Your ABM Program’s Gap: A Center of Excellence (CoE)

As ABM programs continue to mature, it is critical to establish the infrastructure required to scale effectively, efficiently, and in a fully aligned capacity.

This need is especially urgent for organizations that are:

• Expanding account-based efforts globally
• Broadening ABM account coverage and/or leveraging additional deployment models
• Transitioning their demand generation or integrated marketing teams to adopt an account-based strategy

These shifts are raising internal questions like: How are we going to efficiently scale? How do we drive repeatability and quality? How do we ensure sustainability and alignment at scale?

According to the 2025 State of ABM Report by ForgeX, only 22% of organizations have established a formal ABM Center of Excellence (CoE).

Yet the data shows a direct link between CoE adoption and more consistent, higher-performing ABM outcomes. Organizations with a CoE report stronger ROI, better alignment, and more consistent execution across regions, teams, and channels.

What Is a Center of Excellence (CoE)?

At ForgeX we define this as:

Center of Excellence (CoE):

• A centralized source of truth within an organization that is dedicated to the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of account-based GTM strategies.
• It serves as a hub of expertise, best practices, and innovation, providing support and guidance to ensure cohesive and effective execution of account-based initiatives across the company.

The 5 Pillars of an ABM CoE

Source: ForgeX Research

The foundation of a high-performing CoE rests on five pillars.

Below, we break each down and the supporting subcomponents that you should consider as you build your Center of Excellence.

1. Repeatability and Scale

Process Documentation

• Maintain comprehensive documentation for all ABM processes to ensure consistency and ease of replication across teams and campaigns.
• This includes detailed workflows, roles, responsibilities, step-by-step guides for tactical execution, and definitions of commonly used terms/jargon.

Templatization

• Create and maintain a library of templates for common activities such as email campaigns, landing pages, reporting dashboards, etc.
• These templates help standardize execution and reduce the time required to launch new initiatives.

2. Internal Feedback Loops

Track and Action Internal Feedback

• Establish a cadence to collect, track, and act on internal feedback from various stakeholders (across all seniority levels, GTM functions).

3. Innovation

Experimentation & Analysis

• Encourage and facilitate experimentation with new ABM channels, motions, tactics, models and frameworks to push the boundaries of traditional approaches.
• This includes pilot programs, A/B testing, and adopting emerging technologies.

4. GTM Enablement and Alignment

Alignment Across GTM Teams

• Ensure that all GTM teams are aligned in their understanding and execution of your account-based strategies.

Continuous Training & Enablement

• Offering regular training sessions, workshops, and/or on-demand enablement materials helps keep GTM teams up-to-date on your organization’s program and tools.

Best Practices & Wins Repository

• Maintain a dynamic repository of ABM best practices, internal case studies and success stories / wins.

5. Consistent Operational Excellence

Accountability for Consistency

• Establish clear standards and a delivery model that GTM teams can follow to ensure alignment with the ABM strategy, making it easy for all teams involved to understand and meet expectations for consistency.
• Hold GTM teams accountable for maintaining consistency in the execution of your account-based strategy.

What a CoE Looks Like in Practice

To define the level of complexity and resource investment typically required to build a Center of Excellence, we often see meaningful variation based on organizational size. That said, company size is not the only factor.

At ForgeX, we compare high performing go-to-market teams to a world-class orchestra. Each GTM function, like each orchestra section, must operate in unison working off the same music sheet or account-based GTM strategy in order to deliver the strongest performance.

Below, we outline what is typically seen across organizations of different sizes. Keep in mind that your structure may fall outside these ranges based on the nuances of your GTM strategy and the resources at your disposal.

Source: ForgeX Research

Companies Under $1B ARR

• Complexity: Low
• Investment: Low
• Headcount: Typically no dedicated FTE

The CoE often lives in a shared internal wiki, managed by the ABM lead who also runs day-to-day execution. Localization and process depth tend to be minimal.

Companies Over $1B ARR

• Complexity: High
• Investment: Medium
• Headcount: Dedicated FTE or team

These CoEs operate across multiple regions and are equipped with tooling, formalized governance, and localized execution plans. The 2025 State of ABM Report by ForgeX found that 50% of CoEs are found in companies with over 1,000 employees.

Why It Matters

The presence of a CoE is a leading indicator of maturity and performance. ForgeX research shows that companies with CoEs:

• Report more consistent ROI across all four ABM deployment models
• Are more likely to have strong ICP alignment
• See broader adoption of account-based principles across GTM functions

Despite this, 46% of companies without a CoE have no plans to build one. This is a missed opportunity to enable sustainable growth.

Forging Forward

As ABM continues to mature, the need for centralized structure is no longer optional. A Center of Excellence gives your program the foundation it needs to scale with consistency, deliver repeatable results, and align every GTM function to a common strategy. For any organization serious about advancing its ABM maturity, investing in a CoE is a strategic imperative.