Sales Action Plans:
Client Account Analysis™ Helps You
Prepare Focused Sales Action Plans

A business development tool developed and presented by
Dag I. Knudsen, P. E., FACEC
Client Account Analysis is a business development tool. It helps you establish your win position for a specific project pursuit OR establish your position with an existing client.

Client Account Analysis is an ongoing process. It is used to determine real buying influences and motives of the client, and your actions required for effective positioning.

It is highly beneficial for both major accounts where business development takes place over a period of months, or for existing, long term, strategic clients.

This is a vital tool for those involved with complex, long sales cycle, high dollar value sales with multiple decision-makers.

The analysis is done periodically (weekly or monthly depending on the situation) and in preparation for proposal writing and presentation designs.

Since this workshop depends on current live sales pursuits for its effectiveness, it is only effective when the following prerequisite is met:

• Participants must know, based on multiple face-to-face contacts, key decision-makers in at least three management levels in the client organization

Participants will learn:

1. The four different buyer types that must be identified and persuaded.
2. How to best test the sales strategies and dramatically increase the win potential.
3. Who, regardless of responsibility, may exert influence on the decision.
4. How to classify your position with each buyer type.
5. How to prepare interim sales action plans that, when executed, will enhance the win-potential.

Client comments tells the story…

Workshop agenda shows application to real projects.
8:00 a.m.- ~2:30 p.m.: Introduction of the process and how you apply it to a current, real situation. Lecture format, interspersed with workshop activity. Participants will be introduced to the concepts and the process as they apply the process, in teams of three, to a current live business pursuit. The teams will walk out of this session with sales action plans ready to implement.

2:30 p.m. - ~3:30 p.m. : Application of the methods to other current pursuits.
Teams of three will again apply the process to additional current, real client/project pursuits for the purpose of practicing and determining the action plans and enhance the chance of winning. This also demonstrates how the process is easily completed in less than one hour.

3:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.: Wrap-up and discussions about discoveries.

By the end of this session, you will have:

1. Established how well or poorly you know your clients.
2. Established how well you are positioned for a win for each project.
3. Created an interim sales action plan with objectives and tasks that can be implemented immediately to strengthen your win position.

NOTE: Attendance at the Winning Presentations seminar is a prerequisite. The Client Account Analysis seminar is best conducted as a third day after the two-day Design and Delivery of Winning Interview and Short-list Presentations seminar. Or, it can be conducted in conjunction with a refresher program of the presentation seminar.

Special seminar facility and supply needs.
Because of the intense method of visual documentation and team-work of this seminar, the following facility needs are in addition to those mentioned in Seminar Facility Needs:

The room size depends on the number of people in the workshop.

The meeting room must be large enough so that each team will have at least 12 linear feet of wall-space available to them. Flip charts will be mounted on the wall for documentation of the Client Account Analysis.

Considering potential doors, windows, columns, wall mounted lights etc. which reduce useable wall space, the following guidelines should get you close to a usable room:

• For up to 12 participants, the room should be 24 feet by 32 feet or larger.
• For up to 18 participants, the room should be 32 feet by 32 feet or larger.
• For up to 24 participants, the room should be 35 feet by 35 feet or larger.

A modified U seating arrangements will be used as shown in Seminar Facility Needs.

One flip chart on a stand is needed per three participants.

Also needed: One overhead or LCD projector with a small (4 feet x 4 feet) free standing screen with a key-stone corrector.