Sales Quiz: Should You Tell an Account They're Strategic?

SCENARIO: You've been assigned an account that your sales manager says is strategic. You're at your first meeting with that account, and you're committed to building a strong customer relationship. Here's the question:

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The correct answer is NO!
A strategic account is one that your firm simply MUST keep happy because they're a key to your entire go-to-market strategy. The rule of thumb is: if you're willing to lose money to keep the account happy, they're strategic. (See "Sales Quiz: Which Account Is Strategic?")

If an account figures out that they're truly strategic to your firm, they'll realize they can tie you down and demand basically anything, including free products and free support. And you'll have to submit, because you're basically out of business if you don't.

So there's not much upside in letting the account know they're strategic, but plenty of downside.

Best you let them think that they need you more than you need them.

READERS: Do you agree?