Strategic Account Development

After 13yrs in sales, I learned the best AE's aren't better at prospecting, they just focus on the "right" accounts. If you want to move from transactional to strategic selling, use this 3-step Account Planning process: BACKGROUND: The first time a sales leader exposed me to Account Planning, I didn't buy it. In my first two sales roles out of school, first as a Sales Engineer and then as a transactional AE, the value of Account Planning was lost on me. It felt like grunt work. I wanted to sell! But man, was I wrong. Account Planning allowed me to be 10x MORE effective and prospect way LESS. Here is my 3-step process for Account Planning: (1) It starts with Account Tiering This is ranking all of your accounts to find the best ones to pursue. First, think about this solely on the account level: -- Are they ICP? -- Do you have success in that industry? -- Do they look like similar customers? -- Are there use cases you can crush? Next, think about access to the company: -- Were there previous opportunities? -- Do you have a warm intro? -- Do you have previous buyers/users in that account? -- Is there a compelling event that should pique their interest? (2) Create an Account Plan This means researching your BEST accounts to find ammunition and create a plan to break in. This is where you move from a 30,000 foot view to the ground level. Your goal is to understand their business as deeply as their own employees do. -- How do they earn money? -- How do they go to market? -- Who is their ICP? What do they care about? -- What currently presents a risk to their business? -- What are their execs thinking about? (3) Build your POV / Hypothesis What stands out to execs is NOT that you did your research. It’s the synthesis of your research. Your job is to form a well researched hypothesis of their business that shows why it’s at least worth engaging with you and your organization. The best POVs pique interest, share relevant stories, and expand your prospects’ thinking. Here are a few frameworks for great POVs: -- Challenging their status quo -- Empathizing deeply with a current pain point they have -- Painting a bold vision with/for them -- Uncovering a problem they might not know they have -- Trying to get to the root cause of their challenges Remember RELEVANCE > PERSONALIZATION Your goal here is to pique their curiosity, show that you’ve synthesized a lot of research, and demonstrate that you’ve helped similar customers. TAKEAWAY: When it comes to prospecting as an AE, it’s easy to be busy. It’s hard to be strategic on a consistent basis. That's why you need a strong Account Planning process. You'll have better results if you spend 100% of your effort on the right accounts. And there's way fewer accounts that matter than you think.

I used to overthink account strategy, esp relationship maps. Not anymore. Here's my simple approach to getting high and wide in your accounts: First, look at your day-to-day contact. Really look. Where do they sit? Are they: - **Tactical** (focused on daily tasks, immediate problems) - **Operational** (managing processes, team outcomes) - **Strategic** (driving business goals, long-term vision) This framework (hat tip to Damien Howley) changed how I work accounts. If your contact is tactical, they know the trenches. They'll tell you what's broken. What frustrates users. What workflows actually happen vs what management thinks happens. Gold mine of insights. But limited influence. If your contact is operational, they bridge worlds. They understand both ground-level challenges and bigger business goals. They can connect dots. Perfect for building your story. Still need executive buy-in. If your contact is strategic, you've hit the jackpot. They care about business outcomes. ROI. Competitive advantage. Start here if you can. But most of us don't start with a VP in our corner. So what's the real strategy? 1. Figure out where your key contact sits in the org 2. Extract maximum value from that relationship 3. Ask who else touches your solution 4. Build sideways before building up Example: Your contact is a tactical admin. Learn their pain points. Then ask: "Who tracks the metrics on this project?" "Who would see the reports if we improved X?" "When something breaks, who feels the pressure?" Each answer is your next meeting. When you finally go up the chain, you're not selling. You're sharing insights from their own team: "Based on what I've learned from Sarah's team, you're losing 3 hours per rep weekly on manual processes. We helped Salesforce fix this and gained back 120 sales hours per month. Want to explore how?" That's how elite CSMs work accounts. Like AEs, but with insider information. The strategic or tactical debate misses the point. Start anywhere. Just start. Then map. Connect. Climb. What's your go-to approach for expanding relationships within your accounts?

If your retention is inconsistent, it might be because your CSMs are treating everyone the same. A $500K strategic account and a $15K SMB customer have completely different needs, risks, and growth potential. You should set up three engagement models, not one: 1. Strategic Accounts - over $200K ARR. These need a dedicated CSM handling max 15 accounts. Not 50. Not 30. Fifteen. Strategic accounts require bi-weekly executive business reviews where you're talking BOARD-LEVEL metrics. You're running quarterly strategy sessions with their C-suite. You're building custom success plans that map to their actual business outcomes. And you're doing proactive expansion planning with a 90-day rolling roadmap that identifies the next $100K before they even ask. What does success look like here? - Gross retention above 98%. - Net retention north of 130%. - Executive engagement scores hitting 8+ out of 10. - Expansion pipeline at least 40% of base ARR. Anything less means you're not treating them strategically...you're just keeping them happy. 2. Growth Accounts - $50K to $200K ARR. These get pooled coverage where one CSM handles 30 to 40 accounts. Not strategic enough for dedicated resources, but too valuable for automation. - Monthly value reviews - and I mean actual value reviews, not "how's everything going" check-ins.  - Quarterly expansion workshops where you're actively identifying upsell opportunities.  - Semi-custom success plans tied to their company goals.  - Automated health monitoring with manual intervention when scores drop. Shoot for: - Gross retention around 92%. - Net retention targeting 115%. - Product adoption scores above 75%. - Expansion pipeline at 25% of base ARR. You're their GROWTH partner on this, not their "strategic" partner. There's a difference. :) 3. Standard Accounts - under $50K ARR. These should be 80% tech-touch with CSM intervention only for red flags. Quarterly webinars and group training instead of individual attention. Self-service resources and community support. Automated expansion nudges triggered by usage patterns, not manual outreach. Success here can look like: - Gross retention of 85% - Net retention around 105% - Support ticket resolution under 24 hours - Self-service adoption above 70% You're building efficiency at scale here. Less of a focus on building relationships. When you segment like this, resource allocation finally matches revenue impact. Your best CSMs focus on the accounts that actually move the number instead of spreading thin across 80 random logos. Don't stress about treating all customers the same. You don't have to be "fair." Strategic accounts deserve strategic attention. Standard accounts deserve efficient support. Segment your CS model or watch your best customers leave because they got the same treatment as everyone else.

Recently had two clients who hit 140%+ and 200%+ of their number in their first quarter in a new role. Here is what to do: 1. Whitespace your territory. Document EVERY account. I built a template I’ll share if you want it. 2. Tier Identify top targets, high-growth accounts, and early renewals. Look for 1.5x spend potential. You’re not here to farm—hunt. 3. Run strategic business reviews. Talk to every account. Understand M&A plans, growth projections, and tech stack gaps. Set quarterly checkpoints. 4. Understand their tech stack cold. What tools are they using? Where is there overlap? Educate them on how to consolidate, cut spend, and modernize. You should be able to identify what to sell, why it matters, and who to go after. If you can show them how to save money, they’ll find the budget for you. 5. Tap into internal wisdom. Connect with seasoned reps. Ask for landmines, power plays, and lessons they paid for so you don’t have to. 6. Shadow the best. Don’t just sit on calls—dissect them. How they open, how they dig deep in discovery, how they frame ROI. 7. Align with your internal squad. Customer success, SDRs, marketing—get everyone rowing in the same direction. Be the quarterback. 8. Mine the past. If you inherited accounts, track down the old AE. Ask what worked, what didn’t, and what’s still sitting untouched. 9. Sync with leadership. Your manager knows which accounts leadership is watching. Align yourself to those. Visibility = velocity. 10. Stakeholder mapping is non-negotiable. Find every relevant leader. VP of Ops, Dir. of IT, whoever controls budget or growth. LinkedIn Navigator is your friend. Map this back to open whitespace. DM, call, voice note drops. 11. Conversations = pipeline. The fastest way to build pipeline isn’t by blasting sequences. It’s by talking to customers. Understand the problems they’re trying to solve—then bring them new ideas they haven’t heard yet. Don’t be a product expert. Become an expert in their business. It works for my clients. And if you follow it, it’ll work for you.

Client: "We need to focus our ABM on the big names in the industry. You know, the Fortune 500 types." Me: "So, what makes them a good fit for your business?" Client: "Well, they're big and have big budgets." Me: "Okay, but do they need what you offer? Are they a good fit for your ideal customer profile?" Client: "Hmm, I'm not sure... We haven't looked at it that way." Me: "And what about potential value? Will those big names bring in the most revenue? Or are there smaller, faster growing companies with more potential?" Client: "That's a good point. We haven't considered that." Me: "And strategically, does it make sense to go after those giants? Or are there smaller companies that align better with your long term goals?" Client: "Hmm, I see what you mean." Me: "Let me put it another way: Have you ever seen a small company achieve amazing results with a product like yours?" Client: Thinking.. "Actually, yes! There's that one company..." Me: "Exactly. Account selection in #ABM isn't just about chasing big names. It's about finding the best fit for your business, potential value and strategic alignment." Client: "Tell me more..." Me: "Don't get me wrong, big accounts can be great. But those smaller accounts can sometimes bring surprising value and become your biggest wins." Client: "This is making me rethink our entire strategy." Me: "That's the idea. ABM is about finding the accounts that will benefit from your solution and align with your long-term goals." Client: "So, how do we find those accounts with potential?" Me: "Dig deeper. Look beyond size and revenue. Consider their needs, growth potential and their strategic fit. Sometimes, the hidden finds are the most valuable." Client: "This is eye opening. I'm excited to explore this further." Me: "Great. Think over quality over quantity." #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #marketingstrategy

Being a strategic account seller is more of a mindset than a title. Here are 4 real-life examples from my career: 1.) SMB: LOCAL TV ADVERTISING - Challenge: Get the largest local auto dealership group running ads on our station - Approach: Developed a Charter Program that leveraged group buy-in, offered the very best exposure, and monthly ideas to create creative commercials - Outcome: Locked in $12K MRR and got into the 6-figure earners club for the 1st time as a young pup 2.) MID-MARKET: IT OUTSOURCING SERVICES - Challenge: Get a large regional restaurant chain to notice us - Approach: Hand delivered an open letter to their office asking to hire their entire IT staff - Outcome: Got the meeting that later led to taking over all IT functions for the group for $1.2M annually 3.) ENTERPRISE: DIGITAL COMMERCE - Challenge: Get a major retail brand to take our small company seriously - Approach: Invited them to go “on tour,” including visiting our fiercest competitors before coming to our office in San Francisco - Outcome: We sold the cool factor of a youthful startup, but I personally rallied our top leaders to demonstrate the maturity of a Big 4 consulting firm - we won the bid 4.) STRATEGIC: SELLING CX TRANSFORMATION - Challenge: Circumvent a pending RFP and get the attention of the C-Suite at a top 5 global cable company - Approach: Delivered a $504M unsolicited bid taking over their entire customer experience and consolidating all of their contact centers into a “digital center of excellence” -Outcome: Closed a $6.6M initial deal in less than 9 months There is room for creative strategy at any level in sales if we allow ourselves to tap into it. Strat sales = more vibe than a fancy account list. Don’t forget that! 🐝

𝘌𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘴: "We need pipeline and revenue NOW" 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺: - Longer sales cycles & lower win rates - Continuous decline in outbound responses - Unpredictable flow of inbound leads, many w/ low revenue potential - Other marketing leads w/o intent are difficult to turn into pipeline and win Sales is under pressure to deliver on targets, while marketing doesn’t have the same accountability. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺: - Marketing collateral is collecting dust - Reps tweak pitch decks, sprouting dozens of value propositions - "Can we interview customers?" "Let's not bother them, what do you need to know?" - "Who are ideal customers?" "5K+ employee companies w/ allocated budget for our product" - Suggests long-term programs, but gets shot down, "Just deliver the leads." They deliver the leads—then get blamed when the leads don't convert. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦: Sales loses trust that marketing can deliver real pipeline—and starts treating them as order takers (“I need this deck, can you make it pretty?”) 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦: 1. Break down accounts into three groups - DECLARED INTENT: hand raisers asking to learn more about the solution  - HIGH-ODDS ACCOUNTS: accounts with high likelyhood of becoming an opportunity this quarter - FUTURE PIPELINE: engaged Tier 1 and Tier 2 accounts with an indication of product need or a good relationshop 2. DECLARED INTENT - Automated qualification with account enrichment technology - Automated, immediate booking with the right AE to develop the deal KPIs: Won revenue, ACV and win rate. Time-to-value: how quickly does the buyer get the info they need and understand the value. 3. HIGH-ODDS ACCOUNTS 1:1 Account Development: - 1:1 account planning - Account research and buying center mapping - Expand the relationships with the buying center - Create personalised offers The goal is to book a discovery call with an AE (declared need). KPIs: account-to-pipeline ratio, pipeline velocity 4. FUTURE PIPELINE The goal is to nurture and develop relationships with multiple buyers, and qualify the need. - 1:Few programs with cluster-based content and messaging - Connect and engage with the buying center - Involve in cluster-based programs to create multiple meaningful touchpoints - Leverage these touchpoints to collect sales insights and close the blind spots (progressive profiling) KPIs: account-to-convo ratio, account penetration --- To accelerate revenue, you need multifunctional, lean teams that can deliver and iterate fast on relevant multi-channel cluster-based programs. P.S. If you happen to be near Antwerp, Belgium, on May 16th, join Andrei Zinkevich and me, at We Are Sales conference, where we'll break down this framework:  https://lnkd.in/enM699MH

The days of 90% logo retention as a given are long gone. Today, CS teams need to fight for every dollar and most companies are reactively trying to put in processes to optimize the customer experience. I’m no godfather of negotiation psychology like Todd Caponi, but here are the trends I’m consistently seeing in renewal conversations this year: 1. Future vision matters more than ever Renewals used to be about validating past results. Now, customers are asking: “What will the next 12 months look like?” Not in vague terms - they want a clear, metric-driven roadmap. They know what your product could do. Now they want to know how you'll help them realize that potential, starting day one. This is where strategic account management comes in. The best CS teams understand their customer's business and are able to create a Business Case that clearly outlines the renewal value proposition. 2. If you’re raising prices, you better have a good reason Inflation is real, so is scrutiny. You can't just arbitrarily raise prices because the cost of eggs is $45 a dozen (sorry, too soon?). And no, “because we added AI” isn’t justification by itself. Customers (especially procurement teams) want specifics: What new features did we launch? What services have improved? What efficiencies are now easier to capture? They will pay more—if they see more value. 3. Discovery doesn’t stop at the sale You still need to understand what matters most to your customers. -Are they cash constrained? -Do they need internal political wins? -Is budget timing the real issue? Before you start negotiating against yourself in email chains… pick up the phone. Nothing replaces a 1:1 conversation to get to the heart of the “why” behind a pricing ask. Todd always says: show the pricing levers transparently and let the customer choose what fits. But that only works if you understand their priorities. 4. Extensions without commitment rarely end well “Can we get a couple more weeks?” “Let us circle back after the quarter ends.” I get it—you want to be flexible. You want to be a good partner. But if you’ve run your process right, time shouldn’t be the problem. The best CS professionals hold their ground with clear deadlines, defined next steps, and accountability on both sides. Because more time without commitment usually means the deal is slipping. 5. Your renewal date isn’t their buying date Just because your contract ends March 16th doesn’t mean that’s when the decision gets made. Customers are thinking about renewals months in advance. Because of this, you need consistent communication, you need to surface risks early, and you need to be seen as a true partner - someone they’ll bring concerns to proactively. Just like in parenting: if they trust you, they’ll come to you before things fall apart. CS is harder than ever. Budgets are tight. New tools are launching daily. Scrutiny is high. It all comes back to: Great product. Great service. Clear process.

In complex B2B sales, marketing can’t just hand off leads and consider its job done. Winning high-value deals requires ongoing collaboration with sales. A crucial way marketing can continue enabling sales is through comprehensive account intelligence. By thoroughly researching target accounts, marketing can identify key details that empower sales conversations: - Organizational structures and buying groups - Initiatives driving purchasing decisions - Pain points aligning with your solution - Competitor relationships and assessments Equipped with these insights into accounts’ priorities and environments, salespeople can deliver relevant pitches and accelerate deal cycles. They can also determine the optimal mix of stakeholders to engage for consensus building.  And by monitoring engagement levels, marketing can advise sales on which buying group members they should prfioritize to engage. So don’t just rely on generic lead scoring models. Perform diligent research tailored to each target account. This intelligence is like rocket fuel for complex deals, propelling sales interactions with relevance and strategic wisdom. Fuel success through insight.

Everyone's been sold the same lie: “Spend more time personalizing to get better results.” Here’s what actually happens: Your SDRs waste 5 min per prospect digging through LinkedIn, find nothing useful for 90% of them, and end up defaulting back to generic templates. Personalization is a 1:1 game. You can’t scale it. Relevance is different. Relevance multiplies. One account insight → 10 conversations One company challenge → Every stakeholder One initiative → Entire buying committee The best SDR teams have already made this shift. They’re booking more meetings with less research time. Stop personalizing for people. Start building relevance for accounts using an Account-Based System. What’s an Account System in outbound? Start with company-level insights first, then apply them to the prospects inside the account: Adapt to Above the Line and Below the Line prospects. If your product touches multiple teams, you go both horizontal and vertical inside the account, a multithreaded approach, not just single-thread. With this, it’s faster to spot real initiatives or challenges for each account, then build a strong POV (point of view) around how you can help. That makes your outbound relevant at scale. Example strategy: Identify company strategic initiatives/pain points in under 10 minutes → create a strong POV → reuse insights across multiple prospects in the same account. Here are different approach examples CEO interviewed on a podcast → use it to reach their direct reports. CRO just got hired → leverage with the CEO and front-line sales managers. Bottom-up: talk to end-users about current challenges/tools → use that with front-line managers → Economic buyer. VP of CS just hired 2 CSMs → name-drop. Ask for referrals inside the account. With that, you’ve got (almost) infinite ways to outbound an account. Because if the prospects you’re chasing aren’t active on LinkedIn, you’re just wasting time. And in 2025, with tools like n8n, Clay or AI-driven solutions make this faster and scalable, even if your prospect accounts aren’t active on LinkedIn. "But Elric, does this work in SMB and Mid-Market?” Yes. It works there too Example: Owner sells to single-location restaurants; they only have one contact for most accounts. They adapt the talk track by segment: Restaurant has: A website + uses Uber Eats/DoorDash → focus on the pain of 3rd-party apps (30% revenue cut, no customer data). A website + no delivery → educating them about missed revenue opportunities. They personalize for business maturity, not the owner. -- Follow me 👨🍳 Elric Legloire for daily outbound recipes.