account-qualification

Account Qualification

This skill helps you systematically qualify and tier accounts to focus your sales efforts on the highest-potential opportunities.

Objective

Identify, score, and prioritize accounts based on fit signals, buying indicators, and strategic value to maximize sales efficiency and win rates.

Account Tiering System

Tier 1: High Priority Accounts (HPA)

• Strong signal matches
• Excellent ICP fit
• Active buying indicators
• High strategic value

Action: Immediate, personalized outreach with research investment

Tier 2: Qualified Accounts

• Good signal matches
• Solid ICP fit
• Some buying indicators
• Good potential value

Action: Prioritized outreach with moderate personalization

Tier 3: Developing Accounts

• Partial signal matches
• Reasonable ICP fit
• Limited buying indicators
• Moderate potential

Action: Nurture sequences and monitoring

Tier 4: Low Priority / Disqualified

• Few or no signal matches
• Poor ICP fit
• No buying indicators
• Limited potential

Action: Deprioritize or remove from active pursuit

Signal Categories

Buying Intent Signals

Active Signals (High Value):

• Searching for solutions like yours
• Requesting demos or trials from competitors
• Attending relevant webinars or events
• Engaging with your content repeatedly
• Asking questions in industry forums

Passive Signals (Medium Value):

• Following competitors on social media
• Downloading industry reports
• Job postings indicating relevant needs
• Technology stack changes

Organizational Signals

Growth Indicators:

• Funding announcements
• Hiring sprees (especially in relevant departments)
• New office openings
• Revenue milestones
• Market expansion

Change Indicators:

• New leadership (especially in relevant roles)
• Mergers or acquisitions
• Strategic pivots announced
• Technology platform changes
• Vendor relationship changes

Fit Signals

Company Characteristics:

• Industry alignment
• Company size (employees, revenue)
• Geographic match
• Technology stack compatibility
• Business model fit

Timing Indicators:

• Fiscal year timing
• Budget cycles
• Contract renewal windows
• Regulatory deadlines
• Seasonal patterns

Qualification Criteria Framework

Must-Have Criteria (Disqualifying if absent)

Define absolute requirements:

• Minimum company size
• Required industry or vertical
• Geographic constraints
• Technology prerequisites
• Budget authority level

Fit Scoring Criteria

Criteria	Weight	Score 1-5
Industry match	20%
Company size	15%
Geographic fit	10%
Tech stack	15%
Budget potential	20%
Timing signals	10%
Engagement level	10%

Signal Scoring

Signal Type	Points
Active buying intent	+10
Recent funding	+8
Leadership change	+7
Job postings (relevant)	+5
Technology change	+5
Content engagement	+3
Company growth	+3
Passive interest	+1

Account Research Checklist

Company-Level Research

• Company website and about page
• Recent press releases
• Leadership team profiles
• Job postings (growth areas)
• Technology stack (BuiltWith, Wappalyzer)
• Funding history (Crunchbase, PitchBook)
• Financial performance (if public)
• Industry news and mentions

Signal Validation

• Verify signals are current (within 90 days)
• Confirm decision-maker presence
• Check for competing vendor relationships
• Assess timing and urgency
• Identify potential blockers

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Template

Firmographics

• Industry: [Primary and secondary verticals]
• Company Size: [Employee range]
• Revenue: [Revenue range]
• Geography: [Target regions]
• Growth Stage: [Startup, Growth, Enterprise]

Technographics

• Current Stack: [Technologies they likely use]
• Complementary Tools: [Solutions that work with yours]
• Competing Solutions: [Alternatives they might have]

Behavioral Indicators

• Buying Triggers: [Events that create urgency]
• Content Interests: [Topics they care about]
• Decision Process: [How they typically buy]

Negative Indicators

• Disqualifiers: [Immediate deal-breakers]
• Warning Signs: [Red flags to watch for]
• Poor Fit Patterns: [Characteristics of bad deals]

Account Scoring Output

Account Scorecard Template

## Account: [Company Name]

### Tier Assignment: [Tier 1/2/3/4]

### Fit Score: [X/100]
- Industry: [Score] - [Notes]
- Size: [Score] - [Notes]
- Geography: [Score] - [Notes]
- Tech Stack: [Score] - [Notes]
- Budget: [Score] - [Notes]

### Signal Score: [X points]
- [Signal 1]: +X points
- [Signal 2]: +X points
- [Signal 3]: +X points

### Qualification Status
- [ ] Meets must-have criteria
- [ ] Decision-maker identified
- [ ] Timing validated
- [ ] No blockers identified

### Recommended Action
[Specific next step based on tier and signals]

### Key Stakeholders to Target
1. [Name, Title] - [Why relevant]
2. [Name, Title] - [Why relevant]

Output Format

When qualifying an account, produce:

1. Tier Assignment: Which tier and why
2. Fit Score: Detailed scoring breakdown
3. Signal Summary: Active signals identified
4. Qualification Status: Go/No-Go recommendation
5. Recommended Action: Specific next steps
6. Stakeholder Map: Key people to engage

Available Tools

When enabled, these MCP tools enhance qualification capabilities:

Tool	What It Does	How to Use
Perplexity	Verify signals and find news	"Use Perplexity to check if [company] recently raised funding"
Exa	Search for company signals	"Search Exa for [company] new VP of Sales announcement"
Apify	Extract job postings data	"Use Apify to find [company]'s open sales positions"

Note: Tools must be enabled in .mcp.json and API keys configured. See README for setup instructions.

Tool Usage Examples

"Use Perplexity to verify if Acme Corp announced a new CRO in the last 6 months"
"Search Exa for Acme Corp Series B funding announcement"
"Use Apify to scrape job postings from Acme Corp careers page"

Cross-References

• Use company-intelligence for deeper research on qualified accounts
• Feed qualified accounts to prospect-research for stakeholder profiles
• Inform sales-orchestrator on account prioritization
• Guide multithread-outreach strategy based on stakeholder map