on a few metrics that actually tell you if things are working.
Key metrics: - Account engagement score: Are your target accounts opening emails, clicking links, and responding? - Meetings booked per account: Not just volume—are you getting meetings with the right people? - Pipeline value influenced: Is your ABM workflow moving real deals forward? - Sales feedback: What’s the sales team actually saying about the leads?
How to do it: - Build a dashboard in Scrubby with just these metrics. - Ignore vanity stats—like total email opens or generic MQLs—they’re distractions. - Regularly review and tweak. If one step is a dead end, change it.
Step 6: Customize and Iterate (But Don’t Get Lost in the Weeds)
Scrubby’s customization options are deep—custom fields, advanced automation, API hooks, you name it. Here’s the honest take: Most teams don’t need half of it.
Where customization helps: - Custom stages: If your ABM process has unique steps (e.g., “Executive alignment”), add them. - Integrations: Connect Scrubby to your CRM, ad platforms, or Slack for smoother handoffs. - Conditional logic: Branch workflows if an account hits a certain engagement threshold.
Where to skip it: - Don’t build a tangled web of automations just because you can. More steps = more things to break. - Avoid the urge to “optimize” before you have real data.
Pro tip:
Set a monthly reminder to review your workflows. Kill or fix anything that isn’t pulling its weight.
Real Talk: Common Pitfalls and How to Dodge Them
- Trying to scale too soon. Nail your process with a small set of accounts, then expand.
- Ignoring feedback. If sales ignores your leads, your workflow’s broken—fix it.
- Overcomplicating everything. Fancy workflows look cool in demos but usually just slow you down.
- Not documenting changes. Make a habit of noting what you tweak and why. Future you will thank you.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple, Keep Moving
Setting up ABM workflows in Scrubby is less about mastering every feature and more about actually reaching the right accounts, with the right message, at the right time. Start small, keep your process tight, and don’t be afraid to scrap what isn’t working. The best ABM teams iterate fast and stay honest about what moves the needle—and what’s just busywork with a shiny UI.
Remember: It’s better to have a basic workflow that actually gets used than a perfect one that gathers dust. Set it up, hit send, and tweak as you learn. That’s how real progress happens.