Selling to Major Accounts: A Strategic Approach

You can no longer afford to spend valuable time on account development without clear objectives and strategic direction. Major account sales require extended timelines and substantial resource allocation. This is why today's most successful sales professionals combine tactical expertise with strategic insight. In this account management training program, discover how to develop a comprehensive strategic selling plan that optimizes your time, reduces costs, and minimizes complications by selecting appropriate accounts and projects, understanding what your solution means to your prospects, building sustainable long-term partnerships, and accelerating progress through your sales pipeline.

Who should attend:

• Sales professionals, including account managers, sales representatives, and sales executives. Also recommended for sales managers, vice presidents, and directors of sales and marketing who are pursuing advanced account management training based on leading practices in major account sales.
• A minimum of three years of sales experience is recommended.

How you will benefit:

• Enhance your sales performance while investing less effort
• Build customer loyalty through a deep understanding of their needs
• Expand revenue from your existing client base
• Reduce your sales cycle duration by recognizing and removing internal and external barriers
• Focus on prospects with the highest propensity to purchase from your organization
• Increase efficiency in account upkeep and relationship maintenance
• Build an organized, clear sales plan that keeps you on track
• Discover methods to obtain additional business referrals from your existing customers

What you will cover:

• The evolving sales environment and the modern salesperson as a strategic thinker
• Creating your strategic plan: viewing the broader perspective
• Creating goals, objectives, and performance measures to strengthen major-account results
• Competencies essential for major account selling
• Evaluating your most promising opportunities; determining your optimal sources for RTEM, or Return on Time, Effort, and Money Investment
• Managing and tracking your sales pipeline effectiveness

Course Outline

Learning Objectives

• Identify Your Most Promising Opportunities and Encourage More of Them to Move Forward More Rapidly
• Recognize Prospects with Limited Likelihood of Success, and Steer Clear of Them
• Reduce Your Sales Cycle Duration
• Maximize Revenue While Minimizing Effort
• Optimize the Sales Process to Enhance Results
• Use the RTEM Concept, or Return on Time, Effort, and Money Investment, to Maximize Results from Your Efforts
• Monitor and Improve Your Performance on an Ongoing Basis

Thinking Strategically

• Navigate the Obstacles Associated with Selling
• Contrast Strategy with Tactics
• Incorporate the RTEM Concept into Your Activities
• Master the Four Pillars of Your Selling Strategy: What, Who, Why, and How

The Major Account

• Characterize What Qualifies as a Major Account
• Separate Major Accounts from Other Customer Categories
• Comprehend Your Function as a Major Account Manager
• Create a Strategic Approach to Overseeing Your Major Accounts

What Have You Got to Sell?

• Highlight the Advantages of Your Products and Services
• Characterize Your Ideal Customer and Source Prospects That Meet That Description
• Specify the Ideal Project and Commit Resources to Capture It

The Selling Process

• Refine Your Ability to Control the Sales Process
• Establish Process Milestones Based on Five Essential Prospect Actions
• Set Results Indicators to Improve Your Sales Process

Identifying High RTEM Opportunities

• Advance Your Skills in Evaluating Opportunities
• Select Opportunities with the Strongest Likelihood and Invest Your Resources Accordingly
• Pinpoint Prospects That Won't Move Forward and Exclude Them

Managing Relationships

• Oversee Internal Relationships
• Oversee Customer Relationships
• Separate Business Development from Account Upkeep Activities

Managing Your Pipeline

• Grasp Mathematical Principles Underlying Your Pipeline
• Minimize Risk by Balancing Your Pipeline
• Manage Non-Sales Activities Competing for Your Time
• Use Strategic Methods to Generate Referrals
• Prioritize Results Rather than Activity

Tracking Performance for Continuous Improvement

• Employ the Plan-Do-Check-Act Methodology to Enhance Performance Continuously
• Create Measurable Performance Goals
• Lead Your Account Performance Using Strategic Methods
• Design and Sustain Action Plans to Keep You on Course

Committing to Action

• Recognize What Elements of This Program Benefit You Most
• Design a Strategic Plan for Integrating Your Learning
• Create Sustainable Habits to Reinforce New Capabilities