Why Most ABM Pilots Fail—and How to Fix Them (with Alex Pappas)

Episode notes

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.