Corporate Account Management

This year I spent 256 hours in meetings with strategic account sellers. Here’s the #1 issue driving them crazy (and how to escape this hell): Being forced to sell by activity rather than strategy! I heard this story over and over again. Senior sellers at SaaS companies being pressured by their leaders to meet high outbound activity metrics each week. They're treated like glorified SDRs rather than Strategic AEs… But with $150K - $200K base salaries. Here's the problem: Surpassing $1.5M - $5M+ ARR quotas will not happen by running call blitzes using senior reps. 7-figure transformation deals unfold by designing a high-quality executive buying experience for a smaller subset of accounts aligned to the unique characteristics of the AE. So if you’re a strat account seller and find yourself in this sticky situation, here’s a playbook you can use to get out of it: STEP 1: Break down how you spent your time over the past 4 weeks The key is a deep understanding of revenue-generating activities (RGAs) vs non-RGAs. Remember: Research, prep, and follow-up are RGAs - not just the call or meeting. BTW, I like using Timeular for detailed time tracking. STEP 2: Draft up an internal business case Use this to present your case on why replacing cold outreach time to focus on more creative and impactful strategies will improve your performance and grow the business. STEP 3: Outline your strategy Structure your plan like this: ⇢ Title that includes your BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Example: “The path from $400K to $4M deals” ⇢ Headline Example: “I will replace 2 mandatory call blitzes per week with strategic account win design sessions. This deep work will result in elevating my executive status within my top 10 tier-one accounts.” ⇢ The Problem Statement Example: “For the past 4 weeks, 200 cold calls during the mandatory call blitz windows have produced 2 meetings (a 1% call-to-meeting ratio), resulting in a 50% attendance rate.” ⇢ Recommended Approach Example: “By allocating two 1-hour blocks for strategic account win designs instead of the cold call blocks, I will develop specific plans for my top 10 accounts using tools such as account maps, creative strategies such as crafting open letters, and arranging peer network exchanges which have been proven strategies from other 7-figure sellers within a strategic sales community I have invested in. I will still have time to meet the required 80 weekly outbound outreaches.” ⇢ Outline The KPIs You will want to drill down into the key levers that matter (show current vs target): - Win rate - Deal size - Deal cycle Remember to set a date for your targets. The beauty of this model is that it’s a blueprint for how you can sell more effectively with your prospects too. Going through this exercise proves to both you and your leaders you can be more strategic. Which, in case they forgot, was what you were hired for in the first place! 🐝 P.S. This is a snapshot of my Timeular for 2023.

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

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭 in any good projection: calculate future Revenue. As accurate as possible. That's mandatory!! 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 ✔️Historical Trend Analysis - Leveraging past performance to predict future trends. ✔️Market Analysis - Understanding market segments and potential impacts on revenue. ✔️Customer Segmentation - Analyzing different customer groups to tailor marketing and sales strategies. ✔️Sales Funnel Analysis - Monitoring progression through the sales funnel to anticipate revenue generation. ✔️Product Lifecycle Analysis - Assessing the stages of a product's life to forecast sales and revenue. ✔️Econometric Models - Using statistical methods to forecast revenue based on economic and market variables. 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 ➡️ Driver-Based Forecasting: Focusing on key business drivers like unit sales, market share, or operational efficiency, this method provides a granular view of forecasted revenue, allowing for more targeted strategy adjustments. ➡️ Rolling Forecasts: Instead of static annual forecasts, rolling forecasts update throughout the year to reflect real-time market conditions and business outcomes, providing a more dynamic financial outlook. Curious to know how you all manage forecasting? What methods do you find most useful?

The COMPLETE guide to forecasting every account on your financial statements 👇 The financial forecast is your company's roadmap for success, but most forecasts I see miss crucial details in how they approach individual accounts. I want to share my methodology for forecasting the most critical accounts👇 ➡️ PROFIT & LOSS 📈 REVENUE FORECASTING 1️⃣ Renewals & Expansion → Renewal rate × renewal likelihood × Expansion % This is the foundation of your revenue forecast and typically the most predictable revenue stream For example, if you have $100,000 in current MRR, a 90% renewal rate, and 10% expansion from existing customers: $100,000 × 90% × 110% = $99,000 in monthly recurring revenue Common mistakes to avoid: - Using a flat renewal rate across all customer segments - Ignoring seasonal patterns in expansion - Not factoring in price increases 2️⃣ New Customer Acquisition → Break down by acquisition channel with specific metrics For Sales Reps: - Factor in ramp time (typically 3-6 months to full productivity) - Use realistic quota attainment (industry average is 60-70%) Real example with 3 new sales reps, each with a $500K quota and 60% attainment: - Q1: Minimal contribution - Q2: 25% of full productivity = $62,500 - Q3: 75% of full productivity = $187,500 - Q4: 100% of full productivity = $250,000 Total annual contribution: $500,000 (vs $1.5M if you ignored ramp time and attainment) ➡️ COST OF GOODS SOLD 💰 COGS → Calculate as a percentage of revenue for most businesses Perfect for software companies and service businesses where costs scale relatively linearly with revenue. Implementation tips: - Calculate your 12-month historical COGS percentage - Adjust for any known future changes in your cost structure - Create separate percentages for different product lines Example: If your SaaS platform has historically run at 22% COGS/Revenue, but you're investing in better infrastructure that will reduce costs by 2%, forecast at 20% going forward. ➡️ OPERATING EXPENSES 💼 Headcount-Based Expenses → Build position-by-position with specific hiring dates and fully-loaded costs Example for a Marketing Manager with $100,000 salary + 25% additional costs: - Annual cost: $125,000 - Q2-Q4 cost (9 months): $93,750 Contract-Based Expenses → Review existing contracts and renewal dates with expected increases === Creating a detailed financial forecast takes time, but the accuracy gained from using these account-specific methodologies will transform your company's financial planning. Funny enough, today my community kicks off the FP&A Season with Financial Modeling Fundamentals - perfect timing for this post! We'll be building on these concepts with dedicated sessions on Revenue Forecasting , P&L Forecasting, and Balance Sheet Forecasting. You can find more details about the community here: https://lnkd.in/eU4b8ARA What account do you find most challenging to forecast accurately? Share your thoughts in the comments below 👇

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗕𝗔! From Vasai to Bangalore and from Audits to FP&A As part of my decentralized (PR free) success stories series, Meet Dickson Dabre, one of my earliest followers and now a solid FP&A professional in a global role at Hitachi Energy Dickson hails from small town Vasai in Mumbai, like all commerce students he started on the CA route, cleared inter & started articleship in Tax & Audits. While prepping for finals, an unsuccessful attempt nudged him to consider alternatives and coincidently he received an offer in General Accounting (R2R) - involving relocation to Bangalore. It was uncertain path but he took the leap and moved across the states. Accounting was never his end goal - it felt clerical, repetitive, even boring at times. But Dickson didn’t complain. He showed up, did the job! #patience And quietly kept upskilling himself in Excel, Power BI, and business finance - being ready for the opportunity if it arises in future. He gradually pivoted into Cost Accounting, Data Roles, and SAP reporting. But he never lost his curiosity: 👉 “Where does this come from?” 👉 “Why are we showing this trend?” 👉 “Who is ultimately responsible for the numbers?” That mindset introduced him to the world of FP&A - budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and presenting real business insights to leadership. He had no formal training, no CFA or MBA tag. But he self-learned everything from scratch: 📘 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱: • Budgeting & Forecasting: Top-down, bottom-up, zero-based, rolling forecasts • Variance Analysis: Revenue vs. price/mix/volume, cost drivers • Financial Reporting – Segment-wise P&L, cost centers, cash flow, working capital, KPIs • Storytelling with Numbers – Executive-ready reporting, simplifying the unstructured data Today, he handles finance transformation projects with a global footprint, helping leadership drive visibility, efficiency, and impact. 💡 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗣&𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀: 🎯 Target the role – Start with a GCC or directly in business. GCCs are a great FP&A launchpad. 📊 Master concepts – Budgeting (Top-down, Bottom-up, Zero-based), cost allocation, Variance Analysis, Story Telling, Reporting - all matter. 🧠 Learn the tools – Master Excel/Power BI and also slice, dice, and drive business insight from them. 💻 Bonus edge – Learn ERP (Oracle/SAP) or Anaplan. 🤝 Business partnering – Talk to stakeholders. Understand the story behind the numbers. 📚 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗛𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀: 1. Financial planning & Analysis and performance management by Jack Alexander 2. All about FP&A by Asif Masani. This is what growth looks like. No Tier-1 MBA. No CFA. Just consistent intent and compounding curiosity. Dickson - proud of your journey, brother. You’re what I call a decentralised success story. Let’s bring more of these stories out  🙌 #ChinmayaAmteExcel #FP&A #SuccessWithoutMBA

Corporate Client Bots in Banking So far, we have largely focused on consumer clients. Let us take a closer look at scenarios where corporates deploy more sophisticated AI bots for their banking needs. Key benefits of corporate bots in banking are: 🔸 Onboarding: The onboarding process, including KYC and CDD, which is typically more complex in corporate banking than in retail banking, can be streamlined through AI. Current processes often involve multiple touchpoints and manual intervention. However, AI can automate these tasks, efficiently validating, understanding, and storing document content, reducing the need for manual processing and improving accuracy and speed. 🔸Feedback Loop: The true voice of corporate clients is often obscured by limited feedback channels, rigid surveys, and generic market research. GenAI unlocks novel approaches as it empowers clients to express feedback in more natural ways and move away from static forms. This enables AI to extract insights that truly illuminate hidden needs and preferences, which fuels a virtuous cycle where client feedback directly shapes transformative, highly tailored products. 🔸Querying Own Payments Data: Clients will be able to effortlessly interact with their data through a GenAI interface without the need for them to be proficient in data manipulation tools or be confined to a set of predefined data analysis features within an application. Instead, they have the flexibility to ask questions in natural language, such as, ‘Who are my top suppliers and customers, based on payment value and volume, segmented by geography and payment methods?’ The responses go beyond mere data; they are intuitive insights in natural language, accompanied by visualizations and the capability to explore ‘what if’ hypothetical scenarios. 🔸Regulatory & Compliance Insights: Graph LLM-powered tools could automate the monitoring and analysis of regulatory and compliance changes with the help of natural language processing algorithms. Relevant updates identified by such tools could then be used not only by the bank to adapt its processes and policies accordingly, but also form part of the advisory information that clients can benefit from while incorporating changes into their business. Banks’ transactional processing flows would also benefit from ongoing compliance checking against such consolidated regulatory positions, flagging non-compliance early and allowing both the corporate and the bank to address the gaps and avoid penalties. Over-reliance on AI bots may lead to vulnerabilities if the technology fails or is compromised. Navigating the complex regulatory landscape can be challenging, especially as regulations evolve to keep pace with technological advancements. 👉 Subscribe for more insights https://lnkd.in/d94JgWBU Source Citi #fintech #banking #ai Leda Florian Alex Ali

To generate revenue from ABM (account-based marketing) campaigns you need to implement the research cascade method. Here is why and how. ABM stands for personalized solutions to companies with a clear need or challenges your product solves. Start with a list of engaged accounts that fit your ICP and passed through qualification criteria. Next, leverage the research cascade method. 1. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡. Collect and analyze all publicly available information about target accounts' key initiatives and strategy. Here are the main sources: - press releases - interviews with chief executives - roadmaps - corporate reports - earning calls 2. 𝐁𝐮𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡. Research the buying committee and collect insights about how they might be involved in the key initiatives. Here are several things you need to pay attention to: - What's their role and area of responsibility in the stated key initiative or strategy? - KPIs/OKRs - Challenges - Goals 3. 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠. Start mapping your value proposition with the identified KPIs, goals, and challenges of every buying committee member. Fullfunnel.io example from selling ABM sprints: Marketing: Get a proven process to collaborate with sales and increase marketing-sourced revenue. Sales: Hit revenue targets faster by winning deals with enterprise accounts. 4. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Write down short (I recommend one-page docs) personalized solutions for every buying committee member. Include: - Context - How exactly your product helps to achieve their goals or solve the challenges - Relevant social proof 5. 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦-𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧). Create a multichannel warm-up and activation program with sales. Include: - Social engagement and selling - Personalized ads - Content hubs - Content collaboration - Direct mail swags - Micro-events Keep in mind. ABM is not about volume. ABM is about selecting the right accounts that have a need for your product and marketing to them with personalized solutions. #abm #accountbasedmarketing

Targeted revenue provides stretch goals for sales teams. But it's also vital for strategic planning. Here's how targeted revenue works and why it matters for FP&A. 1) Start with known and knowable sales This is the core of a sales forecast. Every company should maintain sales activity in a CRM. This may be broken down by customer, channel, product category, SKU, or a combination of all. Customers are known, the stage of the sales process is clear, and the amount of the deals are quantified. If a company is planning using driver-based forecasting, the sales outlook may omit this level of detail since the figures won't tie directly to customer accounts. 2) Layer in a stretch target. Many companies don't know which specific customers will generate revenue a year from now. Even if they do, there’s uncertainty in the amounts. But this shouldn’t stop setting the targets. Revenue targets can be based on forecasts within a sector or revenue channel where sales managers believe there's untapped opportunity, rather than with a specific customer. This brings about a focus on sales strategy, marketing, and other sales initiatives to make inroads in those channels. 3) Quantify the opportunities A vital, but challenging task, is for the sales team to put numbers to those opportunities: • Which channels are most promising? • What the potential deal size? This provides FP&A with a foundation for all-in revenue planning. 4) Cascade the impact Once a revenue target is set, it doesn't stop at the sales forecast. It drives the operating assumptions further down the P&L, for capex, and for financing: • Direct costs • Gross margins • Headcount planning • Compensation • Marketing • Facilities • Debt 5) Build in timing assumptions It's rare for revenue to be forecast in neat, even increments. FP&A needs to decide: • Smooth it evenly throughout the year • Front-load, if sales are aggressive • Back-load, if sales are conservative • Weight it, if seasonality is in play The choice of FP&A or a Controller is not just for revenue recognition. It impacts hiring plans, marketing, cash flow, and especially working capital needs. 6) Apply conservatism discounts Targeted revenue is aspirational and hardly guaranteed. Because of this, the financial model benefits from conservatism or scoring adjustments upon which scenarios can be run. A sale may be all-or-nothing, where it's either won or it's not. Weighted confidence levels can allow for scenario triggers so forecasts adjust dynamically. This helps FP&A and sales create what I call "tiers of planning" -- high, mid, and low confidence. Tiered planning sets optimistic and conservative sales thresholds. 7) Apply the plan With sales targets at various thresholds, FP&A can better plan for the rest of the FP&A and set performance milestones.

CEO: Our margins are getting tighter. FP&A: Let’s cut costs. CEO: We’re missing revenue targets. FP&A: Let’s reforecast. CEO: Our cash flow is unpredictable. FP&A: Let’s track it closer. CEO: We’re losing market share. FP&A: Let’s adjust assumptions. This is how finance becomes a back-office function. And it’s why most FP&A teams get ignored in strategy meetings. Instead, try this: 1. Turn data into decisions, not just reports CEOs don’t need more charts. They need answers. If your reports don’t drive action, they’re just noise. FP&A teams that translate numbers into clear next steps get a seat at the table. 2. Make forecasting dynamic, not static Annual budgets are already outdated by Q2. Winning teams run rolling forecasts that adapt in real-time, using leading indicators to predict what’s next, before the business feels the impact. 3. Use capital as a competitive advantage The best companies don’t just cut costs, they allocate capital better. Instead of reacting to margin pressure with blanket cuts, double down on high-ROI opportunities and phase out low-value spending. 4. Speak the language of business Finance gets ignored when it talks in numbers, not outcomes. Saying, “Gross margin fell by 2%” misses the mark. Saying, “Optimizing pricing can recover $5M in profit next quarter” gets action. 5. Don’t wait for leadership to ask The best FP&A teams don’t wait. They anticipate challenges, model different scenarios, and push strategic moves before the company is forced to react. Influence happens when finance drives the conversation, not follows it. The FP&A teams winning in 2025 aren’t managing costs. They’re out-executing their competitors. FP&A sees what’s coming first. Follow Erik Lidman for FP&A insights.

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?