Scrappy ABM – Details, episodes & analysis

B2B marketing that makes you want to ram your head through a wall usually has the same pattern: the wrong people in the funnel, a light calendar, and an empty pipeline. On Scrappy ABM, host Mason Cosby calls out six specific reasons most B2B marketing programs are failing and walks through exactly how to fix them.

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Instead of chasing hundreds of thousands of leads and celebrating opt-ins, Mason pushes marketers to focus on targeting a very specific list of best fit customers—people who are super happy, highly profitable, send more friends, and stay for a long time. He shows how to speak the language of leadership by tying every program to named company objectives and real pipeline, and how to get sales to buy in by actually delivering the companies everyone agreed to go after.

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From lack of resources and unclear measurement to broken execution after the company all hands and strategy meeting, Mason lays out a simple way forward: eliminate what is not working, stick to a plan for three to six months, and use account-based marketing to go get the customers you really want.

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📌 What We Cover

• Why a lead generation approach that celebrates opt-ins instead of pipeline keeps you from going after the right people.
• How to define best fit customers (super happy, highly profitable, send more friends, stay for a long time) and use your marketing dollars to get more of them.
• How to stop leadership eyes from glazing over by dropping secret acronym language and tying programs to company initiatives, pipeline, and customers that close and stay.
• Why sales won’t buy in when the calendar is light and the pipeline is empty, and how agreeing on a list of companies and actually delivering those accounts changes everything.
• The lack of resources problem: being bombarded with ideas (email newsletter, event program, podcast, webinar program) and doing all of it poorly instead of a few things well.
• The three options for fixing the resource gap: automate, delegate (or hire), and especially eliminate the things that are not doing anything for the business.
• How to handle programs that are super hard to measure by deciding what success looks like, showcasing impact, and tying everything downstream to pipeline and revenue.
• Why execution falls apart right after the onsite or company all hands, and how eliminating old work, measuring success, and sticking to a new plan for three to six months changes your B2B marketing program.
• The simple fix that pulls everything together: stop trying to get everyone, build a very specific list of companies, and use account-based marketing to get those accounts to engage, enter the pipeline, show up on your website, engage in your email, and book meetings.

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Account-based marketing (ABM) – Focusing on a very specific list of companies and best customers instead of general people.
• Channel dedicated to how to build out your ABM program – Content that shows how to build an ABM program that goes after the right people and gets them into your pipeline.
• Scrappy ABM: Visit for more ABM tips and strategies.
• Connect with Mason on LinkedIn for a conversation about ABM

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If you enjoyed today’s episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to the Scrappy ABM podcast for more expert discussions. Don’t forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers!

Subject matter experts are often scientists, coders, founders, or salespeople who never planned to live on camera or spend their days writing, yet the revenue team still needs their stories. On Scrappy ABM, host Mason Cosby and Phil Pilalas, content strategist at Scrappy ABM, get practical about how to create content with people who don’t think of themselves as “content people.”

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Phil walks through how to get buy-in by generating passion and giving confidence, starting from an environment that already feels natural to the founder or SME. They talk about simple ways to record real conversations, give SMEs a strong hand in review, and place each piece of content at the right point in the progression model. From faces associated with brands to “something is better than nothing,” this conversation shows how 30 minutes a week or an hour a month can turn SME time into subject matter expert content that actually moves accounts forward.

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👤 Guest Bio

• Phil Pilalas is a content strategist at Scrappy ABM who helps subject matter experts document why they do the thing, why they want to do the thing, and why it matters. He produces podcasts, creates micro content, and supports social media so ideas are presented in an efficient, confident way. Phil focuses on giving founders and SMEs a natural venue to talk, helping them feel comfortable on camera, and building a regular cadence of subject matter expert content. He is pretty regular on LinkedIn and points people there to find him.

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📌 What We Cover

• Why getting buy-in from subject matter experts is “a big deal,” and why it starts with generating passion and giving confidence around a specific problem, product, or solution.
• How to find the natural setting where a founder or SME already opens up—one-on-one, a small room, or a simple back-and-forth—and then figure out how to record it without throwing them onstage before they’re ready.
• The role of clear expectations: what the content will look like, how it will sound, the purpose of it, and how a strong approval process keeps SMEs from being surprised when someone says, “Hey, I saw you on LinkedIn.”
• Expectation versus reality in content quality, and why “a couple of people sitting in an office having a conversation” is often good enough compared to heavily produced, studio-style content.
• How SME content fits in an account progression model: founder energy at the top of the funnel, technical depth and numbers at the lower, more meaningful engagement parts of the progression.
• Why it matters to have faces associated with brands—because there is no building sitting on a Zoom call, only human beings with eyes, words, and passion about the problem they want to solve.
• Practical time expectations: 30 minutes a week or an hour a month of recording can fuel a full month of micro content when paired with production, outlines, and a focused theme.
• Messy but real ways to communicate success: podcast growth, opportunities where people say they heard the show, DMs from peers, and correlations between regular SME content, engagement, and pipeline.

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Resources:

• Phil Pilalas on LinkedIn: Phil is pretty regular on LinkedIn; he tells listeners to look for “Phil plus Scrappy ABM” to find him and connect around subject matter expert content and podcasts.
• Scrappy ABM: Visit for more ABM tips and strategies.
• Connect with Mason on LinkedIn for a conversation about ABM

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If you enjoyed today's episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to the Scrappy ABM podcast for more expert discussions. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers!

Scrappy ABM brings a focused look at business to government—B2G in the context of an ABM program. Host Mason Cosby sits down with Michelle Hanley to map the nuances of payment processing for governments across state and local. With a finite group of agencies, shifting election cycles, and long six to 24-month timelines, buying groups change and risk aversion is real. Michelle lays out a play that flips “normal B2B” on its head: events to meet new people and get contacts, email as the day-to-day touchpoint, and webinars that are completely bottom of funnel—often a sniff test for open opportunities. Listen for practical talk on RFPs, contact harvest, segmentation by state or city, stage one opportunities, and why “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” still shapes adoption—while teams have to get scrappy with budget.

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Michelle Hanley is the Senior Manager of Demand Gen at PayIt, focused on payment processing for governments across state and local. She leads programs that rely on events, email, webinars, RFPs, and segmentation of buying groups—often by state or city—with timelines ranging from six to 24 months. Michelle highlights stage one opportunities, contact harvest, and attribution to guide spend.

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• B2G ABM focus: state and local, a finite group of agencies, and elected roles that change every 2, 4, 6, 8 years
• Buying signals & timelines: RFPs, six to 18 months locally, 18 to 24 months at the state level
• Channel mix that flips B2B: events to meet people and get contacts, email for nurtures and newsletters, webinars as bottom-of-funnel
• “Sniff test” webinars: smaller registration but tied to open opportunities and real evaluation
• Paid as air cover: paid media for awareness; content syndication for contact harvest into lead scoring and nurtures
• Segmentation reality: agencies like DMV, finance, IT; buying groups differ by state and city
• Success metrics in motion: stage one opportunities, the right people in system, events with the right audiences, and relationship expansion within accounts
• Budget constraints: fewer campaigns, bigger impact; get scrappy and point dollars to events and webinars with attribution
• Mindsets in government: risk aversion, legacy systems, and “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”—while newer officials expect credit card online and digital

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• BigMarker (webinar platform)
• Marketo (automation platform)
• Salesforce (CRM)
• Groove (BDR outreach; “a Clary program”)
• Outreach — outreach.io
• SalesLoft
• CaliberMind (attribution)
• LinkedIn (contact and community)
• City of Atlanta — cityofatlanta.com
• Scrappy ABM: Visit for more ABM tips and strategies.
• Connect with Mason on LinkedIn for a conversation about ABM

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If you enjoyed today's episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to the Scrappy ABM podcast for more expert discussions. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers!

In this episode of Scrappy ABM, host Mason Cosby sits down with Evan Cox, marketing director, to discuss the crucial role of messaging in Account-Based Marketing (ABM). They explore how tailored messaging can significantly impact the success of ABM campaigns and share insights on creating effective, targeted content for specific accounts.

Best Moments:

(01:09) The importance of messaging in ABM strategy

(02:45) Differentiating messaging for concurrent campaigns

(03:24) The significance of clear brand messaging

(04:02) Adapting global messaging for specific ABM markets

(04:19) Example of tailored messaging for SAP customers

(05:32) Leveraging customer logos and testimonials

(06:15) Highlighting success and failure points in messaging

(07:16) The importance of iterative messaging refinement

(08:25) Using ABM programs to test and improve global messaging

In this episode of Scrappy ABM, host Mason Cosby discusses five key points that C-suite executives should understand about Account-Based Marketing (ABM). He provides insights on timelines, expectations, sales team challenges, leveraging existing resources, and the importance of leadership alignment in implementing successful ABM programs.

Best Moments:

(02:00) Realistic timelines and expectations for ABM results

(03:19) Challenges of transitioning inbound AEs to outbound ABM roles

(05:23) Overcoming the "lone wolf" sales mentality in ABM programs

(07:04) Leveraging existing resources to start an ABM program

(09:05) The crucial role of C-suite alignment in successful ABM implementation

In this episode of Scrappy ABM, host Mason Cosby interviews Cynthia Handal, Chief Marketing Officer of Simera, about international talent in the tech industry and her personal journey from Honduras to a successful career in the US.

Best Moments:

(02:09) Cynthia shares her background and passion for international talent

(11:25) Importance of setting clear expectations when hiring international talent

(15:36) Differences between hiring contractors and using an employer of record

(18:42) Challenges of finding health insurance for international team members

(19:33) Strategies for ensuring all team members feel valued, regardless of location

(22:39) Advice for companies considering hiring international talent

Guest Bio:

Cynthia Handal is the Chief Marketing Officer of Simera. Born and raised in Honduras, she transitioned from a career in real estate to the tech industry during the pandemic. Cynthia has experience as a BDR, account executive, and SDR manager. She is passionate about helping international talent find opportunities in the global job market and has grown her LinkedIn following to over 28,000 followers. Cynthia is an advocate for remote work and cultural diversity in the workplace.

In this Scrappy ABM holiday special, host Mason Cosby welcomes guest Brianna Doe to explore the intersection of account-based marketing (ABM) and influencer marketing. They discuss aligning influencer partnerships with ABM goals and share insights on crafting impactful campaigns—just in time to bring some holiday cheer to your marketing efforts!

Best Moments:

(00:55) Introduction to the topic of aligning ABM programs with influencer marketing

(02:17) How to align influencers with brand goals from an audience perspective

(05:51) Transitioning from transactional to long-term influencer relationships

(09:39) Finding influencers that address your target audience

(15:44) The importance of authenticity in influencer partnerships

(19:15) Where influencers fit into an overall ABM program

(22:59) Integrating paid advertising with influencer marketing

Guest Bio:

Brianna Doe is an expert in influencer marketing, particularly in the B2B space. She hosts the Stop the Scroll podcast and provides insights on creating effective influencer marketing strategies. Brianna emphasizes the importance of aligning influencer partnerships with brand goals and maintaining authenticity in content creation. Learn more at weareverbalim.com.

In this episode of Scrappy ABM, host Mason Cosby and guest Abhi Yadav from iCustomer discuss leveraging decision intelligence to deploy Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and maintain alignment throughout the process. They explore practical strategies for implementing ABM programs without breaking the bank and share insights on how to use existing tech stacks creatively.

Best Moments:

(00:06) Introduction to Scrappy ABM and its focus on practical playbooks

(02:00) Overview of topics to be covered in the episode

(04:24) Defining ABM and its core principles

(04:56) Common reasons why ABM programs fail

(09:36) Aligning sales and marketing goals and time horizons

(14:53) The importance of data in ABM decision-making

(20:02) Structuring activation plays for ABM programs

(27:42) Examples of effective ABM plays and their implementation

(43:23) Maturing an ABM program beyond initial playbooks

(51:54) Strategies for building and prioritizing target account lists

Guest Bio:

Abhi Yadav is the co-founder and CEO of iCustomer, a company specializing in decision intelligence for ABM deployment. With extensive experience in database marketing and go-to-market strategies, Abhi brings valuable insights on data-driven approaches to ABM and the importance of unified metrics across sales and marketing teams.

In this episode of Scrappy ABM, host Mason Cosby talks with Jessica Fewless, Senior Director of Partnerships and Demand Gen at Inverta, about implementing a successful account-based marketing (ABM) program. They discuss determining the right target audience, segmenting that audience, creating appropriate content, and measuring success.

Best Moments:

(01:24) Determining the right audience for ABM

(04:42) Segmenting the audience for targeted outreach

(08:45) Developing content for different stages of the buyer's journey

(14:38) Determining the best distribution channels for content

(16:48) Evaluating existing content for use in ABM programs

(19:52) Measuring success at various stages of ABM programs

(22:05) Common roadblocks in implementing ABM programs

(24:46) Parting wisdom for building a first ABM program

Guest Bio:

Jessica Fewless is the Senior Director of Partnerships and Demand Gen at Inverta. With over a decade of experience in account-based marketing, Jessica has been at the forefront of ABM strategy and implementation. She emphasizes the importance of integrating ABM into a broader demand generation strategy and advocates for a patient, long-term approach to seeing results from ABM initiatives.

In this episode of Scrappy ABM, host Mason Cosby dives deep into the world of Account-Based Marketing (ABM), offering practical insights and strategies for B2B companies looking to implement or improve their ABM programs.

Best Moments:

(00:48) Overview of ABM and its components

(01:39) The one-page ABM program exercise

(03:09) Mason's background and company introduction

(04:08) Definition and breakdown of ABM

(07:37) Why ABM programs often fail

(10:37) The importance of product-market fit in ABM

(14:16) What sales teams want from marketing

(20:25) Balancing brand building and sales activation

(26:55) Operationalizing ABM partnerships

(35:36) The 4D framework for structuring ABM playbooks

(46:55) Three stages of ABM implementation

(49:34) Mason's personal ABM program breakdown