What you'll get
- 10 copy-ready blocks
- Spreadsheet-ready
- 5 min read
- Who-next card (two minutes per account)
- 1. Ask your contact first
- 2. Named by a colleague
- 3. Peer in another function
- 4. Up to the budget owner
- 5. Across to the technical evaluator
- and 4 more
How to use it
- Step 1: Fill in the who-next card. Pick one person, not three.
- Step 2: Choose the template that matches how you know about them.
- Step 3: Tell your first contact before you write, unless they have gone quiet (template 6).
- Step 4: Log the thread against the account, not the person.
One contact is a single point of failure: they move, go quiet or lack the authority to decide. These six emails open a second conversation in the same account without going behind anyone's back.
Part 1: Who-next card
Who-next card (two minutes per account)
Who-next card (two minutes per account)
Account: [company]
Current contact: [name, title] Last spoke: [date]
What they told us: [one line]
Who else was named: [names, and in what context]
Role still missing: [budget owner / technical evaluator / day-to-day owner / procurement]
Next person: [name, title]
Their likely concern: [one line, in their terms]
Why them, why now: [fact with date and source]
Does our contact know we are writing? [yes / no, and why]Part 2: Six templates
1. Ask your contact first
1. Ask your contact first
Subject: Who else for [topic]?
Hi [First name],
Thanks for [day]'s conversation. You mentioned [name or team] has a say in [specific part].
Would you be comfortable with me writing to them directly? I'd say we have spoken and ask one question about [their concern]. If you'd rather raise it yourself first, tell me and I'll wait.
[Your name]2. Named by a colleague
2. Named by a colleague
Subject: [Colleague's first name] suggested I ask you
Hi [First name],
I spoke with [colleague] on [day] about [topic]. They said [specific part] sits with you.
One question: how does [company] handle [their concern] today? A two-line reply is plenty.
[Your name]3. Peer in another function
3. Peer in another function
Subject: [Topic] from the [function] side
Hi [First name],
To be open with you, I've been talking with [name] in [their function] about [topic]. A decision like that usually reaches [this person's function] sooner or later, and I didn't want you to hear about it second-hand.
What would you need to see before something like this was worth your team's time?
[Your name]4. Up to the budget owner
4. Up to the budget owner
Subject: [Initiative] and [outcome]
Hi [First name],
[Company] has said it plans to [initiative] ([source]). I've been discussing one part of that, [topic], with [name].
In three lines: [what changes], [what it needs], [what it is likely to affect].
Is this on your list for this year, or is it [name]'s call?
[Your name]5. Across to the technical evaluator
5. Across to the technical evaluator
Subject: [Topic]: fit with [their system]
Hi [First name],
[Name] and I have been discussing [topic]. Before it goes further, your view matters more than mine: [company] runs [system], and the question is whether this fits beside it.
I can send a one-page summary of how it connects and what it stores. Would that be useful, or is there a review process I should follow?
[Your name]6. When your contact has gone quiet
6. When your contact has gone quiet
Subject: [Topic] at [company]
Hi [First name],
I wrote to [contact's name] on [date] about [topic] and haven't heard back, which may mean it sits elsewhere.
From [this person's function], the question is usually [their concern]. How does [company] look at that today? If someone else owns it, a name is all I need.
[Your name]Part 3: Thread log
Thread log header (paste into a spreadsheet)
Thread log header (paste into a spreadsheet)
Account Person Role in decision How we reached them Date What they said Who else they named Next step Next step dateWorked example (illustrative, not a real company)
Illustrative example
Sam Carter of Quaywise, a warehouse-software seller, has spoken once with Dana Whitfield, VP Supply Chain at "Northfield Logistics". Names are invented.
Template 1, filled in
ExampleTemplate 1, filled in
Subject: Who else for slotting at the second site?
Hi Dana,
Thanks for Tuesday's conversation. You mentioned Marcus Lee's team has a say in anything that touches the warehouse system.
Would you be comfortable with me writing to him directly? I'd say we have spoken and ask one question about how a planning tool would sit beside it. If you'd rather raise it yourself first, tell me and I'll wait.
SamTemplate 5, filled in
ExampleTemplate 5, filled in
Subject: Slotting: fit with your warehouse system
Hi Marcus,
Dana Whitfield and I have been discussing slotting for the second distribution centre. Before it goes further, your view matters more than mine: Northfield runs one warehouse system across the group, and the question is whether this fits beside it.
I can send a one-page summary of how it connects and what it stores. Would that be useful, or is there a review process I should follow?
Sam Carter, QuaywiseFive mistakes to avoid
- Writing to three people on the same day. They compare notes. Open one thread, then the next.
- Hiding the first conversation. It will come out, and it costs you both contacts.
- Sending the same email with a new name. Each role has its own concern. Write to that.
- Going over someone's head as a threat. Ask first, or say plainly why you are writing.
- Logging by person. The account is the record. A thread nobody else can see is lost when you are away.
Why this works on named accounts
Multithreading is impossible on a lead list, because a lead list holds one person per company and no record of what anyone said. On a named account the second email is easier than the first: you know what the company is doing, you have a conversation to refer to and you can say openly why this person is the right one to ask. That honesty is the difference. A second stakeholder who hears about you from a colleague, or from you with the colleague's name attached, treats you as part of a discussion already under way inside their company.
How account-based selling works →Common questions
What is multithreading in sales?
Building conversations with several people in the same account at the same time, so the deal does not depend on one contact.
How many people should I contact in one account?
Start with one more than you have. In a top-tier account, aim to know the budget owner, the day-to-day owner and the technical evaluator before any proposal is written.
Should I tell my contact before emailing their colleague?
Yes, whenever they are still answering you. Template 1 does it in three sentences. Use template 6 only when they have gone quiet.
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