What you'll get
- 7 copy-ready blocks
- 5 min read
- Play card (fill in the brackets)
- Tier 1 play: one-to-one
- Tier 2 play: one-to-few
- Tier 3 play: one-to-many
- Who owns what
- Exit rules
- and 1 more
How to use it
- Step 1: Tier your list first, with the account tiering worksheet. The play follows the tier, never the logo.
- Step 2: Copy the three plays in Part 2 and change the steps to fit your team.
- Step 3: Fill in one play card per tier and put a name against every step.
- Step 4: Agree the exit rules in Part 3 before the first touch goes out.
A tier says how much an account matters to you. A play says what you do about it, step by step, and who does each step. This playbook gives you one play per tier, a blank card for your own and the rules for moving an account out of a play.
Part 1: What a play is
A play is a written sequence for one tier: which roles are approached, in what order, on which channel, with what reason, and who owns each step. It has a start, a set number of touches and an end. If two people on your team would run the same tier differently, you do not have a play yet.
Play card (fill in the brackets)
PLAY: [name] TIER: [1 / 2 / 3] OWNER: [named person]
Accounts: [ ] Starts when: [list approved / trigger / handover]
Roles, in order: [1] [2] [3]
Reason to talk now: [one true sentence per account]
Steps: [week] [channel] [role] [what is sent] [who sends]
Touches per person: [ ] Channels: [ ]
Ends when: [reply / handover / no response from three roles]Part 2: Three plays, one per tier
Tier 1 play: one-to-one
BEFORE THE FIRST TOUCH
- Research every person you will approach, not only the company
- Write one true reason to talk now, from a dated trigger
- Marketing makes one short brief for this account on that trigger
OPENING ORDER
Week 1 LinkedIn Day-to-day and budget owners A connection note for each role
Week 1 Email Budget owner The trigger, what it may mean, one question
Week 2 Email Day-to-day owner The account brief, no request attached
Week 2 Phone Day-to-day owner One question about the trigger
Week 3 Email Technical evaluator What the change means for their systems
Week 4 Phone Budget owner One question, or who owns it
Touches per person: 10 to 14 Channels: up to 6
Owner: a named seller. Marketing supplies the brief.Tier 2 play: one-to-few
Cluster look-alike accounts by a shared trigger or problem.
Research each account. Write one brief per cluster.
Week 1 LinkedIn Two core roles Connection note
Week 1 Email Budget owner The cluster problem, named for this account
Week 2 Email Day-to-day owner The cluster brief
Week 3 Phone Both roles One question
Touches per person: 8 to 10 Channels: 4
Owner: a named seller. Marketing writes the cluster brief.Tier 3 play: one-to-many
One role per account. Existing content, checked against each company before it goes.
Week 1 LinkedIn One role Connection note
Week 2 Email One role One useful piece of content, no request attached
Week 4 Email One role One question
Touches per person: 5 to 7 Channels: 2
Owner: marketing. A named seller answers every reply.The touch and channel counts are the ones we use. Adjust them to your team's hours.
Who owns what
TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3
Writes the reason Seller Seller Marketing
Makes the content Marketing Marketing Existing content
Sends Seller Seller Marketing
Answers replies Seller Seller Named seller
Reviews the play Fortnightly Monthly QuarterlyPart 3: When an account leaves a play
Exit rules
MOVE UP A trigger event lands, or a second person engages
HAND OVER A person replies or asks to talk: the seller answers within one working day
PAUSE No response from three roles in a quarter: record it and set a date to look again
DROP A knock-out appears: wrong size, wrong system, frozen budgetWorked example (illustrative, not a real company)
Quaywise sells warehouse software. Sam Carter, who leads sales, fills in the Tier 1 card for one account. All names are invented.
Tier 1 card, filled in
PLAY: Second site TIER: 1 OWNER: Sam Carter
Starts when: second distribution centre announced (March)
Roles, in order: Asha, Regional Warehouse Manager > Dana Whitfield, VP Supply Chain >
Marcus Lee, Head of IT Applications
Reason to talk now: planning for one site becomes planning for two
Ends when: Dana or Marcus asks to talk, or three roles stay silent for a quarterCalder Cold Chain runs the Tier 2 play in a cluster of accounts with a new operations leader. Pennant Parcels gets the Tier 3 play from marketing, and any reply goes to Sam.
Five mistakes to avoid
- One play for every tier. Then Tier 1 gets Tier 3 effort under a Tier 1 label.
- Steps with no owner. A step that belongs to "the team" does not happen.
- Pitching in the first touch. Every play opens with a reason and a question.
- No end. An account left in a play forever learns to ignore you.
- Changing the play every week. Change it at the review, with a reason written down.
Why this works on named accounts
Common questions
What is an ABM playbook?
A written set of plays, one for each tier of your account list, saying who is approached, in what order, on which channel and who owns each step.
How is a play different from a cadence?
A cadence is the timing of touches to one person. A play covers the whole account: the roles, their order, the owners and when the play ends.
How many plays do I need?
Start with one per tier. Add a second Tier 1 play only when a group of accounts shares a trigger the first play does not fit.
Read next
Related articleAccount-Based Selling vs Account-Based Marketing: Why the Best B2B Teams Run Both as ABX (2026 Playbook)Read →More from the Academy
ABM Plan Template: A One-Page ABM Strategy
For marketing and sales leaders starting ABM on a first list of named accounts.
You leave with a one-page plan, a play for each tier, a written handover rule and a 30-day start.
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.
Buying Committee Map
For sellers working a large account through a single contact.
You leave with nine roles to look for, a map you can paste into a spreadsheet, a brief for each person and a coverage check that shows where the account is exposed.
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