account-plan

Overview

Based on "The New Strategic Selling" by Robert B. Miller and Stephen E. Heiman. Miller and Heiman's framework established that complex B2B sales are never one-to-one - they involve multiple buying influencers, each with different priorities and different definitions of "win." Strategic Selling maps every key player in the account, diagnoses your position with each one, and builds a coordinated plan to move the account forward.

Workflow

Step 1: Define the account objective and timeline

Write one sentence: what does winning this account mean in the next 90 days, and what does it mean in 12 months?

Format:

• 90-day objective: [specific, measurable outcome - e.g., "Close initial $120K deal with [division]"]
• 12-month objective: [expansion target - e.g., "Expand to 3 divisions, $400K ARR"]
• Strategic importance: [why this account matters - size, logo value, reference potential, or industry influence]

Without a clear objective, every action in the account plan is activity without direction.

Step 2: Map all buying influencers