Beforehand
STRATA™
Before you grow an account, you have to win it.
Sell to a committee and turn indecision into a decision.
View consultative selling trainingWhat the numbers say
0%
of your clients = 80% of your revenue · your most valuable and most vulnerable segment
— Bain & Company, 2024
One contact leaving can put your revenue at risk. These accounts need a clear strategy, not routine management.
0×
the cost of winning a new account compared with retaining an existing one
— Bain & Company, 2024
Keeping a strategic account costs 5 times less than winning a new one. And yet.
0%
of B2B decision-makers change roles every year without their supplier knowing
— LinkedIn, 2024
Your contact moves on. Your relationship fades. The account slips away. ANCHOR™ maps stakeholders, not individuals.
What happens when there is no plan
S
Sophie, 47
Sales Director · Mid-market engineering company · 14 years of experience
Sophie had a long-standing client. An eight-year relationship. A €1.2M contract. Her contact knew her inside out. She thought the account was secure.
One Monday, her contact announces he is leaving. A new procurement manager arrives. Sophie does not know him. She does not know the CFO, nor the strategic priorities for the next 18 months. She had no account plan.
She had a relationship. Not a strategy. A competitor who had mapped the organisation, interviewed the decision-makers and understood the internal pressures won the contract in three months.
ANCHOR™ exists so this doesn't happen to you.
A fundamental distinction
Key account
vs
strategic account.
Not all your strategic accounts deserve the same level of investment. Here are the three profiles you need to learn to distinguish.
Key account
High revenue volume. Managed alongside other accounts. An established relationship, but no strategy to strengthen it or deliberate growth plan.
Strategic account
Among your top 10% of accounts by actual potential. A dedicated team, active account plan and quarterly review. Losing it would be a crisis; developing it fully could drive your next phase of growth.
An account becomes strategic when it meets three conditions
01
Uncapped potential
Untapped divisions, budgets you have never targeted and potential revenue 3 to 5× higher than current revenue.
02
Access to decision-makers
You have, or can build, relationships at the level where strategic budgets are allocated, not only at the operational level.
03
Business-critical loss risk
Losing the account would significantly affect your revenue, market credibility or ability to attract other major accounts.
Profile 01
Growth
The relationship is healthy, but the potential is underused. Entire divisions remain uncovered. This is where your growth for the next 36 months is decided.
Required approach
Active expansion: identify decision-makers you do not yet know, build a proactive account plan and set a clear share-of-wallet target.
Profile 02
At risk
The account rests on a single contact or a single contract. Competitors are present. The signal is weak, but it is there.
Required approach
Immediate protection: build more contacts, document the value delivered and prepare for a competitive review before it starts.
Profile 03
Maintenance
The relationship is stable, renewals are secure and growth potential is limited. Keep sales investment proportionate.
Required approach
Operational efficiency: standardise follow-up, reduce time spent and redirect resources to growth accounts.
The most common mistake: treating a maintenance account like a growth account, and ignoring an at-risk account until it is lost.
The process
5 steps. From account selection
to making new behaviours stick.
Click each stage to learn more.
Stage 03
Strategy session
The heart of the programme. Two intensive days where each participant works on their own accounts, not fictional cases. Day 1: Analysis, stakeholder mapping, business case. Day 2: Expansion territories, relationship objectives, 12-month roadmap. Everyone leaves with a complete ANCHOR BOARD™ and 5 execution milestones.
The proprietary method
ANCHOR™
Keeshifts proprietary method · B2B strategic account training
6 dimensions. 1 tool. 1 quarterly review. A clear strategy for your strategic accounts.
Practical information
Learning objectives
Target audience
CEOs, Sales Directors, KAMs and B2B salespeople · SMEs and mid-market companies · 5 to 12 participants
Prerequisites
At least 2 years of B2B experience · Active client portfolio · Bring 2-3 real accounts
Duration
14h (2 days) or 21h (3 days) · In-house · On-site
Training approach
Core concepts · Workshops on real accounts · Integrated AI tools · Immediate practice
Assessment
Initial assessment · Role-play · ANCHOR BOARD™ presentation · Assessment immediately after training + day 30
Time to start
4 to 6 weeks (including research)
Pricing
On request · Skills development plan
Disability access
An accessibility contact is available to discuss any disability-related needs
Qualification
Right for you. Or not.
We would rather be clear than tell you what you want to hear.
Yes, this is for you
- CEO, Sales Director or KAM managing 3 to 15 accounts that generate over 50% of your revenue
- Recurring contracts, long sales cycles and client organisations with multiple decision-makers
- You have experienced (or fear) losing an account following a contact change
- Each participant brings 2 to 3 real accounts and their client research
- You are ready to challenge your current account management practices
No, not for you
- Short and transactional cycle (under 3 months, under €10,000)
- No recurring accounts to develop long-term
- You are looking for sales techniques or closing training
- You want theory without practical work on real accounts
THE TRAINING PATH
Related sales training
For the manager
OPUS™
The account review becomes a management routine.
Train your managers to coach, not just monitor.
View sales manager coaching trainingFor your sector: IT & telecoms
In-house · 5 to 12 participants · Quote on request after a call
One email. A reply within 24 hours.