Build account growth plans

Certification Definition

A certified rep builds an account growth plan that shows the current footprint, the best whitespace, the buying and influencer landscape, the likely decision windows, and the sequence of plays needed to grow the account without creating avoidable churn or noise.

Why It Matters

In SaaS, expansion usually underperforms when teams confuse account familiarity with account strategy. A strong growth plan helps the team focus on the few plays that can actually convert, line them up to renewal and planning cycles, and stop random cross-sell activity from diluting attention.

What Good Looks Like

• The rep documents the current footprint clearly, including contracted products, active teams, adoption signals, renewal timing, and known gaps.
• The rep identifies realistic whitespace opportunities instead of turning the plan into a list of every module, seat pool, or adjacent team.
• The rep prioritises growth plays by customer value, buying likelihood, timing, and internal readiness to execute.
• The rep maps who matters for each play, including champions, economic buyers, functional owners, and likely blockers.
• The rep is explicit about what evidence would justify moving a play into pipeline, such as usage proof, stakeholder access, a planning event, or a confirmed problem.
• The rep sequences plays logically rather than trying to run several unrelated motions into the same account at once.
• The rep updates the plan when account health, ownership, strategy, or timing changes rather than carrying forward stale assumptions.
• The plan is inspectable enough that a manager can review it in a pipeline or account review and immediately see where to coach.

Red Flags

• The rep produces a generic account plan with no clear whitespace analysis or commercial point of view.
• The rep lists opportunities without ranking them or explaining why they matter this quarter or this half.
• The rep assumes every identified gap is sellable now, regardless of stakeholder readiness, adoption maturity, or customer priorities.
• The plan does not connect growth ideas to customer outcomes, budget timing, or renewal context.
• The rep cannot explain what would move a play from hypothesis to active opportunity.
• The document exists in a template or QBR pack but does not change meetings, outreach, or account strategy.

Evaluation Scorecard

Real-World Scenarios

Assessment Approach

Review 2 live account growth plans that include current footprint, whitespace analysis, prioritised plays, stakeholders, timing, and next actions.

Verification Examples

• Account plan with whitespace analysis and prioritized plays
• Documented plan/artifact reviewed against rubric

Related Skills