Key Account Expansion Framework
🎯 Proactive
- Campaigning - Strategic outreach initiatives
- Leveraging & Expanding - Active relationship growth
🔄 Reactive
- Nurturing Relationships - Consistent value delivery
- Relying on Relationships - Trust-based engagement
💡 Nurturing Philosophy
- People buy from people they like
- Over-deliver and be available 24/7
- Develop personal relationships with 1-2 champions
- Keep key champions updated on new solutions
- Take on role of post-sales customer care
ICV - Issues, Concerns, and Vision
The foundation of effective selling is understanding WHY a prospect would buy. This means uncovering their:
- Issues - Current problems they're experiencing
- Concerns - Worries about the future or potential risks
- Vision - Unrealized goals or desired outcomes
Impact Levels
🏢 Departmental/Short-Term
- Pressure on department to fix issues
- Other departmental metrics at risk
- Ripple effect to other departments
- Operational or financial goals affected
🌐 Organizational/Long-Term
- Company-wide operational & financial impact
- Visibility level (how high does it go?)
- Corporate objectives being hurt
- External pressure from shareholders/customers
👤 Personal Challenge
- Personal vulnerability if not corrected
- Impact on personal goals
- External or downward pressure
- Ultimate personal impact
Key "Why" Questions
Situational Triggers
- What interested you in speaking/meeting?
- What triggered you to look for a solution?
- Is there an unrealized vision or goal you are trying to achieve?
- What is the driving force behind your interest?
Cost of Issue (COI)
- Departmental/Short-term Cost of Issue (DCOI/SCOI)
- Global/Long-term Cost of Issue (GCOI/LCOI)
- What would be the ultimate effect if unchanged?
Stakeholder Types
ℹ️ Information Provider
Provides valuable information about the organization, processes, and challenges
🚪 Access Provider
Can introduce you to other key stakeholders in the organization
💬 Influencer
Has influence over the decision but may not make the final call
✅ Decision Endorser
Has authority to approve or endorse the final decision
Stakeholder Mapping Questions
Organizational Understanding
- Who is your main contact and what is their title?
- Tell me about the organization structure
- Who will your contact be collaborating with?
- What other departments are impacted by this?
- Who would own the budget for fixing this?
Individual Stakeholder Assessment
- How long have they been there?
- Have they complained about the issue?
- Are they receiving pressure from somebody else to fix it?
- Will we have access to them?
Political Landscape
- What is the relationship between the different stakeholders?
- How much consensus is there regarding the issue?
- Have they had discussions internally about the issues?
- Who would be competing internally to find a solution?
- Is there competition in the account? Who are they aligned with?
- From whom do you sense/expect the greatest resistance? Why?
- Is there anyone we missed either inside or outside that can give us info or access?
1. Guided Questions
Opening Questions
- Is there an issue with….?
- Are you having any challenges with….?
- What are you looking to ultimately achieve when you say you want to….?
- Some organizations experience issues with (___), is that a concern?
- When you say you are having challenges with (___), is it related to (_____) or (_______)?
Evaluative Questions
- In your opinion should (______) be one of the top priorities for the department/company?
- What would you say is more critical (__) or (__)?
- My understanding is that your company is having issues with (____________), what is your perspective on this?
- Why do you think this is happening?
- What changes would you like to see?
- What would you like to see that you're not?
- How effective do you think the present (_______) is?
- In your opinion what would be the best way to approach this? Why?
- What is your specific goal related to (__________). Are you on target? Why/Why not?
- What Gap are you most interested in overcoming?
2. Clarification Questions
- Can you elaborate or expand?
- What have you observed?
- Have you ever tried remediating the issue?
- When did this become an issue?
- Is the issue affecting other departmental timelines or goals?
- How is this impacting the company operationally & financially?
- Can you share an example where the issue came up? (Dig)
- What would be the ultimate effect if unchanged?
- Can you tell me about any other potential concerns you may have?
- How does that affect your customers?
- How does that affect you?
- What other departments does this impact (Scale of issue)?
3. Consensus Building ICV Questions
Situational (Interest-Based)
- What interested you in speaking….?
- What triggered you to look for a solution?
- Is there an unrealized vision or goal you are trying to achieve?
- What is the driving force behind your interest? Explain?
- Help me understand the present challenges?
- Can you expand on that? What have you observed?
- Can you give me an example of …...?
- When did this become a concern?
- What's working and what's not?
- What has been your traditional approach to this?
- Have you tried any fixes? Did it work at all?
- Have you researched any other solutions prior to us meeting?
Short Term/Departmental Impact
- Is there pressure on your department to fix this?
- Is the issue affecting other department metrics or goals?
- Are there other departmental objectives that are at risk here?
- What is the ripple effect to other departments?
- What happens if you don't achieve this goal or fix this issue?
- What other departments does this impact (scale of issue)?
- Is this having any effect on your department's operational or financial goals?
- What is the short-term impact if you don't resolve this?
- Departmental/Short term cost of issue (DCOI/SCOI)
Organizational Impact & Visibility ("Big Picture")
- How is this impacting the company operationally & financially?
- How high/wide does the visibility into the issue go?
- Is there a corporate objective or vision that is being hurt here?
- How will this influence overall annual goals? Long term goals?
- What is the scale of this issue if it is not resolved?
- Has the issue scaled outside of your company? Is there external pressure from shareholders or customers to address this?
- Global/Long Term Cost of Issue (GCOI/LCOI)?
Personal Challenge
- Are you vulnerable if this does not get corrected?
- What are your short- and long-term goals?
- What is the greatest driving force behind your interest?
- Has there been an effect on your goals?
- What is the ultimate impact on you?
- Is there external or downward pressure on you to correct?
- What do you see as the ultimate impact to you personally?
- What happens if you don't fix this?
Formal Process Questions
- What criteria will they use to make a decision?
- How will they prioritize?
- What will they need to see from us?
- Is there a formal process they use? The company utilizes?
- Is there a formal budgetary process?
- What are the steps the company takes when allocating budget?
- Who controls the budget?
- What is the timeframe?
- Will there be any financing options reviewed?
- Is there a committee structure or process? (When do they meet?)
- Is there a formal board that will review this?
Informal Process Questions
- How will they approach their management?
- What are some of the factors that affect budgetary decisions for them?
- How will they personally evaluate our value and decide whether to utilize us?
- What do they see as our next steps?
- Have you created a "Football Field" project plan with your champion?
- Have they ever gotten approval on a similar project?
- If so, how did they go about getting it approved?
- Will they seek guidance from somebody else on getting this approved?
Most Common Roadblocks
- What are other priorities that could interfere with this initiative?
- What does the prospect see as the biggest roadblock?
- Budgetary constraints?
- If there was a possible stumbling block that they see or that their management may present, what is it?
- Are they leaning toward the incumbent (challenging competitor)?
- Are they looking at alternative solutions or other providers? Who?
- Do any of the other competitors have prior experience working with their company?
Non-Buy Signals
- How much will price play into their decision? Why?
- I sense you have some concerns related to this deal, what are you thinking could mess it up?
- What are the concerns they expressed so far? Who expressed these concerns?
- Is there anyone else we should include that we missed?
- What will be their response if the incumbent comes back with a renewed offer?
- Who is most aligned with them?
- Previously, you had mentioned that ______ is leaning toward the other (or had expressed concerns)…thoughts on that person?
- What is the one thing that has happened so far that raises a critical concern for you?