DEVELOP A WINNING ACCOUNT-CENTRIC STRATEGY

 

By Dan Dannenberg and Nicolas Weissberg
February 2020

Key takeaways

Do some of these quotes sound familiar? If yes, your company needs an account-centric strategy

“No one really knows everything that’s going on with an account.”

“I don’t know what works to grow share in the various accounts we serve.”

“We have a lot of different people visiting the same accounts. I have the feeling that some of them would be better used elsewhere .”

“The Sales team and the Marketing team don’t speak to each other.”

“I don’t know how many people should visit our accounts.”

“Our promotional program is essentially what we did last year.”

 

An account-centric strategy builds on account needs and creates a system in which all stakeholders work efficiently to grow share

An account-centric strategy puts the accounts at the center of the sales and marketing strategy to better address their needs and win vs. competition by ensuring that:

 

This type of strategy allows stakeholders to pursue multiple objectives:

 

After an initial topline diagnosis, implementing an account-centric strategy is a 2-step process:

(1)  Build an Account segmentation model

(2)  Optimize the efficiency of the Route-To-Market

 

1) The Account Segmentation model creates segments and priorities to be shared and utilized by all Route-To-Market stakeholders, most importantly brands and field teams

Enrich account data and define segments:

 

Prioritize accounts from a business perspective:

 

Build a user-friendly tool:

This sample account segmentation uses business, positioning and channel criteria, as well as other attributes, to identify accounts with potentially comparable needs

Business prioritization is based on two pillars: current size of the accounts and opportunity to increase share

Consumer criteria like image can be used to assess the premiumness and influence the business potential of the accounts for a brand / set of brands

Channel-related criteria like Outlet Type are also used to segment the accounts as they often share common characteristics and needs

2) An account-centric RTM playbook defines optimized ways of working between multiple parties

Understand account needs and what it takes to win

Assess current state and RTM pain points

Implementing an account-centric RTM strategy will deliver the tools and culture to renew your competitive advantage and fuel profitable growth

 

 

Redesign the account spend and the route-to-market

 

Where things may stand today:

 

What an account-centric strategy can bring: