Account-based selling, often used in conjunction with account-based marketing, is a highly personalized and targeted B2B outreach strategy where salespeople target entire companies, or accounts, rather than individual leads. After identifying a specific set of accounts based on an ideal customer profile, sales teams work closely with their marketing team to connect with decision-makers at key targeted accounts.

A B2B sale typically requires multiple stakeholders to agree on a single solution or vendor; therefore, it is essential that sellers first identify who all the stakeholders in the deal are and then understand how the solution fits with each individual stakeholder. By developing a personalized targeting strategy that authentically resonates with each, sellers can more effectively sell to all those involved in the buy.

A way to supercharge your account-based selling strategy is to take an adaptive selling approach, which greatly enhances a seller’s ability to address the needs of different stakeholders. Adaptive Selling is a behavior-based approach to sales that balances personalization with efficiency, allowing sales reps to tailor their message and process to meet each buyer's individual needs and preferences. 

Crystal, the platform for adaptive selling, can aid in understanding each stakeholder's natural motivators, behavioral traits, and communication styles by identifying their unique personality type and delivering actionable insights. These insights can be especially impactful when strategizing ahead of a meeting.

Using Crystal for Pre-Call Strategy Sessions

The initial call with stakeholders is crucial to a sale; sellers must prep adequately to ensure their pitch is well-received. With each stakeholder having different behavioral traits, motivations, and preferences, sellers who can tailor their pitch to meet the needs of each stakeholder maximizes the chance of winning the deal– utilizing Crystal here significantly increases a seller’s ability to do so. When sellers take the time ahead of the call to align and strategize based on who will be present during the meeting, they can more confidently and efficiently navigate through delivering value, handling objections, and moving the deal forward.

Existing Crystal users have successfully implemented adaptive selling techniques in their pre-call strategy sessions to dive into the personalities of all those involved in an upcoming call or meeting. They also use Crystal insights to create internal alignment before speaking with clients to ensure internal communication is all aligned. By involving Crystal in the strategy session, our users experience higher levels of engagement, connection, and rapport-building during these critical conversations.

Understanding how the involved stakeholders communicate has proven instrumental in their ability to resonate:

For example, I personality type personas will appreciate enthusiastic messaging with exciting visuals, whereas C personality type personas prefer lots of details and data when making decisions.

Using Crystal to Develop Relationships with Key Stakeholders

To keep pushing a deal forward, sellers must continue developing relationships with multiple stakeholders following the initial meeting. Selling to multiple stakeholders rather than individual buyers can be difficult, as sellers must build trust and rapport with all those involved in the decision-making process. Developing such relationships requires salespeople to understand each stakeholder: their function within the account, involvement in the buy, how they like to receive information, communication preferences, and more.

Crystal, the adaptive selling platform, utilizes DISC personality insights to quickly identify anyone’s natural personality, communication preferences, and motivations. By adapting their approach accordingly, salespeople can break through the noise and effectively tailor their communication and pitch to resonate with whichever stakeholder, regardless of their unique personality or function within the account.

Let’s see it in action…

Final thoughts

Supercharging your  Account-Based Selling approach with adaptive selling techniques helps sellers gain a deeper understanding of their buyers and tailor more successful pitches. Crystal, the platform for adaptive selling, also provides valuable insights and coaching through each stage of the sale (beyond the stakeholder meeting) to ensure sellers communicate in a way that resonates with each of the key stakeholders involved in the purchase.

The Account-based Selling approach depends on a personalized approach and the ability to personalize across multiple stakeholders to reach all those involved in the buy within a targeted account. Although selling to an entire account adds more complexities than selling to an individual buyer, tools like Crystal can streamline the process and give sellers confidence when navigating multiple stakeholders through a complex B2B enterprise sale.

Learn more about how Crystal, the platform for adaptive sales organizations, can enhance your Account-based selling strategy:

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