Account Planning: 7 Mistakes Software Reps Make

These days I’m constantly looking for ways to keep myself from becoming a workaholic. Stuck in this seemingly never-ending pandemic, inside a lot more than usual, traveling less, it’s easy to cling to work like it’s the last ship out of port. But I’m searching for some work/life balance y’all, especially in a global pandemic.

One way to quench the workaholic monster is to streamline account planning. I can’t tell you how many late nights I’ve pulled, wasting my energy again and again, stuck in a loop of overwork. As sales people, we tend to think about the positive things. We love a big commission check at the end of a long work cycle. But we need to spend time analysing the negatives. How do we mitigate risk? How do we work smarter next time? When things fall through, what can we learn? 

One of the most efficient energy-conserving methods I’ve found over the years has been learning to properly plan my accounts. I won’t claim to be the best at this, or the most consistent. We all fall into bad habits. But I can say with confidence that when I do commit time to account planning, I sleep better, eat better, work out more consistently, and ENJOY LIFE MORE with much less stress. Why I don’t do this 100% of the time is a mystery that is probably best unravelled in therapy. But I digress. 

The good thing about finding what works is looking back at what DOESN’T work so you can make lasting changes. As I’ve pulled myself out of the workaholic trench, I’ve put together 7 mistakes that I’ve observed both myself and so many other sales reps make when account planning. 

What’s Account Planning?

Wait, you haven’t heard of account planning?! **Record Scratch Noise** Hollllld up. We gotta step back then. 

I’ll admit that when I started out in sales, I didn’t get much training or have any know-how about account planning. But here’s the very basic gist: Account planning is the process sales professionals use to understand clients’ needs and objectives and decide what steps to take in order to reach those goals. 

Sounds simple right? Well yes...and no. Yes, it is simple in theory. But no, it’s not always simple in execution. Since this is such a vast topic, we’ll be spending some time on account planning these next couple months on the blog. Looking forward to diving into the deep end with y’all! 

But let’s get back to what I promised. 

Without any further delay, here are the 7 mistakes I’ve observed most sales reps make when it comes to account planning: 

1. DIY. Don’t do it all yourself. This mistake leads to the majority of sales people reaching career burnout in only 3-5 years. 

2. Failure to Delegate. Delegate to your team and utilize their expertise, energy, and strengths to boost your plan. 

3. Last Minute Dash. Many sales professionals get a rush of adrenaline from working up until the final deadline. This induces unnecessary stress. Make a habit of working ahead of time. 

4. Wasting Your Energy. Staying up late or working every weekend instead of making account planning part of your regular schedule. 

5. No Time Blocking. To avoid that last minute dash or late night fervor, planning time needs to be IN  YOUR CALENDAR. If it ain’t on the calendar, it ain’t real. I currently have 3-4 hours a week on my calendar for account planning. 

6. Underutilizing Resources. Many sales reps fail to use what they have. Make sure you avoid this error by accessing the resources available to you like current data in the CRM system or LinkedIn Sales Info. 

7. No System. Without a process or templates, you’ll do much more work than is needed. Create a system that works and tweak it along the way. Don’t reinvent the wheel every time you get a new account.

8. No Action Plan. Within your system should be a repeatable action plan. Write down all the things that need to happen to move an account forward. An action plan helps make delegation a breeze.

Since it’s a new series over at This Sales Life, you know I’ve got another juicy freebie for you. To accompany our new account planning blog series, we’ve created This Sales Life’s Exclusive Account Planning Template. (Cue fanfare!!!) 

Join This Sales Life’s email list and receive your account planning template TODAY! 

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This free template will set you up for sales success by providing you with not only a spectacular example, but a clean sheet for you to implement it on your own time. 

If you’re enjoying our deep dive into account planning, make sure you snag this free resource so you can integrate the practice into your sales routine. It’s one thing to read about how account planning can help you close more deals and increase your commission, but it’s another to put this knowledge into action. Don’t leave this advice on the blog, take it home to make it work for you! 

Join the email list and get access to This Sales Life’s FREE Account Planning Template NOW. 

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Keywords

Communication | Sales | Frameworks | Account Planning | Sales Professional | Sales Skills | Organization | Sales Habits | Sales Prospecting | Prospecting Tools | How Do I Account Plan

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