--- name: account-tiering-prioritization description: Focus sales resources on highest-value accounts through tiered prioritization. Use when tiering accounts for resource allocation, defining account service levels, creating account prioritization scores, or building account coverage models. Triggers on phrases like "account tiering", "account prioritization", "strategic accounts", "account service levels", "coverage model", "account scoring". --- # Account Tiering & Prioritization Strategically allocate sales resources by scoring and tiering accounts based on revenue potential, strategic value, and growth trajectory. ## Workflow 1. Score all accounts on multiple dimensions: revenue potential, strategic value, growth trajectory, competitive vulnerability, relationship strength, engagement level. 2. Tier accounts into segments (Tier 1 Strategic through Tier 4 Self-Service). 3. Define service levels and coverage models by tier. 4. Assign accounts to reps based on tier, capacity, and skills. 5. Monitor tier mobility (accounts moving up or down tiers). 6. Adjust tiering quarterly based on updated scoring and market changes. ## Account Scoring Framework ``` ACCOUNT SCORING DIMENSIONS ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Dimension 1 — Revenue Potential (Weight: 30%, Score: 0–30): → Current ACV (Annual Contract Value): > $100K: 15 points $50K–$100K: 12 points $25K–$50K: 8 points $10K–$25K: 5 points < $10K: 2 points → Expansion Potential (additional revenue in next 12 months): > $100K: 10 points $50K–$100K: 7 points $25K–$50K: 4 points < $25K: 2 points → Multi-product potential: 3+ products/services possible: 5 points 2 products/services possible: 3 points 1 product only: 1 point Dimension 2 — Strategic Value (Weight: 25%, Score: 0–25): → Logo value (brand recognition, reference potential): Fortune 500 / well-known brand: 10 points Industry leader: 7 points Growing company with visibility: 4 points Unknown / small brand: 1 point → Case study potential: Strong candidate (great results, willing customer): 8 points Moderate candidate (good results, may need incentives): 5 points Weak candidate (average results or reluctant): 2 points → Industry influence: Key player in target vertical: 7 points Active in industry associations: 4 points Limited industry presence: 1 point Dimension 3 — Growth Trajectory (Weight: 20%, Score: 0–20): → Company growth rate (employee or revenue growth YoY): > 30% growth: 8 points 15–30% growth: 6 points 5–15% growth: 4 points < 5% or declining: 1 point → Hiring trends: Aggressively hiring (20+ roles open): 6 points Moderately hiring (5–20 roles open): 4 points Stable (1–5 roles): 2 points Layoffs / downsizing: 0 points → Recent funding/financial events: Series B+ or IPO: 6 points Series A: 4 points Seed/bootstrapped: 2 points No recent funding: 1 point Dimension 4 — Competitive Vulnerability (Weight: 15%, Score: 0–15): → Current competitor usage: Using competitor with complaints detected: 7 points Using competitor without complaints: 4 points Using us already (expansion opportunity): 5 points No current solution (greenfield): 4 points → Contract renewal timing (if using competitor): Renewal within 90 days: 5 points Renewal within 6 months: 3 points Renewal within 12 months: 2 points No renewal date known: 1 point → Switching cost assessment: Low switching cost: 3 points Moderate switching cost: 2 points High switching cost: 1 point Dimension 5 — Relationship Strength (Weight: 10%, Score: 0–10): → Existing contacts at account: 3+ warm contacts: 5 points 1–2 warm contacts: 3 points 1 cold contact: 1 point No contacts: 0 points → Customer history (if existing customer): Multi-year customer: 5 points First-year customer: 3 points New customer (< 3 months): 1 point TOTAL SCORE: 0–100 points TIER ASSIGNMENT: Tier 1 — Strategic: Score 75–100 (Top 10% of accounts) Tier 2 — High-Value: Score 55–74 (Next 20% of accounts) Tier 3 — Standard: Score 35–54 (Next 40% of accounts) Tier 4 — Self-Service: Score 0–34 (Bottom 30% of accounts) ``` ## Service Levels by Tier ``` ACCOUNT SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Tier 1 — Strategic Accounts (White-Glove): Coverage Model: → Dedicated named Account Executive (manages 10–15 accounts) → Dedicated Solutions Engineer (shared pool, 1:3 ratio) → Executive sponsor (VP/C-level relationship) → Dedicated Customer Success Manager → Customer advisory board participation Engagement Frequency: → Weekly touchpoint minimum (call, email, or meeting) → Monthly business review (MBR) → Quarterly business review (QBR) with executive attendance → Annual strategic planning session → Ad-hoc engagement as needed Response SLAs: → Email response: < 2 hours (business hours) → Phone call return: < 30 minutes → Meeting scheduling: Within 24 hours → Issue escalation: Within 1 hour Value-Add Services: → Custom executive briefings → Industry benchmark reports → Dedicated onboarding and implementation → Priority feature requests (fast-tracked) → Executive networking introductions Annual Investment: $15,000–$50,000+ per account in sales resources Tier 2 — High-Value Accounts: Coverage Model: → Named Account Executive (manages 20–35 accounts) → Shared Solutions Engineer pool (1:8 ratio) → Shared Customer Success Manager (1:20 ratio) → Manager as executive sponsor Engagement Frequency: → Bi-weekly touchpoint minimum → Quarterly business review (QBR) → Semi-annual strategic review Response SLAs: → Email response: < 4 hours (business hours) → Phone call return: < 2 hours → Meeting scheduling: Within 48 hours → Issue escalation: Within 4 hours Value-Add Services: → Standard executive briefings → Quarterly industry insights → Standard onboarding → Feature request queue (standard priority) Annual Investment: $5,000–$15,000 per account Tier 3 — Standard Accounts: Coverage Model: → Named Account Executive (manages 40–60 accounts) → Shared Solutions Engineer pool (1:15 ratio) → Shared Customer Success Manager (1:40 ratio) Engagement Frequency: → Monthly touchpoint minimum → Bi-annual check-in → Annual review Response SLAs: → Email response: < 8 hours (business hours) → Phone call return: < 4 hours → Meeting scheduling: Within 3 business days → Issue escalation: Within 8 hours Value-Add Services: → Standard onboarding → Self-service training resources → Quarterly newsletter Annual Investment: $1,000–$5,000 per account Tier 4 — Self-Service Accounts: Coverage Model: → No named Account Executive → Automated engagement (email, in-app messages) → Customer Success (shared, 1:100+ ratio) Engagement Frequency: → Digital touchpoints only (email, in-app, chatbot) → Quarterly newsletter → Automated health monitoring Response SLAs: → Email response: < 24 hours (business hours) → Chat response: < 30 minutes (business hours) → Community forum response: < 4 hours → Escalation: Tier 3 handling if high-value signals detected Value-Add Services: → Self-service knowledge base → Community forum access → Automated onboarding flows → Webinars and self-paced training Annual Investment: $100–$1,000 per account (fully automated) ``` ## Edge Cases - **Tier mobility**: Accounts may move between tiers as their scoring changes (growth, churn, expansion) - Resolution: Quarterly tier review; auto-trigger tier change notification to rep and manager; adjust service level accordingly; celebrate tier upgrades with customer - **Strategic override**: Some accounts may deserve higher tier than scoring indicates (strategic logo, partnership potential, board member's company) - Resolution: Allow manual tier override by VP Sales or CRO; document override reason; quarterly review of overridden accounts; limit manual overrides to < 5% of accounts - **Account merging/splitting**: M&A activity may merge accounts or split accounts between entities - Resolution: Monitor for M&A activity at target accounts; consolidate scoring for merged entities; split scoring for divested subsidiaries; update CRM records promptly - **Tier perception mismatch**: Customers may not understand their tier level — Tier 3 customer expecting Tier 1 service - Resolution