3 Signs that You Need a Sales Account Plan

Effective strategic sales account plans are designed to help sales professionals who work on important, large and complex accounts. Yet, many seasoned professionals succeed with large accounts without ever developing a strategic account plan.

Here are three signs that you should spend the time to create a Strategic Account Plan:

1. Surprised: If the loss of (or drop in revenue at) a key account has ever surprised you, then a strategic account plan that anticipates changes, risks, and future needs would serve you well. If you are truly attuned with your client, you should not be surprised.
   
   
2. Unfulfilled Potential: If your key strategic accounts are not reaching their full potential, this is a signal for a change of strategy and a fresh perspective. Good account plans allow you to develop and leverage key relationships while raising your competitive position and increasing client mind-share and wallet-share.
   
   
3. Required Resources: If success at your key accounts is dependent upon the success of others, take the time to create a game plan that gets you all on the same page with aligned performance metrics. For most complex accounts, collaboration is required across not only sales, service, and support to thrive, but also across multiple disciplines and functions.