Sales & Marketing Alignment:
What SLAs Should Exist Between Sales and Marketing for ABX?
Codify the handoffs that create revenue. Define clear time standards, owners, and dispositions from signal → meeting → opportunity so every account gets timely, relevant attention.
ABX SLAs anchor on five motions: coverage, response, handoff, follow-up, and hygiene. Set tiered time standards (e.g., Tier A intent spike engaged by SDR within 4 business hours; inbound demo within 15 minutes), require multi-thread attempts (e.g., 5 touches/7 days across 3 personas), enforce disposition codes within 48 hours, and govern recycle rules (e.g., 30/60/90 days). Measure on a joint scoreboard: response time, meeting rate, stage conversion, pipeline, and win rate.
Core SLA Principles for ABX
Your 90-Day ABX SLA Launch Plan
Design with Sales, implement in systems, and operate with dashboards and reviews.
Phase 1 → Phase 2 → Phase 3
- Days 1–30: Define & Agree — Align on triggers, owners, and tiered time standards; draft disposition taxonomy; set recycle rules; publish a one-page SLA charter and escalation path.
- Days 31–60: Enable & Instrument — Configure CRM/MAP fields, routing, timers, and alerts; implement task auto-creation; launch the pod-level SLA dashboard (response time, tasks due, breaches).
- Days 61–90: Operate & Improve — Run weekly pod reviews and monthly QBRs; audit compliance; tune thresholds by segment; bake SLAs into onboarding and quarterly enablement.
ABX SLA Catalog (Triggers, Owners, Standards)
| Trigger | Owner(s) | Time Standard | Required Actions | Primary KPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inbound demo/Contact Us | SDR → AE | Respond in 15 minutes (24/7 handoff to queue); schedule within 24 hours | Call+email+LinkedIn within 2 hours; 5 touches/3 days; confirm calendar hold | Speed-to-lead; Meeting Set % |
| Tier A Intent Spike (MQA) | SDR | Engage in 4 business hours | 3 personas, 5 touches/7 days across channels; share 1:1 content | Response Time; Meetings per MQA |
| Event attendee/booth scan | Marketing → SDR | Personalized follow-up in 24 hours | Reference session/topic; route hot-interest to AE; attach notes/assets | Follow-up Rate; Post-event Meetings |
| Direct Mail/Gift Accepted | SDR/AE | Outreach in 24 hours | Thank-you + value hook; book 15-min discovery | Conversion to Meeting |
| Meeting No-Show | AE | Reschedule attempt within 24 hours | Send recap & 3 new times; loop champion; note blockers | Reschedule Rate |
| PQL/Product Usage Surge | AE/CSM | Engage in 1 business day | Usage review; suggest pilot/expansion; exec intro if Tier A | Expansion Pipeline Created |
| Disposition Update | SDR/AE | Within 48 hours of activity | Apply standardized codes; add call notes/recording link | Hygiene Compliance % |
| Recycle (No Response) | SDR → Marketing | After 7–10 touches or 14 days | Set next-best-play; enroll in nurture; document reason | Recycle to Re-Engage Rate |
Comparing SLA Approaches
| Approach | Scope | Time Standards | Pros | Watchouts | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-Based SLA | Individual leads, channel-centric | Uniform (e.g., 1 hr response) | Simple to run; easy reporting | Ignores buying groups; misaligned to ABX tiers | Inbound-heavy SMB/velocity |
| Account-Based SLA (ABX) | Accounts & buying groups by tier | Tiered by account (A/B/C) and trigger | Focus on coverage & multi-threading; better quality | Requires taxonomy & pod rituals | Mid–Enterprise with named accounts |
| Strategic-Account SLA | Top 25–50 named accounts | White-glove (same-day exec follow-up) | Exec access; bespoke motions | High cost; strict governance needed | Global/complex deals |
Client Snapshot: SLA Discipline Lifts Meetings
After instituting tiered ABX SLAs, a B2B tech firm cut median response time from 18 hours to 90 minutes and increased meetings per MQA by 29% in one quarter. Pipeline created per Tier A account rose 22% with no headcount change.
Tie SLAs to RM6™ and your journey model (The Loop™) so speed and quality translate into stage progression and revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions about ABX SLAs
Short, self-contained answers designed for AEO and rich results.
Make SLAs Your Revenue Habit
We’ll help you codify triggers, owners, timers, and dashboards—so Sales and Marketing execute ABX plays with speed and consistency.
Stand Up ABX SLAs Assess Readiness