the this sales life guide to
account planning
q1 2022
These days I’m constantly looking for ways to keep myself from becoming a workaholic. Stuck in this seemingly never-ending pandemic, inside a lot more than usual, traveling less, it’s easy to cling to work like it’s the last ship out of port. But I’m searching for some work/life balance y’all, especially in a global pandemic.
ACCOUNT PLANNING: 7 MISTAKES SOFTWARE REPS MAKE
These days I’m constantly looking for ways to keep myself from becoming a workaholic. Stuck in this seemingly never-ending pandemic, inside a lot more than usual, traveling less, it’s easy to cling to work like it’s the last ship out of port. But I’m searching for some work/life balance y’all, especially in a global pandemic.
One way to quench the workaholic monster is to streamline account planning. I can’t tell you how many late nights I’ve pulled, wasting my energy again and again, stuck in a loop of overwork. As sales people, we tend to think about the positive things. We love a big commission check at the end of a long work cycle. But we need to spend time analysing the negatives. How do we mitigate risk? How do we work smarter next time? When things fall through, what can we learn?
5 TOOLS YOU NEED FOR ACCOUNT PLANNING
Imagine you’re at your desk one innocent Wednesday afternoon, minding your own business. Your boss comes in (or calls you) and says, “Sandra’s leaving next week, we need you to take over half her accounts starting today. I know you’ll be great. Good luck!”
Deep breaths everyone. Don’t panic. This is a huge opportunity. Sandra’s a top sales professional at your company, she’s got some great accounts. You’re being handed a golden ticket...if you can only figure out how to cash it in.
We’ve already discussed the mistakes most sales reps make when it comes to account planning. So, you're definitely going to avoid the major pitfalls. You’ve got account planning scheduled in your calendar and you’re ready to rock and roll.
THE ACCOUNT PLANNING 2-STEP
Recently on the blog we’ve been exploring the wide world of account planning. This is the grunt work of the sales world. It’s not the flashy business lunches, the cocktail hour, or the high pressure meetings that kick your adrenaline into gear.
Account planning is the underground foundation that brings deals together. It’s the framework used to scaffold a deal from before that first cold (or hopefully warm) email to the prospective client to the implementation of whatever fabulous new product your client purchases. In short, account planning is the spine. Nothing works without it.
9 PEOPLE YOU NEED TO KNOW
Tell me if this sounds familiar. You’ve got a new client, maybe you just got some new territory. You’re making good progress, building a solid relationship, scheduling follow-up meetings and learning about your client’s needs and priorities. In short, you’re doing everything right.
UNTIL...your main contact at the company accepts a job somewhere else, puts in their two weeks notice, and forgets to tell you. WOMP WOMP. Next time you log in for a meeting no one shows up, you can’t get your emails returned and now you’re back to square one. All that time and effort...poof...out the window. Yikes.
Here’s the thing, we’ve all been there. I know I have. It’s frustrating and a little embarrassing to have so much time and effort wasted. But if it keeps happening over and over again? Well, that’s just on you.
