AI and SaaS: Why Account-Based GTM Is More Important Than Ever

Artificial intelligence is shaking the ground under SaaS. The relationship between AI and SaaS is evolving rapidly: for years, SaaS companies thrived on the notion that if you wanted advanced technology, you had to subscribe. That was the model — pay for the tool, learn just enough to use it, and the vendor scaled endlessly.

But AI changes that equation. In two years — or possibly less — many companies will be able to build software tools themselves, ad hoc and in-house. They won’t need to pay six figures for licenses or live inside someone else’s dashboard. AI will enable the stitching together of workflows, automations, and analytics in weeks instead of years.

So does this mean SaaS is dead? I don’t think so. However, it does mean that ABM in the AI era will force SaaS companies to make a shift or die: value can’t come from the tool alone. The equalizer is AI. The differentiator will be knowledge, adoption, and the services wrapped around the tool.

The Lathe and the Turner

I explained this to my dad, who, like my grandfather, was a turner. His tool was the lathe. Without it, he couldn’t shape the metal. But the reverse was also true: the lathe without the turner was just an useless heavy piece of equipment.

That’s how SaaS works. The product is the lathe. The company buying it is the turner. The problem today is that many companies and leaders think the lathe will run itself. They buy software, expect transformation, and six months later, they’re wondering why nothing changed.

The answer is that the tool only works if you know how to use it.

The Knowledge Gap in Account-Based Marketing

This is especially obvious in account-based marketing (ABM). Tools like 6sense or Demandbase are powerful. But they don’t create a strategy for you.

Here’s what happens:

• A company buys the platform, convinced it will “turn on” account-based GTM.
• Someone in marketing operations takes the certification. They learn the tool’s language: orchestrations, engagement minutes, and intent surges.
• Meanwhile, sales doesn’t know what any of that means. Marketing leadership still thinks in terms of MQLs. Operations is stuck reconciling two different terminologies — MQA in one system, “6QA” in another.

The result is a mess. The platform produces dashboards that appear impressive but fail to drive revenue. Teams are siloed not just by role, but by vocabulary. And because leadership thought buying the tool was the strategy, no one has invested in the actual knowledge needed to make it work.

The tool isn’t the problem. The mindset is.

Why ABM Requires Focus, Not Volume

Most marketing teams are still wired for volume. Cast a net, catch as many leads as possible, and hope some of them are worth keeping. That works for e-commerce. It doesn’t work when you’re chasing enterprise accounts worth $50k, $100k, or a million.

ABM forces a different mindset. You don’t use a net. You use a harpoon. You identify the accounts that matter, you make a bet, and you go after them with focus.

That’s where it gets uncomfortable. Because once you put a target account list on the table — say, 1,000 accounts max — you can’t hide. If campaigns fail, the problem is immediately apparent: the targeting was incorrect. That level of accountability is not for everyone.

So instead, they hedge. They stick to broad ICPs. They take wish lists from sales reps. They inflate the list to 10,000 accounts to spread the risk. And in doing so, they kill the whole point of ABM: focus.

The irony is that when ABM works, it doesn’t just generate pipeline. It changes how the company thinks about growth. But you don’t get there without making the bet.

SaaS Shifts From Products to Services

This brings us back to SaaS and AI. If AI makes it possible for companies to build their own tools, what’s left for the vendors? Professional services.

We’re already seeing this shift. SaaS companies that used to define themselves by product are leaning hard into services — including onboarding, strategy workshops, and managed programs. Because they’ve learned the same lesson customers have: a tool without knowledge doesn’t deliver value.

The product is the lathe. The services include training, guidance, and craft.

Here is where ABM plays a central role. Because ABM is less about the tool and more about the discipline: knowing your best accounts, spotting the signals, aligning your team, and committing resources to a focused list. That’s not something AI can replace. AI can accelerate it, automate parts of it, and make the work faster. However, the strategy and mindset shift have to come from people.

The Role of ABM between AI and SaaS

So, where does this leave ABM?

1. ABM exposes the knowledge gap. Buying a platform won’t cut it. You need a team that understands targeting, signals, and capacity. That’s the education gap professional services will need to fill.
2. ABM forces companies to make bets. In a world where AI can automate everything, the scarce resource isn’t data or dashboards — it’s focus. ABM gives a structure for making those bets and holding teams accountable.
3. ABM is the counter to SaaS churn. The reason so many tools sit unused is that companies never changed their mindset. ABM, when done appropriately, forces a new operating model. And that’s where SaaS companies that invest in services can win: not by selling dashboards, but by teaching teams how to think differently.

The Risk — and the Bet

This is why ABM is still scary for most leaders. It’s not because of the technology. It’s because it demands a commitment they’re not used to making.

• Build a list of 1,000 accounts.
• Ignore everything else.
• Bet your resources on those names.

If you win, the company grows. If you lose, it’s obvious where the failure happened. That level of accountability is rare in the marketing industry. And it’s why so many teams retreat back to the safety of volume.

But here’s the truth: the safety net is gone. AI is going to flatten the tech playing field. The companies that win won’t be the ones with the fanciest dashboards. They’ll be the ones who know how to focus, how to align, and how to make bets on the proper accounts.

That’s ABM’s role in the AI era. Not as another platform. Not as jargon. But it is the discipline that makes the difference between chasing noise and building real growth.

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