How to roll out an account-based sales strategy

ABS and B2B make a perfect match. 9/10 of B2B companies agree, with a strong majority of them already running an Account-Based Sales strategy.

Not only does an account-based mindset fit the complex, customer-centric, and lengthier sales cycles typical of B2B engagements, but ABS also delivers on its promises, especially the much touted sales-marketing alignment and the expected ROI on process efficiencies and revenue performance.

Account-based selling tactics have been around for quite a while, but it is only recently — when relevant technologies and business practices matured — that ABS has become the preferred sales framework in the B2B market. You are likely using ABS tactics in your sales process, even if you don't call it that or realize it. Your company meets the criteria if:

1. Corporate clients that require the buy-ins of multiple decision makers account for a large chunk of your portfolio;
2. Your sales process is relatively complicated and takes longer to complete; and,
3. Extending customer life-time value by generating post-sale business is common.

The first question is: Has your team already embraced ABS?

If yes, the next is a bit trickier: Are you doing ABS right?

In case you’re wondering, ABS doesn’t always work for every B2B player. But if your ideal customer profile and business model meet the criteria, then you can’t afford not to adopt ABS and to run with it. That’s doubly true if your B2B sales team appears to be trailing key competitors who focus on the same market segment. If that’s your situation, then you need to step up your account-based selling game.

Where do you start? With grabbing a copy of An Operation Leader’s Guide to Rolling Out an Account-Based Sales Strategy.

This free ebook from Sales Hacker brings together the experiences and insights of Outreach and LucidChart, two forerunners in the sales industry, and outlines the practical steps for building and running your own successful Account-Based Sales strategy.

What Is Account-Based Sales?

Account-based selling is a hyper-personalized strategy that treats each valued corporate client as a market of one, to be nurtured and grown over time. ABS uses a holistic approach that compels all client-facing teams such as sales, marketing, and customer success to share goals, synchronize efforts, and tailor their messaging as they engage all the decision makers and influencers within an account.

A successful ABS strategy considers the specific roles of people on your internal teams, as well as the entire buyer group, while optimizing the touchpoints and technologies that help accelerate the account through the buyer journey. Among other things, such a strategy should include plans and protocols for aligning each customer-facing team as they target the same organizations.

What Do You Need To Know About Account-Based Sales?

Account-based selling is all about giving valued customers and prospects the optimal attention needed to drive the maximum amount of business to your company.

An Operation Leader’s Guide to Rolling Out an Account-Based Sales Strategy presents a step-by-step guide to equip sales and revenue leaders with the knowledge to plan and execute a winning ABS strategy, including:

• Identifying your best customers, understanding where they are coming from, and rolling out a playbook to keep them in your portfolio.
• Planning a strategy, personalizing at scale, and tracking the right metrics.
• What you need to include in your ABS strategy to ensure success
• Getting marketing and sales on the same page
• The secrets to deep personalization and how to do it at scale
• The correct ways to measure performance
• Addressing challenges and roadblocks that impede execution

If you have been looking for a new, sustainable way to improve your margins and growth performance but have yet to discover an approach that works in the modern sales climate, consider adopting an ABS strategy. With the right conditions, a fine-tuned ABS strategy will almost certainly transform your sales organization.

Are you ready to see how far it goes?

Download An Operation Leader’s Guide to Rolling Out an Account-Based Sales Strategy and join the movement.