The AI Email Use Case I Keep Coming Back To: Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence

Nicole Lesher

I work in customer marketing at 6sense, which means I spend a lot of time inside our customer stories. This is one I come back to when someone asks: "How do you build an ABM motion that actually adapts to where accounts are in the journey?" 

Hexagon didn't just improve their email. They rebuilt the whole operating model around it. 

The problem: Hexagon had been running ABM for their flagship production machining software, ESPRIT, but results weren't moving the needle the way they expected. The core issue: they were treating all target accounts the same, regardless of where those accounts actually were in the buyer's journey. Email was their strongest channel — but it was working harder than it needed to because the targeting wasn't stage-specific. Display ads, paid social, and PPC weren't consistently delivering; only email held up. 

What they did: They brought marketing and sales together to define funnel stages, ideal customer profiles, and buying groups specific to ESPRIT — then built that framework into 6sense Intelligent Workflows. The result was a modular, stage-specific system: 

• Audience workflows with dynamic segments and AI predictions, designed so tactics can be swapped without rebuilding from scratch 
• AI-assisted emails for hyper-personalization at scale 
• A contact acquisition step for bottom-of-funnel accounts missing from their database 
• A second workflow for open opportunities with real-time sales alerts and stage-specific messaging 

These weren't one-and-done builds. They designed them to be a living framework — continuously optimized based on performance data. 

What happened in three months: 

• 459% increase in known account engagement (from 175 to 978 accounts) 
• 1,379 accounts surfaced with active intent signals — up from zero 
• 62% reduction in disengaged accounts 
• Over 1,600 accounts moved out of dormancy 
• 319 anonymous website visits identified and routed into targeted workflows 

Sarah Kumlin, Global Director of Marketing Operations at Hexagon Stationary Metrology: 

"We reimagined our ABM approach by aligning accounts to their funnel stage and buying groups, focusing first on our strongest channel — email. The modular workflow includes targeted marketing emails, AI-assisted emails, a contact acquisition step for missing contacts, a second workflow for open opportunities with sales alerts and stage-specific messaging. The result? Smarter campaigns, more relevant messaging, and stronger results." 

Worth reading if: Your ABM motion is treating all accounts the same regardless of where they are in the funnel — or if you've been running multichannel and wondering why only email is consistently performing. Hexagon's decision to double down on what was working and build smarter around it is worth studying. 

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Nicole Lesher

The "modular workflow" concept Hexagon built is something I think about a lot . Designing campaigns so you can swap tactics without tearing everything down. Has anyone else built their 6sense workflows with that kind of flexibility in mind?