Segmenting a Portfolio Account Manager Plan

The software offers segments 'A', 'B', 'C', and 'D' by default. For portfolio Account Manager plans, these represent quadrants that measure the account's impact upon 'Future Revenues' and 'Current Revenues'.

If you assess that a particular account is important in both aspects – an 'A' -quadrant account – it's likely that it should have the focus of your revenue team.

Once your accounts and divisions are segmented, you can take the following approach:

  • Quadrant 'A' plan units should be targeted.

  • Quadrant 'B' & 'C' plan units are possible targets.

  • Quadrant 'D' plan units are least important.

Assessing Impact on 'Future Revenues'

To assess how a portfolio account will impact on your 'Future Revenues', you should consider the points under the following headings: Account Profile, Opportunity Pipeline and Relationship. The more answers that indicate a significant impact, the higher the account will appear in the above chart.

  • Customers with poor business performance often invest significant dollars in solutions that will positively impact their performance.

  • What are the account’s primary market, the related economic climate, their competitive position, and the potential for market growth? And how do these relate to your potential solution(s)?

  • What value can you deliver to the account or division? Think of the extent to which your offering addresses the customer's goals, pressures, initiatives and obstacles.

  • Beyond the direct revenue, consider whether there is strategic value in investing resources in this account. For example, can you leverage this account into other companies or markets, or will working with this account improve your product?

  • The total revenue value of your potential opportunities for this plan unit. How likely are they to occur and what value will accrue to your organization, in both revenue and profitability terms?

  • Regarding the account's known short term needs, a positive indication is when the customers has specific initiatives defined to address their business pressures.

  • To understand your competitive position, take the customer's perspective: do they perceive that you have unique capabilities that would benefit their organization?

  • Assessing the current relationship, is there a key player in the account who believes that you or your company will add value to their organization?

  • A strong indicator that you have good inside support is when you have more supporters and mentors than non-supporters and enemies within the political structure of the account.

  • In terms of cultural compatibility, to what extent does the account's culture resemble that of your company? This is exhibited by how it operates its business and its behaviors, practices and values.

Assessing Impact on 'Current Revenues'

To assess how a portfolio account impacts on your 'Current Revenues', you should consider the following points. The more answers that indicate a significant impact, the further to the right the account will appear in the above chart.

  • Would you consider the revenue closed with this account in the last 12 months to be high, medium or low?

  • In terms of opportunity profit history, how does profit generated from this account compare with the average profit for your business?

  • And for sales resource history, were sales resource requirements for this account low, typical or disproportionately high compared to revenue value?