The 2025 ABX Talent Benchmark Report

Introduction

This report was designed to take stock of where ABX talent strategy stands today—and what’s likely to shape it in the years ahead. As part of a collaboration between 6sense and Sloane Staffing, the study surveyed nearly 200 ABX professionals, most from technology and software organizations, to understand how teams are built, what roles are in demand, which skills are prioritized, and what challenges are standing in the way.

The findings paint a picture of a function still taking shape. While confidence in ABX is growing, few leaders feel fully equipped to scale. For organizations looking to expand their ABX efforts, solving that gap will depend not just on strategy or tech—but it will require better alignment between talent, structure, and investment.

About the Report

This report is based on survey responses from nearly 200 ABX professionals, with 73% representing technology and software organizations.

We focused on six core areas:

ABX Program Maturity and Structure: How ABX efforts are staffed, funded, and operationalized.

Measurement and KPIs: What success looks like—and how it’s actually being measured.

Talent Acquisition: What roles are in demand and which skills are prioritized.

Sourcing Practices and Hiring Challenges: Where hiring efforts break down, and how long it takes to fill roles.

Talent Development and Retention: What organizations are doing to support ABX talent—and what they’re not.

Future Outlook: What skills will matter most, and what challenges lie ahead.

The report concludes with implications for organizations looking to scale their ABX efforts and better align talent strategy with business goals.

Table of Context

Introduction

About the Report

State of ABX
ABX Program Maturity and Structure

ABX Team Sizes and Ownership

Professional Backgrounds of ABX Team Members

Measurement and KPIs

KPIs Used to Evaluate ABX Performance

Performance Review Cadence

Introduction

About the Report

This report is based on survey responses from nearly 200 ABX professionals, with 73% representing technology and software organizations.

We focused on six core areas:

ABX Program Maturity and Structure: How ABX efforts are staffed, funded, and operationalized.

Measurement and KPIs: What success looks like—and how it’s actually being measured.

Talent Acquisition: What roles are in demand and which skills are prioritized.

Sourcing Practices and Hiring Challenges: Where hiring efforts break down, and how long it takes to fill roles.

Talent Development and Retention: What organizations are doing to support ABX talent—and what they’re not.

Future Outlook: What skills will matter most, and what challenges lie ahead.

The report concludes with implications for organizations looking to scale their ABX efforts and better align talent strategy with business goals.

The State of ABX

ABX Program Maturity and Structure

All respondents to this survey are actively involved in ABX efforts at their organization. But while participation is universal by the design of this study, the maturity and structure of those programs are far from uniform.

Only 15% of respondents described their ABX program as “well established.” A majority (53%) characterized their efforts as “somewhat developed,” and another 28% said they were “just getting started.” These self-assessments suggest that for most organizations, many are still in early or transitional stages of ABX adoption.

This finding aligns with broader research from 6sense, which, across three years of data collection, shows that 8 in 10 B2B organizations report having an ABX or ABM program in place, but fewer have evolved it into a fully mature, account-centric model.

ABX Budget Allocation

Budget allocations in this study reflect a similar story. On average, respondents said 29% of their marketing budget is dedicated to ABX programs. But that average masks considerable variability.

Teams that are “just starting out” or “somewhat developed” allocate, on average, just 26% of their budgets to ABX. That figure climbs to 34% among those with “well-established” programs—and reaches 66% among the small subset who describe their programs as “fully scaled.”

While the fully scaled group represents a small portion of the sample and should be interpreted with caution, the overall pattern suggests that more mature ABM programs require greater commitment and investment. Early-stage teams may be underinvesting, limiting their ability to build the infrastructure, staffing, and cross-functional alignment that scaled ABX programs require.

ABX Team Sizes and Ownership

Team structure also varies widely. Overall, 70% of respondents reported having a dedicated ABX team. As expected, the likelihood of having a dedicated team increases with program maturity. Still, it’s notable that even among those “just getting started,” over 60% reported having at least one person in a dedicated ABX role—suggesting that formal roles are being prioritized early, even when programs are still in their infancy.

Among those with dedicated ABX teams, the average team size is 4 to 5 individuals. Due to high variability in responses, our analysis did not find statistically reliable differences in team size based on company revenue or program maturity. That said, responses trended in the expected direction: smaller organizations with less mature programs often reported teams of just 1 to 2 members, while larger organizations with more established programs tended to report teams of 3 to 6. A larger sample would be needed to confirm whether these patterns hold more broadly.

In cases where no formal ABX team exists, marketing is most commonly (74%) responsible for driving ABX efforts, followed by cross-functional collaboration (21%).

Average Tenure of ABX Professionals

The average tenure of ABX professionals across organizations is 25 months, or just over two years. Tenure did not reliably vary by industry, offering type, or maturity level. This might suggest that even well-resourced ABX programs are relatively new in organizational terms. It's also possible that while ABX programs have existed for some time, the current team composition reflects more recent hiring or restructuring.

Professional Backgrounds of ABX Team Members

When asked about the most common professional backgrounds of their ABX team members, respondents overwhelmingly pointed to demand generation (82%). This was the statistically highest response by a wide margin.

Marketing operations was the next most common at 54%—statistically lower than Demand Gen, but reliably higher than all other options. The remaining responses included:

BDR/SDR (21%)
Sales (18%)
Product marketing (12%)
Account management (9%)

Measurement and KPIs

KPIs Used to Evaluate ABX Performance

Measurement defines the credibility of any strategic function—and for ABX, pipeline remains the metric of record. When respondents were asked how they evaluate the success of their ABX programs and teams, 87% pointed to pipeline growth, followed by account engagement metrics (61%), and revenue contribution (61%).

Performance Review Cadence

What organizations measure is only part of the equation—how often they assess performance reveals whether those metrics are being used to drive accountability. While half of respondents conduct reviews on a quarterly basis, a sizable share (39%) report assessing ABX performance only on an “as-needed” basis. That reactive approach may signal a lack of formalized evaluation processes or a hesitancy to tie ABX efforts directly to performance cycles.

The maturity breakdown reinforces this inconsistency. Teams in fully scaled or well-established programs are more likely to review performance regularly, with 60% or more reporting quarterly assessments. But among those “just starting out,” nearly half still rely on ad hoc evaluation. This pattern underscores a broader maturity gap: many organizations are applying modern KPIs to ABX programs, but not yet operationalizing those metrics through consistent, structured review cycles. Without routine assessment, the ability to optimize and scale ABX remains limited—no matter how strong the metrics framework looks on paper.

Talent Acquisition

Who’s Hiring & Who’s Not

Just over half of respondents (56%) indicated that their organization plans to hire for ABX roles in the next 12 months. This level of activity suggests sustained interest in building out ABX capabilities—but not universal momentum.

Importantly, there were no statistically reliable differences in hiring plans based on ABX program maturity or organization size. While hiring appears to be trending higher among larger companies, the variability in responses makes it difficult to confirm whether this pattern is meaningful across the broader sample.

In short, ABX hiring plans are varied, and growth trajectories may be shaped as much by local team dynamics and budget availability as by maturity stage or scale.

In-Demand ABX Roles

Among those who are hiring, ABM/ABX Manager stands out as the most prioritized role, selected by 24% of respondents. This was the only role found to be statistically different from another—specifically, more in demand than Account Insights Analyst (5%). Other roles with moderate levels of demand include Marketing Enablement Specialist (14%), ABX Strategist (11%), Sales Enablement Specialist (8%), and Other (10%).

While these rankings provide a directional view of hiring intent, it’s important to note that the small sample size of those actively hiring(n=63) and high variability in responses limit the number of statistically reliable comparisons. Still, the results suggest that managerial and enablement-focused roles are taking priority over analyst positions—possibly reflecting an emphasis on execution and orchestration over measurement and optimization in the near term.

Experience Level Expectations Vary Widely by Role

When it comes to hiring, not all ABX roles come with the same expectations for experience. Mid-level experience (3–5 years) is the dominant requirement across most roles, but the breakdown reveals important distinctions. For example, Account Insights Analyst is almost exclusively viewed as a mid-level hire—100% of respondents selected this level—while other roles show more variation.

Strategic and leadership roles such as ABM/ABX Manager and ABX Strategist show a higher tolerance for senior-level experience. Nearly half (47%) of respondents hiring ABM/ABX Managers expect senior-level candidates, and 29% say the same for ABX Strategists.

Meanwhile, roles like Sales Enablement Specialist and Marketing Operations Specialist appear more flexible, with 20% or more of respondents open to hiring at the entry level.

Taken together, the data suggest that some ABX roles are being used to scale existing strategy, while others are seen as build-and-lead roles requiring deeper expertise.

Skills and Traits Prioritized in ABX Hiring

When organizations hire for ABX roles, strategic thinking tops the list. Nearly half of respondents (48%) said they prioritize ABX strategy as a critical skill—statistically higher than any other trait. This suggests that as organizations build out ABX teams, they’re looking for professionals who can do more than execute tactics—they want people who can architect, adapt, and guide the overall approach.

Other high-priority skills include:

Data analysis and insights (42%)
Cross-functional collaboration (40%)
Account planning and targeting (38%)
Campaign execution (33%)

These selections reflect a desire for both analytical strength and cross-functional agility, reinforcing the hybrid nature of ABX as a discipline that spans strategy, execution, and coordination.

At the other end of the spectrum, fewer organizations selected project management (12%), tech stack expertise (22%), and creativity/innovation (22%) as top priorities. While not insignificant, these skills appear to be viewed as secondary to those that directly influence account targeting, orchestration, and measurement.

Taken together, the data suggest that ABX professionals are being hired less as channel specialists or project executors, and more as integrators—those who can translate strategy into coordinated action across revenue teams.

The Role of MarTech Expertise in ABX Hiring

While MarTech skills may not top the list of prioritized traits, they are far from irrelevant. A strong majority of respondents consider MarTech expertise at least moderately important when hiring ABX professionals. 43% said it is “important,” while another 28% rated it “very important,” and 15% deemed it “critical.”

Only a small portion—13%—classified it as “slightly important,” and just 1% said it’s not considered at all.

These findings suggest that while MarTech fluency may not be the primary differentiator in ABX hiring decisions, a baseline level of comfort with technology is an expected part of the role. As ABX programs mature and tech stacks become more sophisticated, the demand for professionals who can effectively navigate and apply these tools may rise accordingly.

Sourcing Practices and Hiring Challenges

Sourcing Strategies for ABX Talent

When it comes to sourcing ABX talent, most organizations rely on familiar, broad-reach methods. The two most common strategies—job boards (75%) and referrals (81%)—are statistically equivalent and form the primary sourcing backbone for most teams.

After that, usage drops off, but three mid-tier strategies show no statistical difference from one another:

Social media (46%)
Internal promotions (41%)
Recruitment agencies (31%)

This suggests that while digital platforms and in-house pipelines are in play, they are used less consistently and may reflect organization-specific preferences or resource constraints rather than a shared best practice.

Taken together, the data suggests that organizations are still leaning heavily on traditional, general-purpose sourcing methods rather than drawing from ABX-specific networks or more specialized channels. As competition for experienced ABX professionals increases, these sourcing strategies may face diminishing returns.

Effectiveness of Sourcing Strategies

While referrals and job boards are the most used sourcing strategies, their effectiveness ratings tell a more nuanced story. Referrals not only top the list in usage (81%) but also rank highest in perceived effectiveness, scoring 3.5 out of 5 on average. Internal promotions, though less common, also performed well with a rating of 3.2.

In contrast, job boards—which are used by 75% of respondents—rank lower in effectiveness at 2.8, suggesting that while they are widely used, they may not yield the best-fit candidates for ABX roles. Social media outreach also lags in both usage and effectiveness (2.6), hinting at a need for more targeted or refined approaches.

The takeaway: not all sourcing strategies deliver equal returns, and over-reliance on high-usage but lower-performing channels like job boards may be slowing hiring outcomes.

Common Challenges in Sourcing ABX Talent

Hiring ABX talent isn’t just about knowing where to look—it’s also about navigating a set of persistent obstacles. The most frequently cited challenge is a lack of qualified candidates, selected by 61% of respondents. But it’s far from the only issue. Budget constraints (49%) and misalignment in skills needed (42%) also ranked high, with no statistically reliable differences between them—suggesting that all three are comparably common roadblocks.

Lower on the list but still notable were competition with other organizations (17%) and limited resources for recruiting (10%). These issues likely reflect broader organizational constraints, such as talent brand visibility or hiring capacity, rather than ABX-specific issues.

While the sample size (n=59) limits the statistical power to differentiate challenges with precision, the overall pattern is clear: most organizations are struggling with availability, affordability, or alignment—each of which can slow or stall the growth of ABX programs.

Time to Fill Remains Consistent Across Contexts

When asked how long it took to fill their most recent ABX hire, respondents reported an average of 4 months, with 3 months being the most common answer. While this timeline may seem reasonable, it’s notable for its consistency: time to fill did not vary meaningfully by industry, company size, product offering, region, or ABX maturity level.

This suggests that the timeline to hire ABX talent is less about organizational context and more about broader labor market dynamics—including candidate availability, role clarity, and internal recruiting resources. Whether you're early in your ABX journey or leading a scaled program, the hiring process typically takes a full quarter or more.

Talent Development and Retention

Training and Development for New ABX Hires

Once ABX professionals are hired, most organizations offer some form of support—but the type of support varies widely. The two most common resources provided are on-the-job training (86%) and access to ABX tools (90%), which were statistically equivalent in frequency and form the foundation of most onboarding programs.

Beyond that, more structured or hands-on approaches drop off. Just over half of respondents offer mentoring (56%), and fewer than half provide formal workshops (44%). A small share—4%—reported offering no resources at all, underscoring a gap that could affect long-term ramp time and retention.

The data suggest that while ABX teams prioritize getting new hires into tools and workflows quickly, more proactive skill development through mentorship and formal training is less consistent. For organizations looking to mature their programs, expanding support beyond tactical onboarding may be key to building lasting, high-performing ABX capabilities.

Future Outlook

Future Outlook: What’s Ahead for ABX Talent

When asked to anticipate emerging trends in the ABX talent market, respondents identified several dominant themes—chief among them, the growing importance of data-driven insights, selected by 70% of participants. Other top responses included blended ABX roles and cross-functional collaboration (both at 65%), along with personalization and journey mapping (58%). These responses were statistically equivalent, pointing to a broad shift toward integrated, insight-led roles that can span multiple functions.

Notably, remote work opportunities, cited by just 18%, stood out as statistically lower than all other trends. This suggests that while flexible work remains a consideration, the ABX talent conversation is increasingly focused on skillsets, adaptability, and internal collaboration over geographic flexibility.

Together, these responses point to a future ABX workforce that’s expected to be analytically fluent, strategically blended, and highly collaborative—a shift that will likely reshape how roles are defined and which capabilities are prioritized.

Future Skills and Certifications: What Will Set ABX Talent Apart?

Looking ahead, the ABX talent market is expected to shift toward deeper technical fluency and cross-channel sophistication. The most frequently cited skills for the future include:

ABX-specific tech skills (73%)
AI proficiency (72%)
Omnichannel marketing (68%)

These three were statistically equivalent, suggesting no single capability dominates, but rather that a blend of technology and orchestration will define future readiness.

By comparison, data storytelling (53%) and formal certifications (38%) were reliably less likely to be selected. While still relevant, they appear to be viewed as supporting competencies rather than core requirements.

According to our respondents, tomorrow’s ABX professionals will likely need to navigate complex tech ecosystems, apply AI tools effectively, and manage integrated, multichannel campaigns. As hiring ramps up, organizations may need to prioritize internal development in these areas, particularly for candidates who show promise but lack direct experience.

Anticipated Challenges in ABX Talent Recruitment and Retention

Looking to the future, organizations foresee a range of obstacles in attracting and keeping ABX talent. The most commonly cited concern is keeping up with technological change (62%), followed by salary demands (47%) and competition with other organizations (45%). These challenges highlight the increasing pressure to offer not just competitive compensation, but also the right tools and learning environments to attract high-caliber ABX professionals.

Turnover was also flagged by nearly one-third of respondents (32%), pointing to the need for better long-term engagement strategies once talent is brought on board.

Meanwhile, balancing remote work surfaced as the least cited concern (11%) and was statistically lower than all others. This mirrors findings elsewhere in the study suggesting that while flexibility is valued, it's no longer seen as a primary lever—or risk—in recruiting or retaining ABX talent.

According to respondents, future hiring success will hinge less on workplace perks and more on an organization's ability to meet evolving skill expectations and provide meaningful career paths within a fast-changing ABX landscape.

Implications

Taken together, the findings from this study paint a picture of a discipline that is both accelerating and uneven. While ABX adoption is widespread in name, many programs remain in early or transitional stages—concentrated in marketing, modestly funded, and only partially integrated into broader go-to-market operations. Most teams are still small. And most measurement is ad hoc or quarterly.

That reality has direct consequences for hiring, enablement, and retention. The data show that even organizations with well-established programs are facing persistent roadblocks—chiefly a shortage of qualified candidates, tight budgets, and misalignment between available talent and the skills needed to scale ABX effectively.

Yet even amid these barriers, organizations are clear-eyed about what they need. Strategic skills like ABX orchestration, data analysis, and account targeting dominate hiring criteria. And when looking ahead, most anticipate future success will require fluency in AI, omnichannel execution, and specialized ABX technologies. There is, in short, a vision for what great looks like.

But whether teams feel ready to deliver on that vision is a different story.

As shown in the chart below, just 3% of respondents described themselves as “extremely confident” in their team’s current ability to meet ABX talent needs. A majority fell somewhere between “somewhat confident” (39%) and “confident” (32%). And more than one in ten said they were not confident at all.

That middling sentiment reflects a broader pattern in the data: ABX talent strategy is evolving—but confidence hasn’t caught up. Organizations know what’s needed, but still face barriers in aligning investment, infrastructure, and internal readiness. If the goal is to turn ABX from a siloed motion into a scalable engine of growth, talent will need to be treated not just as a staffing challenge, but as a strategic function.

For ABX leaders, the path forward will likely require:

Prioritizing measurement and review cycles that operationalize—not just define—success.
Investing in role-specific development, not just onboarding.
Building clearer career pathways that reflect the hybrid, strategic nature of ABX roles.
And revisiting sourcing strategies to reduce reliance on high-volume, low-yield channels.

In short: ABX maturity isn’t just about the program. It’s about the people who bring it to life.