PlaybooksABM, shown by example
Scenario datasheet No. 01
Simulation
fiktives Szenario, reale Methodik
Five-Axis Offensive
- Industry
- CNC machine tool manufacturing
- ABM type
- 1:Few
- Program duration
- 6 months + sales handoff
- Deal size
- €650,000 to €1,200,000 / machine
Fictional company
Starting position
Midsize manufacturer of 5-axis machining centers for high-precision cutting (aerospace structural components, medical implants).
The product: a machining center including automation (pallet changer, robotic loading) and a service contract.
Numbers up front
Deal economics
€650,000 to €1,200,000 per machine, plus €20,000 to €40,000 per year in service. Sales cycle of 9 to 15 months. A single machine sale pays for the ABM program many times over.
Deal size
€650,000 to €1,200,000 / machine
Headline metric · Core KPI
Pipeline value €4M to €7M
Size, criteria, triggers
Target Account List (TAL)
The TAL brings together exactly the accounts that fit the ideal customer profile: size, criteria, trigger events.
50 accounts (1:Few): machining suppliers in the DACH region, 80 to 800 employees, certified to EN 9100 (aerospace) or ISO 13485 (medtech).
Trigger signals: job postings for CNC specialists (capacity pressure), newly won framework contracts, facility expansions, a machine fleet older than 10 years.
Four roles, four vetoes
The buying committee
Four roles, four concerns, four plays: each persona gets the answer their veto hinges on.
Owner and managing director
A million-euro investment against an uncertain order book.
VetoHead of production
A new machine ties up more staff instead of freeing them up.
VetoCNC programmer / applications engineer
The informal veto: if he rejects the operating concept or the CAM integration, the deal dies.
VetoHead of procurement
Lead time and spare-parts availability.
VetoRole
Owner and managing director
Thinks in terms of utilization and payback, has not forgotten 2008 or 2020.
Concern / objection
A million-euro investment against an uncertain order book.
Play
A custom time-per-part and TCO calculator with financing and residual-value scenarios, delivered as a personal 1:1 document.
Role
Head of production
Fighting setup times, on-time delivery, and a shortage of skilled labor.
Concern / objection
A new machine ties up more staff instead of freeing them up.
Play
"Lights-out night shift" video series: documented automation setups for comparable part portfolios.
Role
CNC programmer / applications engineer
Concern / objection
The informal veto: if he rejects the operating concept or the CAM integration, the deal dies.
Play
Invitation to a benchmark cut: the target account submits a drawing of its most difficult part, the manufacturer machines it and documents cycle time, surface finish, and tooling cost on a personal landing page for each account (signature play).
Role
Head of procurement
Comparing against two competitors, pushing on price.
Concern / objection
Lead time and spare-parts availability.
Play
Service-network and spare-parts facts (response times, hotline, parts availability) as a plain one-page data sheet.
Phased plan
The program
Month 1 to 2
TAL validation & mapping
- TAL validation
- Buying-committee mapping via LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Personalized landing pages per account cluster
- Visitor identification on the website
Month 3 to 4
Air cover & first outreach
- LinkedIn air cover across the 50 accounts (Matched Audiences)
- Physical mailing to heads of production (a real-metal sample part with a QR code linking to the benchmark-cut invitation)
- First outreach by sales with an insight instead of a pitch
Month 5 to 6
Benchmark cut & handoff
- Benchmark-cut sessions
- Plant visits
- Handoff of qualified accounts with a complete stakeholder dossier
Honest ranges
Benchmarks & KPIs
Honest ranges as planning figures, not guarantees.
| KPI | Target | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Account engagement (≥2 stakeholders active) | 20 of 50 (40%) | Realistic for 1:Few with physical mailing + LinkedIn |
| Intro calls / discovery calls | 12 to 15 | ~30% of the TAL, driven by the benchmark offer |
| Benchmark cuts completed | 5 to 7 | A highly qualifying commitment |
| Opportunities (active sales stage) | 6 to 8 | Conversion from intro call → opportunity ~50% |
| Expected closes (9 to 15 months) | 2 to 3 machines | Win rate of 30 to 35% on opportunities |
| Pipeline value | €4M to €7M | 6 to 8 opportunities × avg. €800K |
Methodology generalized
Why this works
- The benchmark cut turns marketing into proof.
- Anyone who submits their most difficult part is no longer a lead, but a project.
- And every persona gets the one answer their veto hangs on.
Apply this scenario to your company