The Account-Based Selling Academy

Hours a week your team can give to named accounts:      [A]
Hours a week a Tier 1 account needs:                    [B]
Hours a week a Tier 2 account needs:                    [C]
Number of Tier 1 accounts you want:                     [D]
 
Hours left for Tier 2:          A - (B x D)  = [E]
Tier 2 accounts you can carry:  E / C        = [F]
 

ACCOUNT: [name]   WEBSITE: [url]   TIER: 1   OWNER: [your name]
Last checked: [date]
 
What they do: [one sentence, from their own website]
Size and markets: [employees, regions], source: [link, date]
Recent changes: [trigger, date, link]
Why we fit: [past client they resemble, and the problem we solved there]
 

1. Can I load an exclusion list by company domain, and does it apply to every campaign?
2. Can I require approval before sending for accounts I choose?
3. Where does the tool get the facts it uses about a company, and can I see the source for each line?
4. What does it do when a buyer replies: answer, hand over or book a meeting?
5. Whose domains and mailboxes does it send from, and who keeps them if we stop?

Account: [company]
Fit: does it match your best customers on sector, size and need?  [yes / no]
Reason now: is there a dated change we can point to?  [what, when, source]
Way in: do we know someone, or can we name two roles to approach?  [names]
Knock-out: signed with a rival this year / too small to buy / outside our delivery area  [none / which]
 
Keep only if: fit is yes, there is no knock-out and you have a reason now or a way in.

PROOF AND NICHE
1  ★ One niche: one buyer type, one problem you have solved at least twice
2  ★ Two case studies a Gulf buyer will recognise, with results the client agreed to share
3  ★ One reference a Gulf buyer can phone, with the client's permission
4    A one-page capability note naming the people who deliver
5    A small paid first step: a discovery sprint, workshop or pilot
 
PRESENCE AND PEOPLE

PROOF AND NICHE
1  ★ One niche chosen: one buyer type and one problem you have solved at least twice
2  ★ Two case studies in that niche, each with problem, what you built and an agreed result
3  ★ One reference a US buyer can phone, with the client's permission
4    Case studies written for a US reader: US spelling, US dollars, no internal jargon
5    A one-page capability note for the niche, not a list of every technology you use
6    Named delivery lead and account owner, with photos and short profiles on the website
7    Website states who you serve in the USA and shows the niche on the home page

You are sorting a contact list into buying committee roles for a B2B sale.
We sell [what you sell] to [type of company]. The budget usually sits with
[function].
 
Roles:
- Budget owner: can approve the spend
- Problem owner: runs the team that feels the problem day to day
- Technical evaluator: judges fit with systems, data or security

TERM AND NOTICE
1  ★ Minimum term in months, with the start date defined
2  ★ Notice period, and how notice is given
3    Auto-renewal off, or a reminder before it runs
4    An exit if the named people leave or work stops for [n] weeks
5    Set-up fees stated, and whether they are refunded on early exit
 
PEOPLE AND EXCLUSIVITY

1. Losing one bid would hurt this quarter.                     [ ]
2. Three or more people on the client side approve a project.  [ ]
3. You could name most of the companies that could ever buy.   [ ]
4. Your best clients share an industry or a technology.        [ ]
5. Your sales cycle is longer than three months.               [ ]
 
Three or more YES: run ABM on a short named list.
Two or fewer: broad outreach will probably suit you better.

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]

Day 1   List every client from the last three years. Mark the three to five you would
        happily serve again: good fit, fair margin, a result you can describe.
Day 2   Write down what those clients share: sector, size band, geography, the system
        they ran and the problem in their own words. That is your lookalike profile.
Day 3   Find 30 to 40 companies that match the profile, by name. Look at competitors
        and peers of your past clients, members of the same industry bodies and
        companies running the same system.
Day 4   List everyone who has referred work to you and every champion who has changed

DATA
1.  Where do the contacts come from? Name the sources.
2.  Can the tool work only from a list of companies we supply?
3.  ★ Can we block whole companies by domain, across every campaign, before anything is sent?
4.  How are opt-outs recorded, and does an opt-out apply to every campaign and mailbox?
 
ACCURACY
5.  ★ For every fact the tool states about a company or person, can we see the source link?

ABM PLAN: [your company], [quarter], owners [marketing lead] and [sales lead]
 
1. GOAL
   This programme exists to: [win new accounts / enter a new market / grow existing customers]
   We will call it working when: [one countable result, in accounts]
 
2. IDEAL CUSTOMER PROFILE
   Sector, size band and geography: [ ]

Company: [name]
Fact 1: [what changed, with date and link]
Fact 2: [stated priority, exact wording, with source]
Fact 3: [optional]
What we do, in one plain sentence: [ ]
People:
- [Name], [title], likely role in the decision: [ ]
- [Name], [title], likely role in the decision: [ ]

You are helping me update an account map after a sales call. Use only the notes below. Do not add anything from outside them.
 
1. List every person named or referred to, including people who were not on the call. For each: name or description, role, and what the notes say about their part in the decision.
2. For each person, quote the line in the notes that supports it. If the notes do not say, write "not stated".
3. List what the buyer said, in their own words, about the problem, the timing and the money.
4. Name the two people I should approach next and the question each would care about. Say why, from the notes.
5. List what I still do not know about how this company will decide.
 

Account: [company]           Person: [name, title]         Function: [ ]
What we already know (do not ask again): [ ]
What only this person can tell us: [ ]
Six questions chosen: [numbers]
Closing question: [ ]
What I will offer if it is useful to them: [one specific thing]

TIER 1  "Top logos"       Score 90 or more. A current reason to act. We can name three roles to reach.
                          Treatment: one-to-one. A plan per account. Researched per person.
TIER 2  "Look-alikes"     Score 75 to 89. Resembles a Tier 1 account or an existing customer.
                          Treatment: one-to-few. Researched per account, messages shared across similar accounts.
TIER 3  "Watch and warm"  Score 60 to 74, or a good fit with no reason to act yet.
                          Treatment: one-to-many. Light touch; promoted when a trigger lands.
BELOW 60                  Not on the list this quarter.

Day 1   LinkedIn   Connection request with a one-line reason. No pitch.
Day 2   Email 1    The reason you are writing, one sentence on what you do, one question.
Day 4   LinkedIn   If connected: a short message with one new fact. If not: follow and read.
Day 5   Email 2    A second fact or a sharper version of the question. Reply in thread.
Day 7   Phone 1    Call. If no answer, a voicemail under 20 seconds, then a two-line email.
Day 8   Email 3    Proof: one relevant case study or example, and why it is relevant to them.
Day 10  Voice note A 30-second LinkedIn voice note. One point, your own voice, no script read aloud.
Day 11  Email 4    To a SECOND person in the account, with their own reason. Say you have written to the first.

I have attached [company]'s annual report for [year]. For this whole conversation, use only this document. Do not use anything you remember about the company. After every statement, give the page number in brackets. If the report does not say something, answer "not in the report". Confirm you understand, then tell me how many pages you can read.

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]

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]

Subject: Two lines for [new person's first name]
 
Hi [Contact],
 
Thanks for today. You mentioned [new person] looks after [specific part].
 
To save you writing anything, the note below is ready to forward. Change whatever you like, or tell me if you'd rather I didn't.
 

Hi [First name],
 
To be open with you, I wrote to [contact] about [topic] and haven't heard back, which may mean it sits elsewhere.
 
From [their function], the question is usually [their concern]. How does [company] handle that today? If someone else owns it, a name is all I need.
 
[Your name]

1. Open the Tier 1 list. For each account, check: news page, LinkedIn company page, careers page.   (10 min)
2. Write down every change with its date and link. No link, no trigger.                             (5 min)
3. For each trigger: who does it land on, and do we know them?                                      (3 min)
4. Pick the three accounts with the freshest trigger. They get this week's research hours.          (2 min)

ACCOUNT QUALIFICATION: [account], [date], checked by [name]
Answer Y, N or ? (unknown). Add evidence for every Y.
 
A. ACCOUNT
A1 Matches our ICP (industry, size, geography)         [ ]  Evidence:
A2 No knock-out applies                                [ ]  Evidence:
A3 Problem visibly present                             [ ]  Evidence:
A4 Deal would clear our minimum size                   [ ]  Evidence:

KEY ACCOUNT GO-TO-MARKET PLAN: [your company], [quarter and year]
Owner: [one name]     Reviewed weekly on: [day]
 
1. GOAL FOR THE NEXT TWO QUARTERS
   Revenue or pipeline goal: [figure and date]
   What that means in accounts: [number of new accounts to open] and [number to expand]
 
2. WHO WE SELL TO

You are helping me write short, plain cold emails to senior buyers in named accounts.
 
Rules for everything you write in this conversation:
1. Use only the facts in my RESEARCH block. Do not add facts, numbers, customer names, awards or compliments that are not in it. If a fact you need is missing, write [MISSING: what you need] and carry on.
2. Maximum 90 words in the body. Short sentences. No exclamation marks.
3. One question or one ask per email.
4. No flattery, no "I hope this finds you well", no "I came across your profile", no "quick question", no buzzwords.
5. Write the way one senior person writes to another: direct, specific, polite.

1. Every follow-up adds one new thing. If you have nothing new, wait until you do.
2. One question or one ask per email.
3. Under 80 words. Readable on a phone without scrolling.
4. No "just bumping this", "circling back" or "did you see my last email?".
5. No invented urgency and no guilt.
6. Every fact about their company is true and you can show where you found it.
7. Identify yourself and honour opt-outs under the email rules for their country.

Account: [company]            Tier: [1 / 2 / 3]
Person: [name, title]
Role in the decision: [decision maker / budget owner / evaluator / day-to-day owner / unknown]
Reason for calling today: [trigger, initiative or referral, with date and source]
What it probably means for their team: [one line]
One question only they can answer: [ ]
Others we know in the account: [names, and what was said]
If they say "send me an email", I will send: [one specific thing]

Account  Role  Name  Title  Reports to  Cares about  Likely objection  Stance  Influence  Relationship  Warm path  Our owner  Last touch  Next action  Due  Source

You are helping me research one company so I can have a useful first conversation with people there. I sell [what you sell, in one sentence] to [type of company]. The problem we solve is [problem, in the customer's words].
 
Rules for this whole conversation:
- Use only the sources I paste, or web results you can link to. Cite the source for every factual claim.
- If something is not in the sources, write "unknown". Do not guess names, numbers or dates.
- Keep facts and your own inferences separate, and label inferences as "inference".
- Write in plain English and keep answers short.
 

Hi [Name], I read about [company]'s [expansion / launch / result]. I work with [sector] leaders on [topic] and would value being connected.

Account: [company]
Person: [name, title, role in the decision]
Trigger or initiative: [what happened, with date and source link]
What it implies for their team: [one line]
Problem we solve, in their words: [one line]
Proof we are allowed to share: [customer type or named case study]
Others in the account: [names or roles; who we have already spoken to]
One question worth asking: [ ]

Account: [company]
Why this account: [fit reason in one line]
Why now: [trigger: new executive, expansion, published initiative, contract review]
Person: [name, title]
Their likely role in the decision: [budget owner / evaluator / day-to-day owner / influencer]
What they probably care about: [one line, in their terms]
One question I want answered: [ ]
Who else I need to reach here: [name or role 1], [name or role 2]

LEAD LIST VS ACCOUNT LIST: [team], [date]
 
 1. Companies chosen before contacts        Y / N
 2. Written reason per account              Y / N
 3. Small enough to research every account  Y / N
 4. More than one person per account        Y / N
 5. Role in the decision known              Y / N
 6. Tiered                                  Y / N

IDEAL CUSTOMER PROFILE: [your company], [date]
 
1. Who we serve best
   Industry and sub-vertical: [e.g. private hospitals, not all of healthcare]
   Size band: [employees] / [revenue]
   Geography we can sell into and deliver in: [countries or regions]
 
2. The problem we solve for them

1. Leads vs accounts: spears, not nets
2. An ICP that ends in named accounts
3. Scoring and tiering accounts
4. Mapping the buying committee
5. Reporting on accounts: the five KPIs

1. Leads vs accounts: spears, not nets
2. An ICP that ends in named accounts
3. Scoring and tiering accounts
4. Mapping the buying committee
5. Reporting on accounts: the five KPIs

1. Leads vs accounts: spears, not nets
2. An ICP that ends in named accounts
3. Scoring and tiering accounts
4. Mapping the buying committee
5. Reporting on accounts: the five KPIs

1. Leads vs accounts: spears, not nets
2. An ICP that ends in named accounts
3. Scoring and tiering accounts
4. Mapping the buying committee
5. Reporting on accounts: the five KPIs

1. Where candidate accounts come from
2. Knock-outs and scoring
3. Trigger events and timing
4. Capping the list to your capacity

1. Where candidate accounts come from
2. Knock-outs and scoring
3. Trigger events and timing
4. Capping the list to your capacity

1. Where candidate accounts come from
2. Knock-outs and scoring
3. Trigger events and timing
4. Capping the list to your capacity

1. Where candidate accounts come from
2. Knock-outs and scoring
3. Trigger events and timing
4. Capping the list to your capacity

1. Research before writing
2. Cold email to senior buyers
3. LinkedIn by buyer role
4. Cold calls and voicemail
5. Follow-up without nagging
6. A 17-day multi-channel cadence

1. Research before writing
2. Cold email to senior buyers
3. LinkedIn by buyer role
4. Cold calls and voicemail
5. Follow-up without nagging
6. A 17-day multi-channel cadence

1. Research before writing
2. Cold email to senior buyers
3. LinkedIn by buyer role
4. Cold calls and voicemail
5. Follow-up without nagging
6. A 17-day multi-channel cadence

1. Research before writing
2. Cold email to senior buyers
3. LinkedIn by buyer role
4. Cold calls and voicemail
5. Follow-up without nagging
6. A 17-day multi-channel cadence

1. Why one meeting is not an inroad
2. The first call
3. The second and third conversation
4. Multithreading to the next stakeholder

1. Why one meeting is not an inroad
2. The first call
3. The second and third conversation
4. Multithreading to the next stakeholder

1. Why one meeting is not an inroad
2. The first call
3. The second and third conversation
4. Multithreading to the next stakeholder

1. Why one meeting is not an inroad
2. The first call
3. The second and third conversation
4. Multithreading to the next stakeholder

1. Sources first, prompts second
2. An annual report in ten minutes
3. Committee and stakeholder briefs
4. Fact-checking AI output

1. Sources first, prompts second
2. An annual report in ten minutes
3. Committee and stakeholder briefs
4. Fact-checking AI output