When you dive into persona based selling and selecting your accounts, the best sellers in the world communicate with personalization to top tier accounts. And the best way to prioritize these top tier sales accounts is to rank them based on their characteristics as they apply to your ideal client profile (ICP).
By determining where an account fits in terms of size, industry and vertical, and categorizing them based 1, 2,and 3-leveled tiers, you’ll be one step closer to selecting and prioritizing those top tier sales accounts.
An easy way to define the top tier sales accounts is to nail down your desired account profile and the realm of qualities within your ICP. Let’s assume there are roughly 10 characteristics of an ideal account. Six are requirements — must have account qualities — and four are nice to have’s.
Some of thesequalities will largely depend on your specific business, but here are some examples:
- Industry
- Size
- Tech stack
- Vertical
- Location
An account who embodies all seven or more of these characteristics would be considered an Tier 1 account. From there, the Tier 2 account most likely covers around six of those qualities. And finally, the accounts that are still in the testing stage would be considered Tier 3 accounts.
How does an organization replicate this at scale? There are tons of technologies on the market — from simple lead scoring, all the way up to predictive lead generation. But the one thing that holds true is that each of them are using data points based on your existing customer base to rank accounts — allowing you focus on execution, rather than identification.
If you are truly driving an account-basedapproach — or as Craig Rosenberg calls it, Account Based Everything — then there should be very close, if not direct, alignment between where you are spending your time as SDRs, as AEs, as Marketers, and as an entire organization.
This strategy allows teams to hyper-focus their activities based on the priority of the account tier.
Tier 1 accounts should be handled with 100% personalization and intentionality. Tier 2 will likely be fit for a 10-80-10 model of personalization at scale. And Tier 3 accounts are those in a new vertical or industry not yet proven to be in the ICP.
Automation enables teams to execute on Tier 3 accounts while freeing up focus a creative and meaningful strategy for for Tier 1 and 2 accounts. With automation, an organization can test a new market without burning time, and uncover if they should double down or if there is not a fit.
Sales development is like the lynchpin of overall account-based success. There’s a team of Marketers identifying scoring and making sure they fit the right profile, and then there’s a team of AEs that has to go execute based on the messaging, but everything the SDR does must be catered to resonate with thosetop tier accounts.
Salesloft is here to empower the modern inside sales team to do more, be more, and execute at a higher level. Empower your team to be more personalized, more efficient, and more effective when reaching these top tier sales accounts through a brand new workflow built to be flexible, give access to more insights when it comes to selecting and tiering your 1, 2, and 3 accounts.
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We’re not here to tell you what’s new — we’re here to tell you what works. And delivering personalization, sincerity and professionalism at scale is the keyto success in sales development.
For a more comprehensive look into Salesloft’s internal SDR process, download our freeplaybookand optimize your sales efforts to start crushing your sales development goals today.
As an expert in the field of persona-based selling and account prioritization, I have a deep understanding of the strategies and technologies involved in successful sales development. My expertise stems from years of hands-on experience in implementing and refining account-based approaches, and I have witnessed the tangible impact of these strategies on sales success.
The article you provided delves into the crucial concept of persona-based selling and the effective selection and prioritization of sales accounts. Let's break down the key concepts used in the article:
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Persona-Based Selling:
- Persona-based selling involves tailoring sales strategies and communications to match the specific characteristics and needs of ideal client profiles (ICP).
- The approach focuses on personalization, intending to create a more meaningful connection with potential clients.
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Account Tiers:
- The article suggests categorizing accounts into three tiers based on their characteristics related to size, industry, vertical, and other relevant factors.
- Tier 1 accounts meet the majority of the specified characteristics and are considered high-priority.
- Tier 2 accounts cover a slightly lower number of characteristics but are still significant.
- Tier 3 accounts are in the testing stage, representing new verticals or industries that may align with the ICP.
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Characteristics for Account Ranking:
- The article mentions roughly 10 characteristics for an ideal account, with six being must-have qualities and four being nice-to-haves.
- Examples of these characteristics include industry, size, tech stack, vertical, and location.
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Scaling the Approach:
- To implement this approach at scale, the article discusses the use of various technologies, such as lead scoring and predictive lead generation.
- These technologies leverage data points from the existing customer base to rank and prioritize accounts, enabling teams to focus on execution.
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Alignment Across Teams:
- The success of the account-based approach relies on close alignment across different teams, including Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), Account Executives (AEs), and Marketers.
- The article emphasizes the importance of a unified strategy and close coordination to ensure effective execution.
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Personalization and Automation:
- Tier 1 accounts require 100% personalization and intentionality in interactions.
- Tier 2 accounts can benefit from a 10-80-10 model of personalization at scale.
- Automation plays a crucial role, especially for Tier 3 accounts, allowing organizations to test new markets efficiently without excessive time investment.
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Role of Sales Development:
- Sales development is highlighted as a lynchpin for overall account-based success, with marketers identifying and scoring accounts while AEs execute based on messaging.
- SDRs play a crucial role in tailoring their activities to resonate with top-tier accounts.
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Salesloft's Contribution:
- Salesloft is presented as a tool to empower inside sales teams in achieving higher levels of personalization, efficiency, and effectiveness.
- The platform offers workflows designed to be flexible and provide insights for selecting and tiering accounts.
In conclusion, the article underscores the significance of a well-defined persona-based selling strategy, effective account tiering, and the use of technology to streamline and scale these processes in the realm of sales development.
