Most ABM target lists start the same way: sales names the accounts they want, marketing runs campaigns at them, and everyone hopes volume closes the gap. On this episode of Scrappy ABM, Mason Cosby sits down with Mahsa Malekyar to pull that approach apart. Her point is blunt: an account that will eventually need your tool is not the same as an account that needs it right now, and if you can't tell the difference, you're buying brand awareness and calling it ABM.
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The conversation covers where free intent data already lives inside the tools you own, why in-person conversations are the trust signal that digital can't manufacture, and how to capture qualitative event conversations without asking a salesperson to open a spreadsheet. Mahsa also names the mistake she'd undo from her first ABM program, and it isn't a channel or a tool.
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👤 Guest Bio
Mahsa Malekyar, PMP, brings over a decade of marketing and project management experience, with prior leadership roles at First Onsite Property Restoration and Charter Communications. She builds ABM and event marketing programs with a marketing operations lens, and she's a self-described HubSpot power user who is very clear that HubSpot is not paying her to say so.
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📌 What We Cover
🔸 Why "who sales is targeting" is a fine starting point for ABM and a bad finishing point
🔸 The three questions that separate a real target from good brand awareness: do they need it now, will they need it in three months, are they looking at contract signing
🔸 Free and low-cost intent data sources: HubSpot's intent tracking, the Apollo.io website pixel, Microsoft Clarity, and Google tracking
🔸 Why ABM campaigns have to establish or expand trust, not just educate, and where in-person events come in
🔸 The event follow-up sequence: take the photo, ask to text it, get the number, then retarget with messaging tied to what they actually talked about
🔸 Content that earns the follow-up: templated guides and industry data benchmarks instead of "let's book a call"
🔸 How to measure conversations you can't put in a dropdown: dedicated event Slack channels, voice notes from the floor, and one person turning the dump into next steps
🔸 Why getting salespeople to use spreadsheets is a losing battle, and what to build instead
🔸 Mahsa's answer to what she'd do differently in her first ABM program: collaborate across sales, customer success, and product before the list is final
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🔗 Resources Mentioned
🔸 HubSpot (CRM and intent tracking)
🔸 Apollo.io (enrichment, outreach, website pixel)
🔸 Microsoft Clarity
🔸 Canva (post-event photo collages)
🔸 Slack (event channels and voice notes)
🔸 Wispr Flow (AI voice-to-text)
🔸 Freeman (research on media mistrust referenced by Mahsa)
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Resources:
Scrappy ABM: Visit for more ABM tips and strategies.
Connect with Mason on LinkedIn for a conversation about ABM.
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If you enjoyed today's episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to the Scrappy ABM podcast for more expert discussions. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers!
