Account planning template

Learn about your client's customers to reveal hidden opportunities

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Account planning

Account planning template FAQs

Template use cases

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Present

Plan

Use this template to better understand your client’s business by learning about their customers.

Focusing the discovery phase of your analysis on your client’s “end customers” (i.e., your customer’s customers) opens the conversation to further detail about your client’s challenges and goals.

These findings allow you to help your clients make an impact to overcome their customer’s obstacles and determine necessary solutions.

The account planning template helps you:

Understand your client’s customers better
Anticipate your client’s needs
Collaboratively discover innovative solutions based on your findings

How to use the account planning template

To use Mural’s account planning template, follow the steps outlined below with your team.

Step 1: Map end customers

Begin by brainstorming as many examples of your client’s customers as possible. Add a sticky note for each idea Then, work backward by mapping those end customers to the particular products or services that they engage with through your client. Use arrows and connectors to show the relationships.

Step 2: Identify where to start

Next, using the prioritization matrix, rank both the end customer groups and the products or services according to impact on your clients.

Step 3: Create an action plan

Once you’ve ranked the end customer groups and the tasks or services associated with each of them, it’s time to create an action plan. Use the three columns in Section 3 to build a plan matching each customer group to a Discovery Tool (listed below Section 3) and a tentative date. This will help you start to build a timeline.

The Discovery Tools included are:

Show me: Ask your customer to show you how they are accomplishing something — this can often lead to more impactful user insights
Be the (end) customer: Experience your client’s business as though you are their customer
Deep dive conversation: Make sure that your next meeting with your clients or their end customers includes open-ended questions, and encourage them to elaborate on any specific details

Tips for running an account planning template exercise

To get the most out of the Mural account planning template, built by Somersault Innovation, you should:

Ensure that you bring together a diverse array of stakeholders from your team and your client so you avoid any blind spots in the end-customer experience
Use color coding or tags for sticky notes to help identify themes or groups when gathering feedback — this can help facilitate problem-solving later on
Keep your mural up to date as the conversations continue and your understanding of the end customer evolves over time

Take Your Virtual Superpowers to the Next Level with Digital Sales Templates (Somersault Innovation)

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Account planning template FAQs

What is account planning?

Account planning is a strategic approach that empowers businesses to forge stronger and more fruitful relationships with their clients. This process involves thoroughly understanding the client's needs and aspirations, developing effective strategies, and delivering tailored solutions.

Account planning has emerged as a game-changing practice that not only drives business growth but also fosters long-term partnerships built on trust and collaboration.

How do you write an account plan?

Writing an account plan involves a structured approach to understanding and managing a client account. Here are the key steps to follow when conducting account planning:

Research and analysis: Begin by gathering information about the client's business, industry, market position, and goals. Conduct a thorough analysis of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis). Identify their target audience and understand their specific needs.
Define objectives: Based on the research, establish clear objectives for the account plan. These objectives should align with both the client's goals and your own business objectives. Ensure that the objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART goals).
Develop strategies: Determine the strategies you will employ to achieve the objectives. These strategies should be tailored to the client's needs and should outline the actions you will take to address their challenges and capitalize on opportunities. Consider factors such as market positioning, branding, messaging, and communication channels.
Action plan: Create a detailed action plan that outlines specific tasks, responsibilities, timelines, and milestones. Break down the strategies into actionable steps and assign them to the appropriate team members. Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and success.
Implementation and monitoring: Execute the action plan while closely monitoring progress. Regularly assess the results, track KPIs, and make adjustments as needed. Communication with the client is crucial throughout this process to ensure alignment and address any concerns or changes in direction.
Review and optimize: Periodically review the account plan's effectiveness and make necessary adjustments. Seek feedback from the client and internal stakeholders to improve future strategies and strengthen the partnership.

What are the phases of account planning?

Account planning typically involves several phases, each with its own objectives and activities. While the exact terminology and sequence may vary across organizations, here are the commonly recognized phases of account planning:

Discovery: In this phase, you gather information about the client's business, industry, challenges, and goals. Conduct research, interviews, and market analysis to gain a deep understanding of their needs and opportunities.
Analysis: Analyze the gathered information to identify patterns, trends, and insights. Perform a SWOT analysis to assess the client's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Use this analysis to uncover potential strategies and solutions.
Strategy development: Based on the analysis, develop a strategic plan for the account. Define the key objectives, target audience, messaging, positioning, and channels to be utilized. Identify the unique value proposition that differentiates your offerings from competitors.
Tactical planning: In this phase, you translate the strategic plan into actionable tactics. Determine the specific marketing initiatives, campaigns, and activities that will be implemented to achieve the objectives. Consider factors such as budget allocation, resource allocation, and timeline.
Execution: Implement the tactical plans and initiatives outlined in the previous phase. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to execute marketing campaigns, create content, manage communication channels, and deliver value to the client.
Measurement and evaluation: Continuously monitor and measure the performance of the implemented strategies and tactics. Track key metrics and KPIs to assess the effectiveness of the account plan. Evaluate the return on investment (ROI) and make data-driven decisions for optimization.
Relationship management: Foster strong relationships with the client throughout the entire account planning process. Maintain open lines of communication, provide regular updates, address concerns, and seek feedback to ensure client satisfaction and long-term partnership.

Remember, these phases provide a general framework, and the specific implementation may vary depending on the organization and the complexity of the account.