Under constant pressure to sell, salespeople often can’t afford to devote the time necessary to plan an account strategy based on researching the larger business issues that customers face. ITSMA research shows that providers who walk through the door knowing customers’ business issues have plenty of room to stand apart from the competition-because few do it well today.

But if providers are to take advantage of this opportunity, the account planning process needs to change. It needs to become a collaborative effort that involves marketing, sales-and the customers themselves. In this ITSMA Update, we introduce ITSMA’s Collaborative Account Planning Model, a tool to help marketers and salespeople accelerate opportunities within existing customers and with important new prospects.

Key Takeaways

• Marketing and sales need to collaborate to create more effective account plans.
• By taking a larger role in the account planning process, marketing can help improve sales results and demonstrate a direct impact on revenues.
• A more rigorous account planning process will help move customers through the buying process faster.
• Collaborative account planning is not for every account-only the most important qualify.