The “How To” Template for Enterprise Account Planning

Template Introduction

In the world of enterprise sales, success is not just about closing deals—it’s about nurturing and expanding valuable customer relationships. To achieve sustained revenue growth in this competitive landscape, you need a strategic approach that goes beyond transactional selling. This is where account plans come into play. They are the secret weapon of top-performing sales teams, enabling them to drive revenue, foster customer loyalty, and scale their businesses. Below is a template you can snag as your own. 

We know the last thing sales people want to do is spend time away from their customers, but we encourage you to take away out and discover how a well-crafted account plan can supercharge your sales efforts by keeping you on plan when work pulls you in a thousand different directions. If you want help applying this template to your business, drop us a line or tag us on LinkedIn.

Account Information:

• Account Name: [Enter Account Name]
• Account ID: [Enter Account ID]
• Account Type: [New Customer/Existing Customer]
• Account Industry: [Enter Industry]
• Account Size: [Enter Employee Count or Revenue]
• Key Contacts: [List Key Contacts and Their Roles]

Account Overview:

• Current Status: [Briefly describe the current status of the account]
• Account Objectives: [List your primary objectives for this account]
• Challenges and Opportunities: [Identify challenges the account faces and potential opportunities]

SWOT Analysis:

• Strengths: [List the strengths of your company in relation to this account]
• Weaknesses: [Identify weaknesses that need to be addressed]
• Opportunities: [Highlight opportunities for growth and improvement]
• Threats: [List potential threats to the account relationship]

Goals and Strategies:

• Revenue Growth: [Specify revenue growth targets and strategies to achieve them]
• Customer Satisfaction: [Define goals for improving customer satisfaction]
• Cross-Selling and Upselling: [Outline strategies to expand product/service offerings]
• Competitive Position: [Describe how you plan to strengthen your competitive position]
• Relationship Building: [Detail strategies for enhancing relationships with key stakeholders]

Champions and Executive Sponsors:

• Champions: [Identify individuals within the customer organization who support your product/service and can influence others]
• Executive Sponsors: [Highlight any high-level executives within the customer organization who are advocates for your partnership]

Business Case Template:

• Objective: [Specify the business case’s primary objective]
• Justification: [Explain why this account is strategically important to your company]
• ROI Analysis: [Provide a detailed analysis of the return on investment expected from this account]
• Resource Allocation: [Outline the resources, budget, and personnel required to execute the plan]

Top Competitors:

• Competitor 1:
• Strengths: [List the strengths of Competitor 1]
• Weaknesses: [Identify weaknesses of Competitor 1]
• Competitor 2:
• Strengths: [List the strengths of Competitor 2]
• Weaknesses: [Identify weaknesses of Competitor 2]
• Competitor 3:
• Strengths: [List the strengths of Competitor 3]
• Weaknesses: [Identify weaknesses of Competitor 3]

Action Plan Template:

• Quarter 1:
• [List specific actions, responsible parties, and deadlines for the first quarter]
• Quarter 2:
• [List specific actions, responsible parties, and deadlines for the second quarter]
• Quarter 3:
• [List specific actions, responsible parties, and deadlines for the third quarter]
• Quarter 4:
• [List specific actions, responsible parties, and deadlines for the fourth quarter]

Key Milestones:

• [Identify important milestones or events throughout the year related to this account]

Sales Forecast:

• [Provide a detailed sales forecast for the account, broken down by product or service]

Dependencies:

• [List any dependencies or external factors that may impact the account plan]

Communication Plan:

• Internal Communication: [Outline how you will communicate progress and updates within your organization]
• External Communication: [Detail how you will communicate with the customer, including meetings and check-ins]

Risk Assessment Template:

• Risk Identification: [Identify potential risks or obstacles to achieving your objectives]
• Risk Mitigation: [Describe strategies to mitigate each identified risk]

Review and Evaluation:

• Performance Metrics: [Specify KPIs and performance metrics to measure progress]
• Review Schedule: [Set dates for regular account reviews with the customer]
• Lessons Learned: [Document key takeaways and adjustments for future planning]

Attachments:

• [Attach any relevant documents, current footprint or pulse data, presentations, reports, or customer correspondence]