This document provides guidance for startups on key account sales. It recommends evaluating and accessing relevant prospects, shaping the first customer meeting and purchase order, and expanding the relationship to get more orders. The speaker has broad experience growing profitable key account sales globally. Effective key account strategies involve researching customers and decision makers, identifying early adopters, developing a solid value proposition, investing in demonstrators, listening to customers, focusing on legal terms of contracts, using a sales funnel, planning account penetration, and following the buy decision journey. Maintaining relationships and not burning bridges with key accounts is also advised.

1. Key Account Sales for Startups
sparksense.co

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We are passionate to help Entrepreneurs grow their
top line, raise money and build partnerships.

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o Evaluate and get access to relevant prospects
o Shaping a great 1st customer meeting and 1st purchase order
o Take the relationship further and get more purchase orders
Our focus for today

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Broad global experience in growing profitable key account sales with
large organizations, SMI and start-up in technology markets.
Energy to execute laser focused growth.
Roberto Magnifico
Top Line
Growth Expert
Our guest speaker today

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B2B market – Enterprise software perspective
$88bn
Apps Purchases
$3700Bn
Global IT
Source: Sparksense, Building for the Enterprise, Aaron Levie

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B2B industry structure
Source: A.T. Kearney analysis

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o Return on Investment: increased profitable sales
o Deeper relationships with a small number of companies
o Person-to-Person selling across multiple stakeholders (*)
o Be patient: large accounts/big orgs have slower dynamics
B2B sales is very different

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o Research customer organization and decision makers (*)
o Identify readiness to pay and seek early adopters
o Start with a solid, simple Value Proposition
o Address gaps in current solutions or create new needs
o Invest rapidly in demonstrator(s) (*)
Pre-sales

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o Listen to customers … build what they need (*)
o Apply full human resources bandwidth to gain Key Account
management trust (like with VCs)
o Focus on key contract items: scope, liability, IP ownership,
termination terms and consider your right to say no (*)
o Seek for legal advice, Mind what you sign
Sales

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o Use sales funnel i.e. Pipedrive.com
o Consider Key Account penetration plan (*)
o Do not be blindsided by the order on the table, prepare for
the next sales opportunity
o Follow the journey of the buy decision (*)
Post-sales

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Q&A

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o Have a rock solid value proposition
o YOU is the key word in sales interactions
o Be genuinely curious, look beyond the order on the table
One last thing: Never burn bridges with Key Accounts !
3 takeaways

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o Strategic Selling| Robert Miller + Stephen Heiman
o Lean B2B| Etienne Garbugli
o Crossing the Chasm | Geoffrey Moore
o Building for the Entreprise | Aaron Levie
Getting deeper

14. PARTNERS FOR GROWTH
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Contact us
Herve@sparksense.co