call their ABX program “well established”
53% say it’s “somewhat developed” and 28% are just getting started.
6sense × Sloane Staffing · Research report
The 2025 ABX Talent Benchmark Report
We surveyed nearly 200 ABX professionals to take stock of where account-based talent strategy stands today — and what’s likely to shape it in the years ahead.
About the report
Account-based is everywhere — the talent behind it is still forming.
In partnership with 6sense, we surveyed nearly 200 ABX professionals across program maturity, measurement, hiring, development, and future outlook. The picture: ABX is now a core marketing motion, but the teams, metrics, and career paths that support it are young — and the talent to run it is scarce.
Hire ABX talent
The state of ABX
A core motion, still maturing
have a dedicated ABX team
Averaging 4–5 people focused on account-based execution.
of marketing budget goes to ABX
A meaningful, growing slice of the marketing investment.
average tenure of an ABX pro
Just over two years — a young, still-forming discipline. 82% come from a demand-gen background.
Measurement & KPIs
How teams score ABX
Pipeline is the near-universal yardstick — but review cadence is all over the map.
measure success by pipeline growth
The dominant scorecard for ABX programs.
track account engagement
Tied with revenue contribution (also 61%) as the next-most-common metric.
review performance quarterly
39% assess “as needed” — cadence is far from standardized.
Talent acquisition
Hiring intent is high — qualified talent is the bottleneck
plan to hire for ABX in the next 12 months
ABM/ABX Manager is the single most-prioritized role (24%).
cite a lack of qualified candidates
The #1 hiring challenge — ahead of budget (49%) and skills misalignment (42%).
rank strategic thinking as the critical skill
Then data analysis (42%) and cross-functional collaboration (40%).
average time to fill an ABX role
Reflecting how thin the qualified talent pool still is.
Most in-demand roles
- ABM / ABX Manager
- Marketing Enablement Specialist
- ABX Strategist
- Sales Enablement Specialist
- Account Insights Analyst
Highest-priority skills
- Strategic thinking / ABX strategy
- Data analysis and insights
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Account planning and targeting
- Campaign execution
Development & retention
How teams grow and keep ABX talent
give new hires access to ABX tools
Tooling is the near-universal baseline for onboarding.
offer on-the-job training
The dominant development model for a role with few formal programs.
provide mentoring
44% run formal workshops — structured development is still the exception.
Future outlook
What’s next for ABX talent
The role is tilting toward AI, tech fluency, and blended skill sets — and leaders know competition is coming.
expect AI proficiency to matter more
And 73% see ABX-specific tech skills becoming essential.
foresee “blended” ABX roles
Hybrids that span strategy, data, and cross-functional collaboration.
expect salary demands to rise
Alongside more competition for talent (45%) and turnover risk (32%).
are “extremely confident” they can meet talent needs
Only 3% — while 11% are not confident at all. A clear talent-readiness gap.
Implications
The path forward for ABX leaders
Prioritize measurement & review cycles
Standardize KPIs and a regular performance cadence — most programs still don’t have one.
Invest in role-specific development
Move beyond ad-hoc on-the-job training toward structured, ABX-specific growth paths.
Build clearer career pathways
Define progression to retain a scarce, in-demand talent pool with ~2-year tenure.
Revisit sourcing strategy
Referrals (81%) and job boards (75%) dominate; the best ABX talent rarely applies cold.
Building — or scaling — your ABX team?
We recruit the account-based marketing and enablement talent this report is about. Tell us the roles and we’ll show you how we’d fill them.
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