8. Key Account plan

The key account plan documents the essential outcome of the various key account analyses. It comprises the objectives, specific strategies as well as the intended actions and solution offerings of the successful key account management. The following items shall be part of the MTPRO-specific key account plan:

1. Overview of Key Account (General customer analysis, strategy and objectives of key account, see chapter 5.2.1)
2. Key Accounts requirements (Value chain analysis, see chapter 5.2.2)
3. Organisation of Key Account (Buying centre analysis, see chapter 5.2.3)
4. Mapping of Key Account (Chapter 5.2.3)
5. Key Account-specific sales objectives (Chapter 5.2.5)
6. Strategy and action planning (Chapter 5.2.6, plus more detailed action planning in accordance with buying influence worksheet)
7. Added-value offering for the Key Account (Status of implementation of analytical instrumentation concept, see chapter 6.2.1)
8. Key Account commitments (Chapter 6.3)
9. Key performance indicators (Scorecard, see chapter 7.3)

At a first glance it appears to be a rather in-depth key account plan. In order to keep time and effort to a bearable level for the Key Account Manager a template in the form of an Excel spreadsheet with easily adaptive charts will be estab- lished. This template contains all detailed charts per item of the key account plan. It therefore facilitates the data entry.

It is imperative to keep these plans updated on a defined time interval. The outcome of the key-account specific planning process is a mandatory task for the Key Account Manager. Its quality is judged by the Business Area Manager and is part of the scorecard, as can be seen in the previous chapter. Furthermore, it serves as foundation for the sales budgeting process.