The 4 Key Responsibilities of an Effective Account in Salesforce

Account-based marketing (ABM) is one of the fastest growing trends in marketing today. But ask any sales team and they’ll tell you this is hardly new – they’ve been organizing themselves around accounts for years. That’s precisely why it’s time to get sales and marketing on the same page about how important an account’s data is. Specifically, the teams need to align on the way an account is stored in Salesforce – and why it is critical for the business.

Below, we look at the 4 key responsibilities of a well-maintained account in Salesforce.

Accounts are the center of the universe for sales activity.

For sales, accounts are the center of the universe and a touchpoint for many other teams, as well. An account holds all the data necessary to eventually convert into an opportunity, so it’s critical that the data that is fed in from marketing be as accurate as possible.

Accounts are owned and or shared by a team.

An account can be handled by multiple sales development reps (SDRs) and owned by an account executive. When an account is closed it is handed over to customer success and then managed by a support person. It’s essential that the account data is standardized across its various destinations, since managing that account is a team-based activity.

Account data influences capacity planning on models.

Furthermore, businesses plan their future based on accounts. By examining various account metrics, a business can make predictions about the future and implement a strategy involving territory, capacity and more to maximize the opportunities.

But all of this can only be done with a mutual agreement of what constitutes an account and whether that account has been created with clear, accurate data.

Accounts are ‘special’ and need minimum data standards.

This is exactly why marketing needs to be as data-driven as possible when executing account-based marketing campaigns and handing them over to sales. Too often, the marketing team isn’t aware of the complexity of accounts within Salesforce and hands over accounts based on the approximate data used on the marketing automation side of things. As account-based marketing increasingly proves itself as a vital source of high quality leads, this discrepancy needs to be addressed and data standards need to be put into place.

Accurate account data is vital to a healthy customer journey and increasing conversion rates. If ABM and sales strategies are to align, both marketing and sales need to be speaking the same language – and using the same data – when it comes to accounts.

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Data Management for Account-Based Sales