Launching an ABM pilot? Odds are it’s doomed to fail—unless you take this one piece of advice. In this episode, host Jim Gilkey is joined by Alex Pappas, Senior Global ABX Strategy Manager at CyberArk. Alex lays out a dead-simple yet often missed move: start with the end in mind by aligning your ABM pilot with a core go-to-market priority or challenge. Forget siloed KPIs and vague engagement metrics. Instead, build your pilot around the exact outcomes your org already cares about—like vertical expansion or persona-specific traction. Bonus: this earns you champions while proving ABM is part of your GTM strategy, not a separate motion.

👤 Guest Bio

• Alex Pappas is the Senior Global ABX Strategy Manager at CyberArk and a self-proclaimed extrovert with a love for most sports that end in “ball” (and a few that don’t). As an Account-Based GTM leader, he’s focused on tying ABM directly to business priorities, building cross-functional alignment, and making ABX a core part of GTM strategy.

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

📌 What We Cover

• Why ABM pilots fail to communicate business value
• How to align your pilot with real go-to-market priorities
• The importance of defining success in terms everyone understands
• How to get buy-in and build internal champions
• Avoiding the trap of ABM as a “standalone motion”
• Alex’s beverage of choice: black coffee—like a general (or a cowboy)

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Scrappy ABM – Build repeatable ABM plays and bring them in-house