Before diving into solutions, the panelists addressed the elephant in the room: why do account planning initiatives consistently fail? The webinar opened with a poll asking attendees about their biggest account planning challenges, with inconsistency emerging as the top concern, followed by scalability, knowledge loss, and tool sprawl.
"It feels like homework. Executive leadership is all about it, but from the field perspective, it often feels like a lot of theory behind slide decks and Salesforce fields instead of actually helping them do their job." - Ross Rich
This disconnect between leadership expectations and field reality creates several common failure patterns:
As one attendee noted in the chat, "Reps don't always see the value in it," highlighting the critical need for change management and clear value demonstration. This challenge mirrors broader revenue operations best practices around getting buy-in for new processes and systems.
Fesler shared how Xactly transformed their approach to account planning by focusing on three core principles: automation, integration, and value demonstration. Rather than asking reps to spend hours researching and filling out templates, they built a system that does the heavy lifting upfront.
"I don't want reps spending a ton of time on research. We let the AI sort of generate the first pass, and then from there we ask that they coordinate with their SDR." - Bayley Fesler
This approach aligns with modern sales enablement strategies that prioritize efficiency and practical application over administrative burden.
Xactly developed distinct playbooks for different account types:
New Logo Playbook: Focuses on AI-generated research and hypothesis development using Vista Value Selling methodology. The system automatically pulls in:
Customer Expansion Playbook: Leverages existing relationship data and product usage insights. Key components include:
This systematic approach to customer onboarding and expansion ensures that account planning becomes a natural part of the sales workflow rather than an additional burden.
One of Xactly's key innovations was embedding account planning directly into their existing tech stack. By integrating with Salesforce, Apollo, and other tools, they eliminated the context switching that often derails adoption.
"The great thing about having it in Accord is we also have the iframe in Salesforce. Even if the rep left the company, this still lives on and is attached to the account page layout." - Bayley Fesler
This integration strategy addresses common CRM data management challenges while ensuring continuity and knowledge preservation—critical factors for long-term success.
Rich shared Accord's philosophy of making best practices "unavoidable" rather than optional. Instead of hoping reps will remember to follow processes, the platform embeds proven methodologies directly into their workflow.
"The whole concept behind Accord is how do we actually get the team to do the things in their workflow that makes sense for them that we want to see." - Ross Rich
This approach transforms account planning from a separate activity into an integrated part of deal execution.
Accord Intelligence automates the research-heavy aspects of account planning while maintaining the human element for strategic thinking. The system:
This automation addresses one of the biggest barriers to account planning adoption: the time investment required for thorough research. By handling the data gathering automatically, reps can focus on relationship building and strategic execution.
One of the most innovative aspects of the Accord approach is objective scoring and accountability. Rather than subjective manager assessments, the system tracks specific behaviors and activities:
This data-driven approach to sales forecasting and pipeline management provides clear visibility into what's working and where coaching is needed.
Both panelists emphasized that technology alone doesn't drive adoption—effective change management is crucial. Their strategies included:
"How do you get that top rep who's crushing it every quarter that everyone wishes they were making that money... is it the CRO? Is it the CEO? Seeing how important pipeline is." - Ross Rich
Leadership visibility and endorsement proved critical for driving adoption.
"Getting one of your top performers who's doing a good job of this, get in front of everyone that's validated the new process... here's the results." - Bayley Fesler
This approach leverages social dynamics and credibility to overcome resistance, similar to successful territory planning and change management initiatives.
"We don't want this to be a homework exercise. The idea is you're gonna come up with a hypothesis that's aligned to our sales methodology, and then you're gonna link up with your SDR and you guys are gonna figure out who's gonna go after which contacts." - Bayley Fesler
By framing account planning as a tool for success rather than a compliance requirement, they achieved higher engagement and better results.
The proof of any RevOps initiative lies in its measurable impact on revenue outcomes. Xactly's systematic approach to account planning delivered significant results:
These results demonstrate how effective process management can transform operational efficiency and revenue outcomes.
Based on their experience, the panelists shared several critical success factors for account planning initiatives:
"Over-engineer it from the start. If we're going from every rep having a top 25 or 50 accounts and touching thoughtfully maybe 10% of that every quarter, maybe start with a goal of 20% instead of 100%." - Ross Rich
This crawl-walk-run approach prevents overwhelming teams and allows for iterative improvement based on real feedback.
"Test your template. Test the AI's context a bit before you let it loose on the reps, 'cause they'll poke holes in it." - Bayley Fesler
Thorough testing prevents adoption issues and builds confidence in the system.
"I still want that critical thinking human step so that my sales team can show up to do the human stuff." - Bayley Fesler
The goal is to augment human capabilities, not replace them entirely.
Rather than creating separate processes, successful implementations integrate account planning into existing sales workflows and tools. This reduces friction and increases adoption rates.
Looking ahead, both panelists see AI playing an increasingly important role in account planning, but with important caveats. The technology should handle research and data aggregation while preserving the strategic and relationship aspects that require human judgment.
"The goal here is even if it's not perfect, how do we give them the starting point. How do we do that so they can spend 90% of their time engaging with customers?" - Ross Rich
This vision aligns with broader trends in revenue operations technology toward intelligent automation that enhances rather than replaces human capabilities.
The webinar provided several actionable insights for revenue operations professionals looking to improve their account planning processes:
For organizations struggling with account planning effectiveness, the Xactly and Accord approach offers a proven framework for transformation. By combining thoughtful technology implementation with strong change management, it's possible to move beyond the traditional homework model to create a system that truly drives revenue growth.
The session reinforced that successful account planning isn't about perfect documentation—it's about creating systematic approaches that help sales teams engage more effectively with their accounts and drive predictable revenue outcomes. As the RevOps function continues to evolve, initiatives like these demonstrate the strategic value that operations teams can deliver when they focus on enabling rather than just measuring.
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