I encourage them to make sure they understand the importance of high priority prospects or what we call target accounts. Ensuring sales teams understand how to identify, develop, and close (or walk away) is a critical part of sellers achieving their objectives throughout the year.
Target accounts are the very best prospects that are identified. They have the potential to become a ‘big account,’ and could represent a large percentage of overall revenue. We recommend limiting the number of target accounts to pursue (less than 10) to allow sufficient focus. The appropriate number varies by situation, and in many cases as few as 3-4 may be the most appropriate.
Here are some important things to remember when prospecting for target accounts:Once target prospects are identified, it's critical to actively work through the sales process with each one. Sellers should be honest with themselves and let go of a target that might not be headed in the right direction. When the decision is made to stop pursuing a specific target, make sure to identify a new one to replace it. By actively pursuing targets and continuously replacing ones that don’t work out, sellers will be on a solid path to success to reach their goals!