Written by Sean McPheat | 
Target Account Selling is a process where you prioritise and focus your sales efforts on a specific group of customers that are more likely to generate the greatest amount of revenue.
TAS aims to increase win rates, deal sizes, and revenue growth by allowing salespeople to focus their time and energy on high-value accounts that have been carefully selected based on specific criteria.
To be successful with TAS, you need to have a deep understanding of your ideal customer and what they are looking for. Once you know who your target accounts are, you can create a laser-focused sales strategy that will help you close more deals and increase revenue.
In this article, we’ll be breaking down everything you need to know about TAS, including how to select target accounts and what criteria to use. We’ll also provide some helpful tips on how to create a successful TAS strategy.
Contents
Target account selling (TAS) is a sales methodology that helps salespeople focus their time and energy on the accounts that are the best fit for their products or services.
The goal of TAS is to improve sales productivity by prioritising the accounts that are most likely to close and have the greatest revenue potential.
TAS selling begins with identifying and qualifying target accounts. Once you’ve identified your targets, you need to create a strategy for how you’re going to sell to them.
Your TAS strategy should include plans for what resources you’ll need, who will be responsible for each step of the process, and how you’ll measure success. When done correctly, TAS selling can help you close more business with less effort.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of Targeted Account Selling, let’s take a more in-depth look at the TAS sales methodology.
The TAS sales methodology is designed to help sellers focus their time and energy on the accounts that are most likely to close and have the greatest revenue potential.
So, it makes sense that the first step of the TAS process is account selection. This is where you identify the criteria that will be used to determine which accounts are worth pursuing.
Some common criteria for an account management strategy selection include:
Once you have determined the criteria for account selection, you can begin to identify potential target accounts.
There are several ways to do this, but some common methods include using data from your CRM system, talking to current customers, using third-party databases such as Hoovers or Dun & Bradstreet, conducting internet searches, or leveraging your personal and professional networks.
Once you have generated a list of potential accounts, it’s time to start researching them. This research will help you to better understand each company, its specific needs, and whether they are likely to be a good fit for your products or services.
Some things you may want to research include the following:
When conducting your research, be sure to make note of any relevant information that could help you to sell to the account, such as pain points or upcoming projects. This information will come in handy later when you are crafting your sales pitch.
Generating the most comprehensive customer profile possible will give you a significant advantage when it comes time to start selling. Knowing as much as possible about your target account will help you to tailor your sales approach and close more deals.
Once you have a list of potential accounts, it’s time to move on to the next step of the TAS process, relationship building.
Building relationships with decision-makers in target accounts can be challenging, but it’s essential if you want to close business.
There are a few key strategies you can use to build relationships, including:
Building relationships with target contacts takes time and effort, but it will be worth it in the end. By taking the time to get to know your target contacts and adding value to their lives, you will be in a much better position to sell to them when the time comes.
It’s also worth noting that, as the list above indicates, there are some aspects of TAS that are not directly connected to the traditional sale process. Creating and sharing valuable content is usually a marketing activity, while participating in trade shows or conferences is more of a brand awareness play.
However, content production and event participation are passive ways to establish your company as a thought leader in your industry, and they will eventually lead to sales opportunities. In other words, even though TAS is primarily a sales tool, it requires buy-in from other departments to be effective.
The important thing is that all these activities should be coordinated and working together towards the common goal of winning business from target accounts. TAS is essentially an ecosystem, with each activity playing a role in the ultimate success or failure of the program.
With effective coordination between departments, your target client will already know you by reputation and you will have added value to their business even before the sales process begins. This is what we mean by a “holistic” approach to TAS – it’s not just about selling, but about building relationships and providing value at every opportunity.
Once you have your target set, your research done, and you’ve started building a relationship with them, it’s time to implement a personalised sales development strategy. This strategy should focus on your target accounts and be designed to generate new leads, nurture existing relationships, and close deals.
Your sales and marketing team should work together closely on this – after all, the success of TAS depends on both departments working in tandem. To make this happen, you need to have a clear understanding of the buyer’s journey and how your sales and marketing efforts can support each other at each stage.
When implemented effectively, a holistic TAS development strategy will arm your salesforce with the right information and resources they need to succeed with target accounts. In turn, this will help you close more business and accelerate growth.
While you can generate a generic development strategy, you’re always going to get better value from tailoring your approach to the specific needs of your target accounts. To do this, you need to understand the account’s unique business challenges and what they’re looking for in a solution.
Once you have a good understanding of your target account’s pain points, you can start developing a message that resonates with them and positions your product or service as the best solution.
The key to successful target account selling is developing a laser-focused approach that considers the specific needs of your target accounts. By doing this, you’ll be able to develop messages and strategies that are more likely to resonate with decision-makers and help you close more business.
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As with any sales strategy, there are both pros and cons to using a target account selling approach. So, let’s break them down:
Pros:
Cons:
What we can see from this is that the ‘cons’ of TAS are mostly resource based. Time, cost, and effort. However, that isn’t wildly different from any other sales process, and, in fact, because it is more targeted, TAS can be more efficient in the long run.
While it is true that TAS does take longer to see results and can be costly, the potential rewards are much higher. When done correctly, TAS can help you build relationships with key decision-makers in your target accounts, which can lead to a huge increase in sales.
In essence, while there are some risks associated with TAS, the potential rewards far outweigh them.
To make the TAS process as clear as possible, here are some examples of targeted selling at work:
Example 1:
A salesperson is trying to sell a new CRM system to a large company. The company has many different departments, each with their own unique needs. The salesperson uses TAS to identify the decision-makers in each department and tailors their pitch to address the specific needs of each department.
As part of the research process, the salesperson learns that the company is planning to merge with another company. The salesperson uses this information to tailor their pitch even further, stressing the importance of having a CRM system that can accommodate many users.
Example 2:
A salesperson is trying to sell a new product to a large retailer. The retailer has many different store locations, each with its own demographics. The salesperson uses TAS to identify the decision-makers in each store and tailors their pitch to address the specific needs of each store.
The salesperson also researches the retailer’s overall strategy and finds that the company is looking to expand into new markets. The salesperson uses this information to tailor their pitch even further, stressing the importance of the new product in helping the retailer reach its goal.
Thanks to TAS, the salesperson can make a much more tailored and relevant pitch that ultimately leads to a sale.
Example 3:
A salesperson is trying to sell a new product to a potential customer. The potential customer is hesitant to try the new product because they are happy with the product they are currently using. The salesperson uses TAS to find out what specific pain points the potential customer has with their current product.
They then use this information to create a custom solution that addresses these pain points. This targeted approach earns the trust of the potential customer and leads to a sale.
Each of these examples highlights a different facet of TAS. In the first example, TAS is used to research a potential customer. In the second, it’s used to create a custom pitch. And in the third, it’s used to build trust and close a sale.
But it’s just as likely that all three approaches can be used in the same sales process. In fact, TAS is most effective when it’s used throughout the entire sales cycle – from research to closing.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of TAS, let’s look at some common selling strategies that make use of TAS principles.
The challenger sale is a strategy that was popularized by the book The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation. In short, the book argues that the best salespeople are those who challenge their customers’ assumptions.
The Challenger Sale is all about pushing customers outside of their comfort zone. It’s about helping them see the world in a new way and challenging them to rethink their status quo.
The consultative sale is all about building trust and credibility with your prospect. It’s about becoming a trusted advisor who can help them make the best possible decision for their business.
In a consultative sale, the focus is on solving the customer’s problem, not on selling them a product or service. The goal is to build a relationship of trust so that when the time comes to buy, the customer feels confident that they’re making the right decision.
Check out our Consultative Selling Training for more.
Solution selling is all about finding the right solution for the customer’s specific needs. It’s about understanding their unique situation and offering a tailored solution that meets their requirements.
The goal is to build a relationship of trust so that the customer feels confident that they’re making the right decisions with your help. This type of sale requires in-depth knowledge of the products and services you offer, as well as a deep understanding of the customer’s business and their specific needs.
The product sale is all about selling the features and benefits of your product or service. It’s a more straightforward approach than the solution sale, and it’s often used when selling simpler products or services.
In a product sale, you’ll focus on presenting the features of your offering and explaining how they meet the customer’s needs. You’ll also highlight any unique selling points that make your product or service stand out from the competition.
TAS has the potential to revolutionise the way your sales team sells. However, it’s important to remember that TAS is just one part of a holistic and effective targeted selling strategy.
To be truly successful, your organisation needs to take a holistic and account-centric approach to sales, which considers the unique needs of each target account.
It’s also important to have a well-defined process in place for targeted selling, as this will ensure that your sales team is consistently following best practices and achieving optimal results.
If you would like more information on how to make targeted selling work for your business, and how to streamline your overall sales process, please check out our Account Management Training.
Alternatively, as a Sales Training Provider, we offer a variety of Sales Training Courses that can help you to improve your overall selling skills. Contact us to discuss your specific needs – we can help you develop a tailored solution either face to face, or through Online Sales Training solutions that will drive results.
Happy Selling!
Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
Updated on: 7 February, 2023
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