We define major accounts as the critical few client accounts
(typically between 5 and 20 depending upon your sales model) that are the
most important to you and your company both now and into the future.
While each go-to-market sales
strategy has a unique flavor, the criteria typically fall into two main
categories:
Financial Significance
Financially significant
accounts represent substantial financial value in terms of revenue, gross
margin or profit to the sales person, the sales team or the company. In
general, your major accounts should be 20% of your client base and provide
80% of the financial value.
Strategic Significance
Strategically significant
accounts signify vital strategic importance in terms of providing you with
marquee brand recognition, the ability to create valuable new capabilities,
or the opportunity to intelligently expand into desirable new markets,
geographies or verticals.
While major accounts take a
considerable investment of time and energy, the payoffs can be huge. When
properly managed, major accounts can anchor your business through thick and
through thin.
The Benefits of
Major Account Management
While some companies worry
that higher levels of investments in major accounts will decrease gross
margins, recent research by Kapta and Harvard Business Review found major
accounts on average:
How to Protect and
Grow Your Major Accounts
Once you define your major
accounts and believe in the benefit of going after them, it is time to create
a clear and compelling plan to achieve lasting and mutually beneficial
relationships.
If you truly want to protect
and grow your strategic accounts, follow these three field-tested best
practices.
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Voice of the Customer
"LSA's ability to get a group of 20+ executives from around
the globe on the same page, push their thinking to new heights, and ensure an
executable plan was excellent. I would recommend LSA to anyone looking to take
their leaders and sales execution to the next level."
Rob
Sturgeon | Executive Vice President | ServiceSourceAbout LSA Global
Founded in 1995, LSA Global is a leading performance consulting and training firm that helps high growth technology, services, and life-science companies create a competitive advantage by powerfully aligning their culture and talent with their strategy. Learn more about getting aligned