If you’re running account based marketing (ABM), you know the usual story: lots of dashboards, fluffy “engagement” numbers, and everyone claiming victory if an account so much as looks at your website. But you want to actually know if your ABM efforts are working—and you’re tired of vague dashboards that don’t mean anything in the real world.
This guide is for marketers, sales teams, and anyone who actually cares about proving (or improving) ABM results. I’ll walk you through how to use Xiqinc analytics to get real answers—what works, what doesn’t, and what to just ignore.
Let’s get into it.
1. Get Clear on What “Success” Actually Means
Before you open up Xiqinc, get honest about what ABM success really means for your team:
- Is it new pipeline from target accounts? Or just meetings booked?
- Are you trying to grow revenue from existing accounts? Or just get more contacts engaged?
- Do you care about influence, or are you held to closed-won deals?
Write this down. (Seriously.) Xiqinc can show you a lot of data, but if you’re not clear on your goals, you’ll drown in metrics and reports that don’t matter.
Pro tip: If your team can’t agree on what “winning” looks like, stop here and hash it out. Chasing the wrong numbers is a waste of everyone’s time.
2. Set Up Account Lists and Segments in Xiqinc
ABM lives and dies by your account lists. Xiqinc won’t magically fix a bad list, but it will help you see what’s really happening.
How to do it
- Upload your target list. Xiqinc lets you import accounts from CSV, CRM, or marketing automation. Double-check for duplicates and bad data.
- Segment your accounts. Don’t just lump everyone together. Create segments—by industry, company size, or deal stage—so you can see what’s actually working (and what isn’t) for each group.
- Tag “tiers” if you have them. If you run tiered ABM (e.g., Tier 1 = high-touch, Tier 3 = programmatic), make sure that’s reflected in Xiqinc. It’ll save you a reporting headache later.
What to ignore: Vanity segments like “accounts we wish were customers.” Stick to real, actionable lists.
3. Track the Right Activities (and Ignore the Rest)
Xiqinc tracks a boatload of account activities: website visits, ad impressions, email opens, webinar signups, and probably a few things you don’t need. Here’s what matters:
Focus on:
- Meaningful web visits: Not just any visit—look for repeat visits, time spent on high-value pages, or visits to product/pricing pages.
- Engaged contacts: Did someone at the account actually attend your event, reply to an email, or ask for a demo?
- Sales engagement: Are reps actually working the account? Are there calls, meetings, or personalized outreach logged?
Skip or downplay:
- One-and-done website hits: Someone at IBM hit your homepage? Cool, but don’t celebrate.
- Ad impressions alone: These are nice for reach, but they’re not proof of account engagement.
- Unverified contacts: If Xiqinc can’t tell who’s engaging at the account, treat it as background noise.
Pro tip: Set up “milestone events” in Xiqinc—things like “first meeting booked” or “proposal sent”—so you’re tracking progress, not just activity.
4. Build Dashboards That Actually Tell a Story
The worst ABM dashboards are just data dumps. Xiqinc’s dashboard builder is flexible, but you have to be ruthless about what you put in there.
What to include:
- Account progression: How many target accounts moved from “cold” to “engaged” to “sales active” to “opportunity created”?
- Engaged contacts per account: Are you reaching just one lonely champion, or building real buying group engagement?
- Revenue metrics: What’s the pipeline and closed-won sourced from your ABM efforts? Can you tie it back to your campaigns?
What to skip:
- Raw activity counts: 1,000 web visits from one account doesn’t mean 1,000 interested people.
- Super granular filters: If it takes 10 minutes to explain your dashboard, it’s too complex.
Honest take: If your dashboard looks impressive but doesn’t help you make decisions, it’s just a distraction.
5. Use Xiqinc’s Attribution, But Don’t Blindly Trust It
Attribution is where most ABM analytics tools get fuzzy. Xiqinc does better than most at showing multi-touch journeys across accounts, but no tool is magic.
Here’s how to approach it:
- Look for patterns, not absolutes. Attribution will never be perfect. Use it to spot which campaigns or touches tend to move accounts forward—not to “prove” causality.
- Compare segments. Are certain verticals responding better to webinars? Do outbound sequences perform better than digital ads for enterprise accounts?
- Validate with sales. If Xiqinc says an account is “engaged” but your sales team says they ghosted, trust the humans. Use Xiqinc to prompt conversations, not end them.
Pitfall to avoid: Don’t use attribution to play the “credit game” between sales and marketing. Focus on what’s actually driving revenue, not internal politics.
6. Spot What’s Working (and What’s Not)
This is where the rubber meets the road. Use Xiqinc’s analytics to answer real questions:
- Which campaigns or channels move accounts to the next stage?
- Are there accounts stalling out? Why?
- Are certain personas or roles engaging more than others?
- Is your sales team following up with engaged accounts—or dropping the ball?
How to dig in:
- Filter by segment, campaign, or account owner.
- Compare high-performing accounts to those that went nowhere—what’s different?
- Don’t be afraid to kill campaigns or tactics that just aren’t delivering. The data is there; don’t ignore it.
Honest take: Sometimes the “answer” is uncomfortable—maybe your prized ebook just doesn’t move the needle. Better to know now than keep wasting time.
7. Share Real Insights, Not Just Reports
No one needs another 20-page PDF of charts. Use Xiqinc’s reporting to arm your team with insights that actually spark action.
- Highlight shifts: “This quarter, 40% more Tier 1 accounts booked meetings after we launched the new ad sequence.”
- Call out issues: “We’re seeing lots of early-stage engagement, but not enough pipeline creation—let’s dig into why.”
- Keep it honest: If the numbers are soft, say so. People appreciate candor.
Pro tip: Bring sales and marketing together to review the data—don’t just email a report and hope for the best.
8. Iterate and Keep It Simple
Here’s the truth: ABM analytics are only useful if you actually use them. Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis.
- Pick 2–3 core metrics that matter for your team (pipeline created, engaged accounts, revenue won).
- Review them regularly.
- Ignore the noise and focus on what’s driving real results.
- Adjust your campaigns, account lists, and outreach based on what you learn.
Final thought: ABM is a marathon, not a sprint. Xiqinc can help you see what’s working, but only if you keep things simple and keep iterating. If you ever find yourself obsessing over “engagement scores” instead of revenue, take a step back. The simplest metrics are usually the ones that matter.
Now go cut through the noise, focus on what counts, and don’t let anyone sell you on shiny dashboards you don’t need.