Account based selling training teaches enterprise sales teams to focus effort on a defined set of high-value target accounts. Bodhih's program covers account selection, buying-group mapping, account plans, insight-led outreach, coordinated plays across sales, marketing and presales, multi-threading and measuring account progress. It suits new-logo acquisition and complements key account management.
- Recommended: 2 days in person, or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus a 60-day account sprint
- Level: Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: account-based selling workshop, ABM sales training, account-based sales training for enterprise sellers, buying group mapping training
Where and how: account based selling training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why spray-and-pray prospecting stopped working
Enterprise buying decisions now involve a committee: a business sponsor, IT, procurement, finance and often a transformation office. A seller who relies on one friendly contact gets a polite hearing and a stalled deal. Meanwhile marketing runs campaigns to the same accounts with a different message, and presales hears about the opportunity a week before the demo.
Account based selling fixes this by aligning the whole go-to-market team on fewer, better-chosen accounts. It rewards research, relevance and coordination over volume, which is exactly where many enterprise teams in IT services, SaaS and industrial sales still have room to grow, and where account based selling training gives them a shared playbook.
LinkedIn lists go-to-market strategy, business development and cross-functional collaboration among the fastest-growing skills for 2026.
What participants will be able to do
Choose the right accounts
Build and apply an ideal-account profile to select and tier target accounts using fit, intent and relationship signals.
Map the buying group
Identify every role in the buying group, their priorities and their likely stance, and spot gaps in coverage.
Write a living account plan
Create a one-page account plan with business hypotheses, entry points, plays and next actions.
Open doors with insight
Craft outreach that leads with a relevant business insight for each stakeholder rather than a product pitch.
Run coordinated plays
Plan and execute joint plays with marketing, sales development and presales, with clear owners and timing.
Multi-thread and measure progress
Build relationships across several stakeholders and track account engagement and deal progress with shared indicators.
Who should attend
- Enterprise account executives and new-logo hunters
- Account managers expanding into new divisions of large customers
- Sales development representatives working target-account lists
- Field and account-based marketing managers
- Presales and solution consultants who support enterprise pursuits
- Sales leaders building account-based pods in IT services, SaaS and industrial firms
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01Why account-based, and whenModule 1 · 60 min+
- Account based selling versus volume prospecting and key account management
- Which deals and markets suit an account-based approach
- Roles in an account-based pod
- Diagnosing the team's current pursuit habits
02Selecting and tiering target accountsModule 2 · 2 hours+
- Building an ideal-account profile from past wins and losses
- Fit, intent and relationship signals
- Tiering accounts into one-to-one, one-to-few and one-to-many
- Workshop: tiering the participants' own territory
03Mapping the buying groupModule 3 · 2 hours+
- Roles in an enterprise buying group and what each cares about
- Stance mapping: champion, ally, neutral, sceptic
- Finding hidden influencers in procurement, IT and finance
- Coverage gaps and how to close them
04Account plans and insight-led outreachModule 4 · 2.5 hours+
- A one-page account plan with business hypotheses
- Research routines using annual reports, earnings calls and news
- Writing role-specific messages that lead with insight
- Peer review of outreach sequences for a real account
05Coordinated plays across sales, marketing and presalesModule 5 · 2 hours+
- Designing a play: trigger, audience, message, channel, owner
- Executive briefings, roundtables and tailored content
- Hand-offs between sales development, sellers and presales
- Simulation: a six-week play for one strategic account
06Multi-threading and measuring progressModule 6 · 90 min+
- Building relationships across several stakeholders
- Recovering when your champion leaves
- Account engagement and deal progress indicators
- A fortnightly account review rhythm for the pod
Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design
This two-day design turns scattered prospecting into coordinated pursuit of a few well-chosen accounts. Mixed pods of sellers, marketers and presales colleagues build an ideal-account profile from their own wins, tier their territory, map a real buying group and write a one-page account plan. They draft insight-led outreach for different stakeholders, design a six-week play with clear owners and practise recovering a deal when the champion leaves. Each pod leaves with a 60-day account sprint.
Pods can select and tier target accounts, map a buying group and write a one-page account plan.
- 09:30–10:00Who else was in the room?Energiser
- 10:00–10:45Our pursuit habitsDiagnostic
- 11:00–12:00Ideal-account profileBuild sprint
- 12:00–13:00Tiering the territoryHands-on lab
- 13:45–15:00Mapping the buying groupBuild sprint
- 15:15–16:30One-page account planBuild sprint
- 16:30–17:30Plan clinicFeedback round
Pods can open doors with insight, run a coordinated play and keep deals moving across several stakeholders.
- 09:30–10:30Insight before productDemo & practice
- 10:30–11:00Outreach peer reviewFeedback round
- 11:15–12:45A six-week playSimulation
- 13:30–14:30Hand-offs without dropsRole-play
- 14:45–15:45When your champion leavesRole-play
- 15:45–16:30Measuring account progressConcept burst
- 16:30–17:30Our 60-day account sprintAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus a 60-day account sprint on real target accounts. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is account based selling training?
The recommended design is two days in person followed by a 60-day account sprint on real target accounts. It also runs as four live virtual sessions of three hours each, with pods working on shared account canvases and completing outreach tasks between sessions.
What activities are included in account based selling training?
Pods build an ideal-account profile from their own wins, tier their territory, map a real buying group, write a one-page account plan, draft insight-led outreach, design a six-week coordinated play, practise hand-offs and rehearse recovering a deal when the champion leaves.
How we deliver it
Live accounts, not case studies
Participants bring two or three real target accounts, and every exercise produces work they can use the following week.
Mixed pods in the room
Where possible, sellers, marketers and presales colleagues attend together, so plays are designed by the people who will run them.
Practice-heavy design
Most of the time goes into mapping, writing, peer review and simulated stakeholder conversations, with short inputs in between.
Designed with ADDIE
Bodhih's design process starts with win-loss and pipeline analysis so the account based selling training reflects your sales motion, markets and deal sizes.
Tailored versions
For IT services and GCC-facing sellers
Focuses on large, multi-year pursuits, relationship mapping across global and India-based stakeholders and plays built around transformation programs.
For SaaS and product companies
Emphasises tiered account lists, sales-development and marketing coordination and expansion from a first team into the wider enterprise.
For manufacturing and industrial sales
Adapts buying-group mapping to plant, engineering, procurement and finance stakeholders, with plays around trials, site visits and technical reviews.
How we measure impact
We measure through the Evaluate stage of ADDIE. Participants take a pre and post assessment on AssessAll covering prospecting, consultative selling and stakeholder management. During a 60-day account sprint, sales leaders review account plans at 30, 60 and 90 days, and we track agreed indicators such as stakeholders engaged per account, meetings with senior buyers and opportunities created in target accounts. Individual development plans keep sellers building skills after the sprint.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is account based selling?
Account based selling is a B2B approach where sales, marketing and presales focus on a defined set of high-value target accounts and treat each one as a market of its own. Teams research the account, map the buying group and run coordinated, personalised plays to engage several stakeholders at once, instead of chasing a large volume of leads.
How is account based selling different from key account management?
Account based selling mostly targets accounts you want to win or expand into, often new logos or new divisions. Key account management focuses on growing and protecting relationships with existing strategic customers over the long term. The two connect: accounts won through an account-based approach often become key accounts later.
How do you choose target accounts?
Start with an ideal-account profile based on your past wins, looking at industry, size, business model and problems you solve well. Then add intent signals, such as expansion, leadership changes or technology shifts, and existing relationships. Tier the accounts so the most valuable ones get deep, one-to-one attention and the rest get lighter plays.
What is multi-threading in sales?
Multi-threading means building relationships with several stakeholders in a buying group rather than relying on one contact. It reduces risk if your champion changes roles and helps you understand what each person needs to say yes. Good multi-threading involves colleagues too, such as presales or leaders, connecting with their counterparts.
How do sales and marketing work together on target accounts?
They agree the target list and tiers together, share account research and plan joint plays with clear owners and timing. Marketing might run an executive roundtable while sellers follow up with personalised outreach and presales prepares a tailored demo. A fortnightly account review keeps everyone aligned on progress and next moves.
Who should attend account based selling training?
Enterprise account executives, account managers, sales development representatives, field marketers and presales consultants benefit most, ideally attending as mixed pods. Sales leaders should join at least the planning and review sessions so they can sustain the approach. It suits teams selling complex solutions to large organisations.
How long is the account based selling training program?
Our recommended design is two days in person or four three-hour live virtual sessions, followed by a 60-day account sprint where teams apply their plans to real accounts. Bodhih customises the program after reviewing your sales process, target markets and recent win-loss patterns.
Is account based selling training available online?
Yes. The live virtual version runs as four interactive sessions with breakout rooms for account mapping, shared digital canvases for account plans and peer review of outreach. Bodhih delivers live virtual programs to teams across India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and beyond, and in person through travelling master trainers.