What are Account-Based Selling Tools?
Account-based selling tools are platforms that help you identify, engage, and close deals with high-value target accounts. These tools treat each account as its own market. This means you get a complete view of the organization, not just individual contacts.
Traditional CRMs focus on managing leads and contacts. Account-based selling tools focus on orchestrating campaigns across entire buying committees. They help you map organizational structures, track account-level engagement, and coordinate outreach across sales and marketing teams.
The best account-based selling tools solve three core problems:
Data gaps: You need accurate contact information for multiple decision-makers within each target account
Coordination challenges: Sales and marketing need to work from the same playbook when engaging accounts
Visibility issues: You need to see which accounts are actively researching solutions and prioritize accordingly
Core capabilities include:
Account intelligence: Deep company data including firmographics, technographics, and organizational charts
Contact discovery: Tools to identify and map buying committee members across departments
Intent monitoring: Signals that show when accounts are actively researching your category
Multi-channel orchestration: Coordinated outreach across email, phone, social, and advertising
Pipeline analytics: Account-level reporting that tracks engagement and deal progression
Why sales teams use account-based selling tools
Your biggest deals come from your best-fit accounts. Account-based selling tools help you focus your limited time and resources on the accounts most likely to buy. This approach drives better results than spray-and-pray prospecting.
Here's what changes when you implement an account-based approach:
Higher win rates: You're targeting accounts that actually need your solution instead of random prospects
Shorter sales cycles: Engaging multiple stakeholders simultaneously moves deals forward faster
Bigger deal sizes: Account-based strategies typically focus on enterprise opportunities with larger contract values
Better customer relationships: Deep account research leads to more relevant, valuable conversations
Improved team alignment: Sales and marketing work together instead of pointing fingers
The challenge is execution. Most teams know they should focus on accounts, but they lack the tools and processes to do it effectively. Account-based selling platforms bridge this gap.
Account-based selling tools comparison table
Platform | Database & Coverage | Key Strength | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
ZoomInfo Sales | 100M+ companies, 500M+ contacts, 1B+ monthly buying signals | AI-powered account intelligence with real-time intent data | Enterprise sales teams needing unified data and engagement platform |
LinkedIn Sales Navigator | LinkedIn's 1B+ professional member network | Social selling and relationship mapping through LinkedIn | Teams that rely heavily on social selling and network-based prospecting |
6sense | Proprietary intent data network and identity graph | Predictive analytics to identify anonymous buying signals | Marketing and sales teams focused on early-stage demand identification |
Demandbase | B2B data cloud with advertising network integration | Account-based advertising and marketing orchestration | Enterprise marketing teams running multi-channel ABM campaigns |
Terminus | Account-based advertising network and engagement tools | Multi-channel ABM execution across display, email, and web | Marketing teams focused on account-based advertising and engagement |
RollWorks | B2B database with HubSpot-focused integrations | Account-based advertising for HubSpot users | SMB and mid-market teams using HubSpot as their primary platform |
Salesloft | Sales engagement platform with cadence automation | Structured outreach workflows and activity tracking | Sales development teams executing high-volume, multi-touch sequences |
Outreach | Sales engagement and intelligence platform | AI-driven sales workflows and deal management | Enterprise sales teams managing complex deal cycles |
Clearbit | Real-time data enrichment and visitor identification | Website visitor identification and CRM data enrichment | Teams needing to identify and enrich anonymous website traffic |
Influ2 | Person-based advertising platform | Targeted advertising to specific individuals within accounts | Marketers who want precise control over who sees their ads |
Best account-based selling tools
1. ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo gives you the data foundation and engagement tools you need to execute an account-based strategy. The platform includes contact and company information for over 500 million professionals and 100 million companies. You get direct dials, email addresses, organizational charts, and technographic data for your target accounts.
The platform connects directly to your CRM and automatically updates contact information, company changes, and buying signals. ZoomInfo Copilot uses AI to help you build target account lists, identify key personas, and draft personalized outreach based on real-time account intelligence. You can set up automated workflows that trigger when accounts show intent signals like visiting your website, researching competitors, or posting relevant job openings.
The platform’s impact is validated by industry leaders like Gartner and Forrester, who recognize its data quality and platform capabilities. This level of performance is built on a foundation of trust, with all data processing meeting GDPR, CCPA, and SOC 2 compliance standards.
Key Features:
Advanced search and filtering: Find target accounts and contacts using hundreds of criteria including revenue, employee count, technologies used, and recent funding
Real-time buying signals: Get alerts when target accounts visit your website, research competitors, hire for relevant roles, or show other intent signals
ZoomInfo Copilot: AI assistant that helps build prospect lists, research accounts, and generate personalized outreach messages
CRM integration and automation: Bi-directional sync with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs plus automated data enrichment
Intent data and account scoring: Prioritize accounts based on fit and timing using proprietary intent signals and predictive scoring
2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn Sales Navigator provides access to LinkedIn's professional network for prospecting and relationship building. The platform includes advanced search filters that let you find prospects based on job title, company, industry, and other professional criteria. You can save leads and accounts to track their activity and receive updates when they change jobs or post content.
The tool includes InMail messaging for reaching prospects outside your network and TeamLink features that show you existing connections within your organization. Sales Navigator integrates with CRM systems like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics to sync contact information and track engagement activities.
Key Features:
Advanced lead and account search with professional criteria filters
Real-time alerts on saved leads and accounts
InMail messaging for contacting prospects outside your network
TeamLink for leveraging team connections and warm introductions
CRM integration for syncing activities and contact data
Learn More About LinkedIn Sales Navigator
3. 6sense
6sense focuses on identifying accounts that are actively researching solutions in your category. The platform uses AI and machine learning to analyze anonymous web activity, content consumption, and other digital signals to predict which accounts are in-market to buy. This helps you prioritize outreach to accounts showing buying intent.
The platform provides tools for both sales and marketing teams to act on these insights. Features include account-based advertising capabilities, website personalization, and sales alerts that notify reps when target accounts show increased engagement. 6sense integrates with major CRM and marketing automation platforms to help coordinate multi-channel campaigns.
Key Features:
Predictive analytics for identifying in-market accounts
Anonymous visitor identification and account mapping
Account-based display advertising and retargeting
Sales alerts and account engagement insights
Integration with CRM and marketing automation systems
4. Demandbase
Demandbase combines B2B data, advertising technology, and sales intelligence into an account-based marketing platform. The platform helps marketing teams identify target accounts, engage them across multiple channels, and measure campaign effectiveness. It includes its own B2B data cloud, account-based advertising network, and website personalization capabilities.
The platform provides sales intelligence features that help reps understand account engagement and prioritize their outreach efforts. Demandbase is designed to support complex marketing programs at enterprise organizations with multiple stakeholders and long sales cycles.
Key Features:
Account-based advertising across display, social, and video channels
Website personalization based on account and visitor data
Predictive account scoring and prioritization
Sales intelligence dashboards and account insights
Integration with major CRM and marketing platforms
5. Terminus
Terminus specializes in multi-channel account-based marketing execution. The platform helps marketing and sales teams coordinate their efforts across display advertising, email, chat, and web channels to surround target accounts with consistent messaging. The core focus is on advertising and engagement rather than data or CRM functionality.
The platform includes an account-based display advertising network, email signature marketing tools, and website chat solutions. Terminus provides analytics to measure account engagement and track how marketing activities influence pipeline and revenue outcomes.
Key Features:
Account-based display and social media advertising
Email signature marketing for consistent account messaging
Website chat with account identification capabilities
Account engagement analytics and journey tracking
Native integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot
6. RollWorks
RollWorks provides account-based marketing tools with a focus on integration with HubSpot. The platform helps B2B companies identify target accounts, run cross-channel advertising campaigns, and measure account-level engagement. It includes features for building target account lists, running display advertising, and identifying anonymous website visitors.
The platform is designed for small and mid-market companies that want to add account-based capabilities to their existing demand generation programs. RollWorks provides analytics to track account engagement and measure ABM program performance against business goals.
Key Features:
Target account list building and data enrichment
Cross-channel account-based advertising campaigns
Website visitor identification and account mapping
Account journey analytics and engagement tracking
Deep integration with HubSpot CRM and marketing tools
7. Salesloft
Salesloft is a sales engagement platform that helps teams execute structured outreach campaigns. While not exclusively an account-based tool, it supports account-based motions by enabling sellers to run coordinated, multi-channel sequences targeting multiple contacts within the same account. The platform focuses on workflow automation and activity tracking.
The platform provides tools for email, phone, and social engagement along with automation features and performance analytics. Salesloft's Cadence feature allows sales managers to build and share best-practice playbooks for engaging different personas and accounts across the team.
Key Features:
Multi-channel sales cadences with email, phone, and social steps
Email tracking, templates, and personalization tools
Integrated dialer with call recording and coaching features
AI-powered workflow prioritization and task management
Deal management and sales forecasting capabilities
8. Outreach
Outreach provides sales engagement and intelligence tools that help teams automate their sales processes and improve deal execution. The platform includes features for creating multi-step, multi-channel sequences to engage prospects across email, phone, and social media channels. It uses AI to analyze sales activities and provide insights for deal management.
The platform helps sales teams execute account-based plays by allowing them to enroll multiple contacts from a single account into coordinated sequences. This ensures consistent messaging and persistent engagement across the entire buying committee.
Key Features:
Automated sales sequences across multiple communication channels
AI-driven deal insights and sales forecasting
Integrated voice communication and call management tools
Mutual action plans for buyer engagement
Conversation intelligence and revenue analytics
9. Clearbit
Clearbit provides real-time data enrichment and intelligence for B2B companies. The platform's primary function is to enrich contact and company records in your CRM and marketing automation systems while identifying anonymous visitors to your website. This helps teams understand which accounts are engaging with their content and prioritize follow-up accordingly.
In an account-based context, Clearbit helps teams identify which target accounts are visiting their website and enriches incoming leads with additional firmographic and contact data. This information can be used to personalize website experiences, trigger sales alerts, and build targeted advertising audiences.
Key Features:
Real-time website visitor identification and account mapping
CRM and marketing automation data enrichment
API for custom data integration and workflows
Audience creation for targeted advertising campaigns
Progressive profiling and form optimization tools
10. Influ2
Influ2 specializes in person-based advertising that allows marketers to serve ads directly to specific individuals within target accounts. Unlike traditional account-based advertising that targets companies, Influ2 focuses on reaching individual decision-makers and influencers on the buying committee with personalized messaging.
The platform tracks individual engagement with ads and provides insights into which contacts are clicking and visiting your website. This engagement data can trigger sales follow-up activities, creating a direct connection between marketing spend and sales activity.
Key Features:
Person-based ad targeting to specific individuals
Individual-level click and engagement tracking
CRM integration for syncing engagement data
Buying group engagement analytics and reporting
Multi-channel ad delivery across web and social platforms
How to choose an account-based selling tool
The right account-based selling tool depends on your current sales process, team structure, and technology stack. Don't get distracted by flashy features. Focus on the capabilities that will solve your biggest challenges and integrate smoothly into your existing workflows.
Data quality and coverage
Your account-based strategy is only as good as your data. If the platform gives you outdated contact information or incomplete company profiles, your outreach will fail before it starts.
Key evaluation criteria:
Match rate against your CRM: Test how well the platform's data matches and enriches your existing contact and company records
Data freshness and verification: Ask about data collection methods and how often contact information is verified and updated
Geographic and industry coverage: Ensure the platform has deep data coverage for your specific target markets and industries
Integration capabilities
An account-based selling tool should connect your existing tech stack, not create another data silo. Your account-based selling tool must connect directly to your CRM. It's not optional.
Consider these factors:
Native CRM integrations: Look for deep, bi-directional syncing with your CRM platform, whether that's Salesforce, HubSpot, or another system
API flexibility and documentation: A robust API allows for custom integrations and automated workflows tailored to your specific processes
Data flow and synchronization: Evaluate how easily data moves between the ABS tool and your sales engagement, marketing automation, and other platforms
Team adoption and training
The best tool is worthless if your team doesn't use it. Consider the learning curve and ongoing support required to drive adoption across your organization.
Look for:
User interface and ease of use: The platform should be intuitive enough that reps will actually use it in their daily workflows
Training resources and onboarding: Comprehensive training materials, certification programs, and hands-on onboarding support
Customer success and support: Dedicated customer success managers and responsive technical support when issues arise
Pricing and return on investment
Look beyond the monthly subscription cost to understand the total investment required and potential return. The cheapest option rarely delivers the best value.
Evaluate:
Pricing model transparency: Understand whether pricing is based on seats, data usage, contact exports, or other factors
Implementation and setup costs: Factor in one-time fees for data migration, integration setup, and team training
Time to value and ROI metrics: Ask for case studies and references that demonstrate measurable results and timeline to see returns
Frequently asked questions
How does account-based selling differ from traditional lead-based selling?
Traditional selling focuses on individual leads and contacts. Account-based selling treats entire companies as the target, coordinating outreach across multiple decision-makers within each account. This approach is more strategic and typically focuses on higher-value opportunities.
Can small businesses benefit from account-based selling tools?
Yes, especially if you sell to other businesses with complex buying processes. Even small companies can benefit from focusing their limited resources on best-fit accounts rather than chasing random leads. Many platforms offer packages designed for smaller teams and budgets.
What's the difference between account-based selling and account-based marketing?
Account-based selling is a sales strategy focused on penetrating target accounts through coordinated outreach. Account-based marketing uses advertising, content, and campaigns to engage those same accounts. The most effective approach aligns both sales and marketing around the same target account list.
How long does it take to see results from an account-based selling tool?
Most teams see initial results within 30-60 days of implementation, such as improved data quality and better account prioritization. Meaningful pipeline and revenue impact typically takes 3-6 months as teams refine their processes and target account lists.
The bottom line on account-based selling tools
The right account-based selling tool transforms how your team identifies, engages, and closes high-value deals. Instead of chasing random leads, you focus your efforts on accounts that actually fit your ideal customer profile and show buying intent.
Success comes down to choosing a platform that aligns with your specific needs and integrates with your existing processes.
Key factors for success:
Data quality that covers your target market with accurate, up-to-date contact and company information
Integration depth that connects your CRM, sales engagement, and marketing tools into a unified workflow
Team adoption that drives consistent usage across sales and marketing organizations
Measurable ROI that demonstrates clear impact on pipeline quality, deal velocity, and win rates
Ready to see how unified account intelligence and engagement tools can accelerate your sales process? Start a free trial of ZoomInfo to experience the difference that quality data and AI-powered insights make in your account-based selling efforts.