An account plan is the one-page document that sets, for one key account and one year, the target, the levers that will close the gap with last year, and the actions that carry each lever.
The gap must be fully explained by the levers; if it is not, the target is a hope.
What an account plan is for
An account plan is a short document that sets, for one key account and one period, where the account stands, the revenue target, the levers expected to close the gap and the dated actions behind each lever. It is written by the rep, reviewed with the manager, and reread every quarter.
Not every account needs one. Account plans are for the few accounts where the potential is high enough to justify the work; the rest are handled through the territory plan and visit frequency.
The complete set Field sales templates: how the documents connectThe template, field by field
Copy the fields below in this order: the first column becomes the heading, the second says what goes in it, the third why the field exists. Remove a field you have no use for; add one your business needs.
| Field | What to write | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Name, sites, class and segment | Know which account and how it is classified |
| Decision-making | Who decides, who influences, who signs | Avoid selling to the wrong person |
| Current position | Revenue last year, by product range; ranges supplied by others | Measure the starting point and the white space |
| Target | Revenue for the year, by range if useful | Set the gap to close |
| Levers | Each source of extra revenue with its amount | The sum of the levers must equal the gap |
| Actions | For each lever: what, who, by when | Turn the levers into work |
| Risks | What could reduce revenue: renewal, competitor, change of contact | Defend before growing |
| Review dates | Usually once a quarter | Adjust the plan instead of rewriting it |
A filled example
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Account | Harbour Hotels group (fictional): two sites, class A, hotels and restaurants |
| Decision-making | Purchasing manager decides; head chefs influence; finance signs above a threshold |
| Current position | Revenue last year: €48,000; winter range bought from another supplier; second site not supplied |
| Target | €60,000 for the year, a gap of €12,000 |
| Levers | Winter range listed: €7,000; Second site supplied: €5,000; total €12,000 |
| Actions | Tasting for both chefs by 15 November (rep); price proposal for the second site by 30 November (rep, approved by manager) |
| Risks | Main contract renewal in March; new purchasing manager since September |
| Review dates | 15 January, 15 April, 15 July, 15 October |
Check: €48,000 + €7,000 + €5,000 = €60,000; the levers explain the whole gap. All data in this example is fictional.
How to use it
- Choose the accounts. Only the few where potential justifies the effort, usually from the top account class.
- Write down the starting point. Last year's revenue by range, and the ranges the account buys elsewhere.
- Set the target. One figure for the year, agreed with the manager, linked to the rep's own target.
- Explain the gap with levers. Each lever is a named source of revenue with an amount; the levers add up to the gap.
- Attach actions. Each lever gets at least one action with an owner and a date.
- Review each quarter. Compare revenue and actions with the plan; move amounts between levers if needed.
Common mistakes
- A target with no levers. “Plus 25,000” is not a plan; the levers say where it comes from.
- Levers that do not add up. If the levers explain only part of the gap, the rest is wishful thinking.
- Ignoring the risks. A lost renewal can wipe out every lever; defend first.
- One contact only. When that person leaves, the plan leaves with them.
- Written once, never reread. A plan not reviewed by the second quarter is no longer a plan.
Spreadsheet or tool
The template works in both. This compares categories of tools, not products: any given product may differ from these general tendencies.
| Aspect | Spreadsheet or document | Field sales tool |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Revenue copied from the invoicing system | Revenue by range read from recorded orders or imported invoices |
| Levers and target | Cells that must be added up by hand | Target per account and per range, gap shown |
| Actions | A list in the document | Actions with due dates in the rep’s day |
| Review | Reopen the file and update the figures | Figures to date at every review |
| Sharing | File sent by email, versions multiply | One plan, seen by the rep and the manager |
What SalesIro brings
The features that fill in or replace this template, all taken from the public feature list (59 features, 3 of them marked “to be activated”):
- Annual and per-account targets: the rep's target, then a target per account and per range;
- Growth plan: the gap to target broken down into quantified levers, account by account;
- Client range table: current supplier, renewal date and budget, range by range;
- Six-criterion qualification: decision-maker, need, budget, timing, next step, competition;
- Account classification: which accounts deserve a plan.
The same data can be queried from an AI assistant — Claude, ChatGPT, Le Chat or Perplexity — through the MCP server for AI assistants, with a key or an OAuth connection. A question such as “for my class A accounts, what is the gap to target and which levers are planned?” is answered from your own data, without an export. Every read is written to the access log, and access rules still apply: a rep's assistant only sees that rep's accounts.
Related guides
How the templates fit together is explained in field sales templates: the complete set.
- Customer profile template (B2B)
- Sales territory plan template
- Sales visit report template
- Sales territory management
To compare features line by line, see the feature list. All English guides are listed on the guides page. A French guide on this topic is also available: version française.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
What is an account plan in sales?
A short document that sets, for one key account and one period, the starting point, the revenue target, the levers expected to close the gap and the dated actions behind each one.
Which accounts need an account plan?
Only the few with enough potential to justify the work, usually the top class of accounts. The others are handled through the territory plan and visit frequency.
How often should an account plan be reviewed?
Once a quarter is common: revenue and actions are compared with the plan, and amounts are moved between levers if needed.
What is the difference between an account plan and a customer profile?
The customer profile holds the facts about an account; the account plan sets a target and the actions to reach it for one period, using those facts.
The gap to target, lever by lever
In SalesIro, targets are set per account and per range, and the growth plan breaks the gap down into quantified levers for each account.
See how it works