An account plan is a one-page view of a single company you want to win or grow. It turns "we should go after them" into a plan someone can act on this week. This page explains what an account plan is for, goes through the template field by field, gives you the template to copy, and shows it filled in for one invented account.
01
What an account plan is for
An account plan is for the accounts that deserve real effort: the top tier of your target account list, or the largest customers you want to grow. It keeps everyone working on the account, sales, marketing and customer success, on the same page, and it makes the reason to act and the next step visible. For accounts below the top tier, a one-page prospect research template is enough.
One account
Account plan
How to win or grow one named company, with people, reasons and next steps.
Many accounts
Target account list
Which companies to pursue, in tiers. Account plans are written for its top tier.
A kind of company
Ideal customer profile
Describes the companies that fit, with no names on it.
02
The account planning template, field by field
- Account snapshot. What they do, size, locations, and how they fit your ideal customer profile.
- Reason to act now. The dated event that makes this account worth effort this quarter, and where you saw it.
- Their priorities. What the company is trying to achieve this year, in their own words where possible: annual reports, interviews, job posts.
- The buying group. Each person in the buying committee: the economic buyer, the champion, the users and anyone who could block it.
- Current situation. What they use today, who they buy from, and what it would take to change.
- Our fit. The one or two outcomes you can deliver that match their priorities.
- Plan of action. The next three to five steps, each with an owner and a date.
- Risks. What could stop it: timing, budget, a competitor, a missing relationship.
- Review date. When the plan is next checked and updated.
03
Copy the template
Account planning template
ACCOUNT PLAN Account: Owner: Last updated: Next review: 1. Account snapshot What they do: Size and locations: Fit with our ideal customer profile: 2. Reason to act now Event: Date and where it was seen: 3. Their priorities this year 1. 2. 4. Buying group Economic buyer (approves the money): Champion (pushes for it inside): Users: Possible blockers: 5. Current situation What they use today: Who they buy from: What would make them change: 6. Our fit Outcome we can deliver: Proof we can show: 7. Plan of action Step | Owner | Date 1. 2. 3. 8. Risks - 9. Notes from the last review
04
An example, filled in
An invented example. A company selling inventory software plans one account: Northfield Supply, a made-up wholesale distributor.
| Field | What they wrote |
|---|---|
| Account snapshot | Building supplies distributor, about 300 staff, three warehouses. Fits the ICP on size, sector and multi-site stock. |
| Reason to act now | Opened a fourth warehouse last month, seen on their own locations page. |
| Their priorities | Faster delivery to trade customers; fewer stockouts, named in a recent interview with their managing director. |
| Buying group | Economic buyer: finance director. Champion: head of operations. Users: four warehouse managers. Possible blocker: IT manager, who owns the current system. |
| Current situation | Stock kept in spreadsheets plus an old accounting system; no single view across sites. |
| Our fit | One view of stock across all four warehouses; fewer stockouts. A case study from a similar distributor. |
| Plan of action | Rep emails the head of operations about the new warehouse this week; marketing sends the case study to the finance director next week; rep asks the head of operations for a call with the IT manager within a month. |
| Risks | The IT manager may prefer extending the current system. Budget may already be spent on the new site. |
| Review date | First Monday of next month. |
05
How to fill it in well
Start with the reason to act. If you cannot fill in that field, the account is not ready for a plan yet; keep it on the list and watch it.
Name real people. "Finance" is not a buying group. A name and a role is.
Write their priorities in their words. Quote what they have said in public, not what you hope they think.
Keep the plan short. Three to five next steps with owners and dates beats a long strategy no one acts on.
Write the risks honestly. A plan with no risks has not been thought through.
06
Using account plans in your team
- Write one for each top-tier account, not for every account on the list.
- Review them together every month. Ten minutes per account: what happened, what is next, what changed.
- Share them across teams. Marketing and customer success should be able to read the same plan as sales.
- Retire plans that stall. An account with no progress for a quarter moves down a tier, with a note of why.
07
Common account planning mistakes
Plans for too many accounts. If everyone has twenty account plans, none of them are real.
A research file, not a plan. Pages of facts with no next step change nothing.
One contact per account. If that person leaves or goes quiet, the plan stops.
Written once and filed. A plan that is not reviewed is out of date within weeks.
08
The account plan checklist
Before you call the plan ready
- The account is in the top tier of your target list.
- There is a dated reason to act now.
- Their priorities are written in their own words.
- The buying group names real people and their roles.
- The plan has three to five steps, each with an owner and a date.
- Risks are written down.
- There is a review date.
09
Questions
What should an account plan include?
A snapshot of the account, the reason to act now, their priorities, the buying group, their current situation, how you fit, the next steps with owners and dates, the risks, and a review date.
How long should an account plan be?
One page. If it needs more, the extra is research notes; keep those in a separate file and link it.
Is an account plan only for existing customers?
No. It works for new accounts you want to win and for customers you want to grow. For new accounts, the reason to act now matters most.
10
Where to go next
New to the research side? Start with what sales prospecting is.