Planning21% of the exam
Engaging key accounts
How a rep builds a key-account approach: tier accounts and give Tier 1 a high-touch plan, research the industry, business and people first, map every decision maker and reach above the power line, and write short, role-specific messages that earn attention and interest.
Create an approach to engage key accounts.
~7 min read · 8 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Segment prospect accounts into tiers and choose the right level of attention for each, with a high-touch approach for Tier 1.
- Explain why strategic prospecting (a full pipeline) is what frees a rep to focus on key accounts and avoid discounting.
- Plan the research a rep does before engaging a key account: industry, business and people, including for private companies.
- Decide whom to target: personas built from existing customers, every level of the company, and people above the power line.
- Write role-specific outreach that is short, specific and results-driven, and test it before sending.
- Key terms: key account (a top-tier account worth a focused, high-touch plan); Tier 1 (prospects "most likely to be interested and actually purchase"); persona (a profile of a role that often takes part in buying); power line (the line above which people can approve budget); decision maker (a person who makes purchasing decisions for the customer's business).
Key facts
Tier 1
- Detail
- Most likely to be interested and purchase; high-touch approach
Big pipeline benefits
- Detail
- Focus on top-tier accounts; walk away from a deal and still meet quota (less discounting)
Private company research
- Detail
- About Us, store, social media, reviews, Glassdoor, executives on LinkedIn
Whom to target
- Detail
- Personas from existing customers' buying roles; all levels of the company
Power line
- Detail
- People above it can approve budget and take funds from other departments
Goal of prospecting
- Detail
- Attention and Interest only: "Yes, I want to learn more"
Message test
- Detail
- Would you respond to your own message?
- Why does a big pipeline help a rep engage key accounts well?
- When the customer is a private company with no public reports, where should a rep research it?
- How should a rep decide which roles to target at a new account?
- Why target people above the power line?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
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