What you'll learn
By the end of this lesson you can score a list of named accounts on fit, timing and access, sort it into three tiers, and set the size of Tier 1 from the hours your team has.
Why a list needs an order
Lesson 2 ended with 25 named accounts. They are not equal. One has just announced a change that makes your product relevant. Another is a perfect fit that signed with a competitor in the spring. A third is a famous name nobody on your team knows how to reach.
Without an order, effort follows habit. Sellers work the names they recognise and the contacts who are easy to find. Scoring replaces habit with evidence. Tiering turns the scores into a decision about time.
Score on fit, timing and access
Three questions cover most of what matters.
- Fit. Would this company be a good customer? Sector, size, geography, the problem you solve, whether you can work with what it already runs, and the likely deal size.
- Timing. Is there a reason to act now? A trigger event, a named programme or budget, a contract coming up for review.
- Access. Can you reach the people who decide? Warm paths in, and whether you can name the buying committee.
Our scorecard has 11 criteria across the three groups. Fit carries 60 points out of 100, timing 25 and access 15. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 3, and every score of 2 or 3 needs a link or a note as evidence. A score nobody can explain is a guess.
Keep fit above half the total. Good timing never rescues a poor fit: a company that is wrong for you is still wrong in the week it announces a budget.
Turn scores into three tiers
The bands we use:
| Score | Tier | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | Tier 1 | One-to-one. A plan for the account, research on each person |
| 75 to 89 | Tier 2 | One-to-few. Research on the account, messages shared across similar accounts |
| 60 to 74 | Tier 3 | One-to-many. Light touch, promoted when a trigger lands |
| Below 60 | Not now | No outreach. Score again when something changes |
Move the bands if your scores bunch together, but keep three tiers and keep Tier 1 the smallest.
The score alone does not decide Tier 1. An account also needs a current reason to act and at least three roles you can name. A high score with no reason to act is a Tier 2 account waiting for a trigger.
Set Tier 1 by capacity
This is the step most teams skip. Before you look at the scores, work out how many accounts you can carry at Tier 1.
People who will work Tier 1 accounts x
Hours each can give to Tier 1 work per week /
Hours one Tier 1 account needs per week = Tier 1 capacityUse your own numbers. If you have never timed the third line, track one account for two weeks first.
If more accounts qualify than you have capacity for, the lowest scorers move to Tier 2. This feels wrong the first time, because good accounts are being held back. But a Tier 1 that is too large gives every account the Tier 3 treatment under a Tier 1 label.
What each tier receives
Write down what a tier gets, so the label means the same thing to everyone. This is the pattern we use.
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research | Per person | Per account | Per segment |
| People approached | 3 or more roles | 2 roles | 1 role |
| Touches per person | 10 to 14 | 8 to 10 | 5 to 7 |
| Channels | Up to 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Review | Fortnightly | Monthly | Quarterly |
Tiers are not permanent. Review them every quarter. Promote an account when a trigger lands or a second person engages. Demote one when three roles have stayed silent for a quarter or the reason to act has passed. When Tier 1 is full, every promotion moves one account out.
Worked example (illustrative, not a real company)
Quaywise sells warehouse software. Two people can each give ten hours a week to Tier 1 work, and one account needs about two hours a week. Capacity is 2 x 10 / 2 = 10 accounts. All names are invented.
| Account | Score | Reason to act now | Roles named | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield Logistics | 92 | Second site announced | 3 | 1 |
| Harlow Freight | 91 | None found | 1 | 2 |
| Calder Cold Chain | 84 | New operations director | 2 | 2 |
| Pennant Parcels | 72 | None found | 1 | 3 |
| Orrin Retail Group | 55 | None | 0 | Off the list |
Harlow Freight is the row to study. It scores above 90 and still goes to Tier 2, because there is no reason to act and only one known role. Fit alone does not earn Tier 1. If Harlow announces a new site next month, it moves up and another account moves down.
What comes next
A Tier 1 label is a promise to work an account one-to-one, and that starts with knowing who decides. The next lesson covers mapping the buying committee: the roles in a large purchase, how to find the people in them and what to do about the gaps.
Key takeaways
- Score on fit, timing and access, with evidence for every high score, and keep fit above half the total.
- Tier 1 needs a high score, a current reason to act and three roles you can name.
- Capacity sets the size of Tier 1. When it is full, a promotion means a demotion.
Exercise (45 minutes)
- Score your 25 accounts from lesson 2 with the Account Scoring Tool. (20 minutes)
- Do the capacity sum with your own hours. (5 minutes)
- Sort the list into three tiers and cut Tier 1 to capacity. (10 minutes)
- Write one line for each Tier 1 account: why this tier. If you cannot write it, move the account. (10 minutes)
Why this works on named accounts
Put it into practice
Account Scoring Tool
Score target accounts on fit, timing and access, and sort them into Tier 1, 2 and 3. Runs in your browser.
Target Account Selection Scorecard
For founders and sales leaders who have an ICP on a slide and need a ranked list of named accounts.
You leave with a one-page ICP, an 11-point weighted scorecard and three tiers.
Account Tiering Worksheet (Tier 1, 2, 3)
For teams with a scored account list and no agreement on who gets the most attention.
You leave with tier rules, a capacity sum, a worksheet, a treatment card and one list tiered.