In this whitepaper, we provide must-haves and tips for an account planning template for sales – and things to keep in mind as you make your choice. With longer buy cycles, expanded buying groups, and increasingly complex customers, sellers need to keep track of a huge range of moving targets to sell strategically and stand out from the competition. As a result, most mature sales functions are adopting formalized account planning, including use of templates to inform and document key insights and actions.
There are numerous choices between home-grown tools, publicly available content, and off-the-shelf options embedded within sales methodologies and technology platforms. Each offers value. The key is to choose one that fits into your selling environment … And then embed it into your sales culture.
An account planning template must be connected to a process to be valuable. And sellers have to be trained in that process. Otherwise, it is just a vehicle for another administrative exercise that sellers will avoid or invest little in. Don’t pick a template. Pick an approach.
Formal opportunity and account planning methodologies can be vital to winning, keeping, and growing more business with clients. But without care being given to tool selection and implementation, many of these initiatives fall short of expectations. Download the tips for account planning templates to start planning.
