What you'll get
- 6 copy-ready blocks
- Spreadsheet-ready
- 5 min read
- Account snapshot
- People table header (paste into a spreadsheet)
- Known and unknown
- 90-day moves
- 15-minute review agenda
- Snapshot and moves, filled in
How to use it
- Step 1: Write one plan for each Tier 1 account. Tier 2 accounts share a lighter plan per cluster.
- Step 2: Fill Parts 1 to 3 from what you already know. Leave gaps visible; do not guess.
- Step 3: Choose three moves for the next 90 days in Part 4. Each has an owner and a date.
- Step 4: Review every plan for 15 minutes a fortnight, using Part 5.
A key account plan is one page that says what you know about an account, who you know in it and what happens in the next 90 days. If it runs to a second page, it has become a report and nobody will keep it current.
Part 1: Account snapshot
Account snapshot
Account: [company] Tier: [1 / 2] Owner: [name]
What they do: [one line]
Why this account: [fit, in one line]
What changed recently: [trigger, with date and source]
Stated priorities this year: [up to three, each with a source]
What we could help with: [one problem, in their words]
Current supplier or approach: [known / unknown]
Stage: [not started / in outreach / in conversation / opportunity / customer]Part 2: People
People table header (paste into a spreadsheet)
Name Title Role in decision Stance Last contact What they said Named by Next stepRole in decision: budget owner, decision maker, technical evaluator, day-to-day owner, procurement, or unknown. Stance: supporter, neutral, sceptic, or unknown. Write "unknown" freely. An honest gap is more useful than a guess.
Part 3: Known and unknown
Known and unknown
WE KNOW (each with a source)
1. [ ]
2. [ ]
3. [ ]
WE DO NOT KNOW YET
1. Who signs: [ ]
2. How they buy (tender, pilot, direct): [ ]
3. When the budget is set: [ ]
4. What would stop this: [ ]
THE ONE QUESTION THAT MATTERS MOST THIS MONTH: [ ]Part 4: Three moves for 90 days
90-day moves
Goal for 90 days: [e.g. two-way conversations with three roles; a first working session agreed]
Move 1: [what] Owner: [name] By: [date] Done when: [evidence]
Move 2: [what] Owner: [name] By: [date] Done when: [evidence]
Move 3: [what] Owner: [name] By: [date] Done when: [evidence]
What we will stop doing in this account: [ ]A move is something you do, not something you hope for. "Get a reply from the CFO" is a hope. "Ask Dana to introduce us to finance, with a three-line note she can forward" is a move.
Part 5: Fortnightly review
15-minute review agenda
1. What changed at the account since last time? (3 min)
2. People: who is new, who went quiet, who was named? (4 min)
3. Moves: done, late or dropped, and why? (4 min)
4. The one question: answered? What replaces it? (2 min)
5. Does this account still belong in Tier 1? (2 min)Worked example (illustrative, not a real company)
Quaywise, a warehouse-software seller, plans "Northfield Logistics". Names are invented.
Snapshot and moves, filled in
Account: Northfield Logistics Tier: 1 Owner: Sam Carter
What changed recently: second distribution centre announced in March (press release)
What we could help with: planning stock positions across two sites
Stage: in conversation
People: Dana Whitfield, VP Supply Chain, budget owner, neutral, spoke Tuesday
Marcus Lee, Head of IT Applications, technical evaluator, not contacted
Site manager, new site: unknown
The one question: is planning for both sites one team's job, or two?
Move 1: ask Dana before writing to Marcus Sam Fri Done when: she replies
Move 2: one-page fit summary for IT Sam +10 days Done when: Marcus has it
Move 3: find who will run the new site Sam +30 days Done when: named in the table
What we will stop doing: sending Dana general product newsFive mistakes to avoid
- Writing the plan once. A plan that is not reviewed is a description.
- Filling gaps with guesses. "Unknown" tells the team where to look.
- Listing ten moves. Three get done. Ten get carried over.
- One name in the people table. That is a contact record, not an account plan.
- Planning accounts you did not choose. Score and tier the list first.
Why this works on named accounts
Common questions
What should a key account plan include?
A snapshot of the account, the people and their roles, what you know and do not know, three dated moves and a review rhythm. One page.
How often should a key account plan be updated?
Every fortnight for Tier 1, in a 15-minute review. Update it at once when a trigger event lands or a contact leaves.
How many key accounts can one person plan properly?
As many as they can review every fortnight without skipping any. When reviews start slipping, the top tier is too large.
Read next
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