Explore and Create Account Plans
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Explain the steps to develop a strategic account plan.
- Describe the layout and structure of the account plan page.
- Identify the key information and elements to include in an account plan.
Design a Winning Account-Based Selling Strategy
As the sales manager leading the shift to an account-based selling approach, you work together with your broader team to define Ursa Major’s ideal customer profile. After digging into the data and collaborating across the team, you land on a clear picture. Your best-fit customers are mid-to-large-sized companies in industries like manufacturing, retail, and tech. They’re serious about cutting their carbon footprint and moving to renewable energy. These businesses often deal with high energy costs and big sustainability goals. These are exactly the kinds of challenges your solar solutions are built to solve. Plus, with annual revenue of $50 million or more, they’ve got the financial muscle to invest in large-scale solar projects and the foresight to see the value in long-term savings.
A high-potential account your team decides to target is Pyroclastic Inc., a California-based manufacturer pulling in $120 million in annual revenue. Through preliminary research, you learn that their factory runs 24/7 and relies completely on grid power, racking up around $2 million a year in energy costs. On top of that, they’ve set an ambitious goal: Cut energy consumption by 30% over the next five years.
You decide to go after this customer. This is a focused, cross-functional effort, so it’s essential that all teams collaborate within a single unified space.
Start by creating an account plan for this customer.
Create an Account Plan
Salesforce Account Plans are powerful, strategic tools designed to help you deepen relationships with key customers and create sustainable growth. These plans enable your teams to thoroughly research accounts, set clear objectives supported by actionable metrics, and monitor progress over time, all within the Salesforce ecosystem. The account plan framework is grounded in best practices but remains flexible. Since every business has its own unique model, you can customize the plan to fit specific needs.
Simply put, Account Plans turn scattered efforts into a unified strategy. Instead of disconnected notes, spreadsheets, and one-off conversations, teams gain a centralized, dynamic space to align, collaborate, and execute with precision.
In this module, we assume you’re a Sales Cloud user with the proper permissions to work on account plans. If you’re not a Sales Cloud user, that’s OK. Read along to learn how you can complete the steps in a production org. Don’t try to follow these steps in your Trailhead Playground. The Account Plan feature isn’t available in the Trailhead Playground.
Now create an account plan for Pyroclastic Inc.:
- From the App Launcher, find and select Account Plans.
- Click New.
- Specify details about the account plan, like its name and the account it is tied to.
- Click Save.
When you create a new account plan, some fields might be empty, depending on what you filled in while creating it. You add these details as you research the account, connect with stakeholders, and define your strategy. This is a living document. It grows as your understanding deepens. What you record today might change tomorrow, and that’s exactly how it should work.
But first, look at the account plan page and explore its different sections.
Get to Know Your Account Plan
Let’s explore a different account plan, which is much further along in the planning process. This example helps you understand the anatomy of the account plan page, what each section represents, and how it supports your planning efforts.
Click the buttons at the top corresponding to different sections of the Account Plan page and review the information provided.
Account plans provide a centralized workspace to help you plan, strategize, and execute your ABS approach effectively. Everything you need to stay focused and aligned is in one place.
A Quick Look at Your ABS Roadmap
With the account plan for Pyroclastic. in place, you collaborate with the marketing and sales teams to align on messaging. Before defining your outreach strategy, it’s important to make sure everyone aligns across all customer touchpoints. You decide how Ursa Major can position itself as a trusted energy partner that understands the needs of growing manufacturers and offers tailored solar solutions that support cost savings and sustainability goals. The goal is to show that Ursa Major delivers more than just products. You provide long-term value and partnership. You put together a messaging packet that reflects this positioning, get it approved, and upload the final version to the account plan.
Get Most Out of Account Plans
Let’s revisit the best practices for executing a strong ABS plan from the previous unit. You began by creating an ideal customer profile, matched Pyroclastic to that profile, and built an account plan to guide your strategy. With everyone now aligned on messaging, the next step is to develop a personalized outreach strategy. That starts with research to ensure your outreach feels tailored and relevant.
Begin with thorough external research using company reports, news articles, earnings transcripts, and any existing Salesforce data. Your goal at this stage is clear and essential: Build a deep understanding of the account. This includes its goals, pain points, market position, and areas of urgency or risk. These insights shift your approach from generic messaging to strategic, meaningful engagement.
As you collect information, begin filling in the key sections of your account plan. Based on your research so far, your team has aligned on a clear vision for this account. This vision is to help Pyroclastic reduce energy costs, meet sustainability targets, and maintain competitive parity through a custom solar solution.
Without a strong understanding of their pain points and priorities, your vision would have been vague. This vision guides the entire strategy, so a weak or generic one would lead to missed opportunities and misaligned actions. Now that the vision is clear and agreed upon, it’s time to update your account plan with this strategic direction in place.
- To make changes to any field or section, click
. This opens the rich text editor.
- Add your details. In this case, update the Account Vision field.
- When you're finished, click Save.
Continue your research by documenting a SWOT Analysis in the account plan based on what you learned about Pyroclastic. Focus on real findings, such as their financial position, energy usage, and sustainability targets. This analysis doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to reflect your current understanding and help shape meaningful conversations moving forward.
Next, build an early view of the Customer Landscape by documenting insights in the account plan based on your research. Capture what you know so far about the account’s strategic priorities, operational challenges, success metrics, and industry trends. These findings create a foundation for more informed conversations with stakeholders. They also help you tailor your approach as engagement deepens.
Then complete the Competitive Landscape section. Identify known competitors, how they are positioning themselves, and how your solution compares. This competitive context helps you shape a value proposition that directly addresses Pyroclastic’s needs and sets Ursa Major apart.
As you go through this research cycle, treat the account plan as your central workspace. Each time you uncover new insights or identify something worth tracking, document it there. This isn’t a one-time exercise. As your research unfolds, your team surfaces key insights that sharpen your understanding and shape your strategy.
Wrap It Up
Cross-functional collaboration is the engine that drives your account plan and, ultimately, your strategy. It sharpens your positioning and shapes your message. It answers these critical questions.
- Who are you?
- What do you stand for?
- What are you solving?
- How are you positioning your offering?
With each insight, your plan gains focus. With a clear view of your customer and a sharply crafted account plan that highlights what truly matters, it’s time to take the leap, engage with purpose, and go after your customer.