The Account-Based Sales Playbook: How to Land Enterprise Deals Worth ₹20L+ with Surgical Precision

You want to land enterprise deals.

₹20L-1 crore ACV. 100+ employees. Complex buying process.

You try volume outbound: Send 1,000 cold emails. Get 2-3 responses. Book 1 meeting. Goes nowhere.

The problem: Enterprise buyers don't respond to spray-and-pray.

They need:

Deep understanding of their business
Multiple touchpoints across stakeholders
Customized messaging per person
Proof you've done your homework

High-volume outbound: 1,000 touches → 1-2 meetings → Maybe 1 deal

Account-based sales: 25 accounts → 15 engaged → 5-10 deals

The difference: Precision over volume. Quality over quantity.

At SalesUp, we've helped B2B companies land ₹20L-1 crore deals using account-based strategies. Here's the complete playbook.

Account-Based Sales vs Traditional Outbound

The Mindset Shift

Traditional Outbound	Account-Based Sales
Target: 1,000+ prospects	Target: 25-50 accounts
Message: Generic template	Message: Customized per account
Touchpoints: 8-10 per person	Touchpoints: 20-30 per account
Stakeholders: 1 (main contact)	Stakeholders: 5-8 per account
Timeframe: 30-60 days	Timeframe: 90-180 days
Research: 5 min per prospect	Research: 2-4 hours per account
Success rate: 1-2%	Success rate: 20-40%

When to use account-based:

Deal size: ₹20L+ ACV
Complex buying: 5+ stakeholders
Long sales cycle: 90+ days
Strategic value: Key accounts you MUST win

Phase 1: Account Selection (The Dream 25)

The Target Account Profile

Don't target everyone. Pick your Dream 25.

Selection criteria:

1. Fit (Firmographics)

☐ Company size: 500-5,000 employees
☐ Revenue: ₹100+ crore
☐ Industry: [Your target verticals]
☐ Geography: [Your coverage area]
☐ Tech stack: [Tools they use indicating need]

2. Need (Problem Indicators)

☐ Job postings for roles you help (e.g., hiring 10 SDRs = need pipeline)
☐ Recent funding (have budget to invest)
☐ Growth trajectory (expanding = new challenges)
☐ Public pain points (CEO posted on LinkedIn about problem)
☐ Using competitor (switch opportunity)

3. Accessibility (Can You Reach Them?)

☐ Existing connections (LinkedIn, shared customers)
☐ Active on social media (engage-able)
☐ Attend industry events (meet in person)
☐ Open to vendors (not on "do not call" list)

4. Strategic Value

☐ Brand name (win them = credibility for others)
☐ Reference potential (likely to advocate)
☐ Expansion opportunity (start small, grow large)
☐ Industry influence (other companies follow their lead)

The Prioritization Matrix

Tier 1 (Top 10 accounts):

Perfect fit on all criteria
High probability of closing
Strategic value
Assign to your best rep

Tier 2 (Next 15 accounts):

Good fit on most criteria
Medium probability
Decent value
Assign to solid performer

Tier 3 (Backup 25 accounts):

Replace Tier 1/2 if they close or disqualify

Focus: Nail Tier 1 before expanding

Phase 2: Deep Research (The Intelligence Gathering)

Account-Level Research (2-4 Hours per Account)

Goal: Understand the company deeply

What to research:

1. Business Overview (30 min)

☐ What do they sell/do?
☐ Who are their customers?
☐ Revenue model (subscription, transactional, etc.)
☐ Recent news (funding, acquisitions, product launches)
☐ Growth stage (early, growth, mature)

Sources:

Company website (About, Customers, Blog)
LinkedIn company page
TechCrunch, YourStory (for startups)
Annual reports (for public companies)
Glassdoor (employee reviews reveal pain points)

2. Challenges & Priorities (45 min)

☐ What problems are they likely facing?
☐ Industry trends affecting them
☐ Competitive pressures
☐ Recent initiatives (what they're investing in)

Sources:

CEO/leadership LinkedIn posts
Company blog posts
Earnings calls (public companies)
Job postings (hiring = priorities)
News articles about their market

Example findings:

Company: TechCorp (500 employees, B2B SaaS)

Business: Sells project management software to enterprises

Recent news:
- Raised $20M Series B (3 months ago)
- Announced expansion to APAC markets
- Hiring: 5 Sales Engineers, 10 SDRs, VP of Sales Ops

Inferred challenges:
- Scaling sales team rapidly (hiring 15 sales roles)
- Need more pipeline (hiring SDRs)
- International expansion complexity
- New VP Sales Ops = re-evaluating processes

Our angle: We help scale SDR teams + generate pipeline

3. Tech Stack Analysis (15 min)

☐ What tools do they currently use?
☐ Gaps in their stack (what's missing)
☐ Integration opportunities

Tools:

BuiltWith.com (website tech)
LinkedIn (employees list tools in profiles)
Job postings (mention tools they use)

4. Competitive Analysis (30 min)

☐ Who are their competitors?
☐ How are competitors winning?
☐ What pressures does this create?

Our positioning: Show how you help them beat competitors

Stakeholder Research (30-45 min per person)

Goal: Understand each buying committee member

Key stakeholders to map (typical enterprise deal):

1. Economic Buyer (Signs contract)

Role: CFO, CEO, VP Sales
Cares about: ROI, budget, strategic fit
Your approach: Business case, executive summary

2. Technical Buyer (Evaluates solution)

Role: VP Ops, Director of Sales Ops, IT
Cares about: Integration, implementation, security
Your approach: Technical docs, architecture overview

3. End Users (Will use product)

Role: SDRs, Sales Managers, individual contributors
Cares about: Ease of use, daily workflow
Your approach: Product demo, trial access

4. Champion (Internal advocate)

Role: Anyone who has pain + power to influence
Cares about: Solving their problem, looking good
Your approach: Arm them with materials to sell internally

For each stakeholder, research:

☐ Full name + exact title
☐ How long in role (new = change opportunity)
☐ Previous roles (what experience they bring)
☐ Recent LinkedIn activity (what they care about)
☐ Shared connections (warm intro potential)
☐ Personal interests (rapport building)
☐ Pain points specific to their role

Example stakeholder map:

Name	Role	Tenure	Pain Point	Approach
Rajesh Sharma	VP Sales	4 months (new)	Needs to scale team fast	Show how we help new VPs ramp quickly
Priya Gupta	Director Sales Ops	2 years	Manual processes, no automation	Demo automation features
Amit Singh	SDR Manager	1 year	Team not hitting quota	Case study: How we helped similar team
Neha Patel	CFO	3 years	Needs ROI justification	Build detailed ROI model

Phase 3: Multi-Channel, Multi-Touch Orchestration

The 90-Day Campaign (Per Account)

Timeline: 12 weeks, 25-30 touches across 4-6 stakeholders

Channels:

Email (personalized, not templates)
LinkedIn (connections, messages, engagement)
Phone (strategic calls)
Direct mail (for top accounts)
Events (conferences, dinners)

Week 1-2: Warm-Up (Build Awareness)

Goal: Get on their radar, not selling yet

Touches:

LinkedIn engagement (all stakeholders):

☐ Connect with all 4-6 stakeholders
☐ Like/comment on their posts (thoughtful comments, not generic)
☐ Share relevant content they'd care about
☐ Engage 3-4 times before reaching out

Email to champion/VP (not a pitch):

Subject: Saw TechCorp raised $20M—congrats!

Hi [Name],

Congrats on the Series B! I saw the announcement on TechCrunch.

I noticed you're hiring 10 SDRs. Most companies in that situation struggle with [specific challenge: ramp time, pipeline generation, etc.].

I put together a quick guide on how [Similar Company] scaled their SDR team from 5 to 20 while maintaining productivity.

Thought it might be useful: [Link]

No strings attached—hope it helps!

[Your name]
[Your company]

Why this works:

✅ Timely (references recent news)
✅ Helpful (provides value, not selling)
✅ Relevant (addresses their specific situation)
❌ Not a pitch (builds goodwill first)

Week 3-4: Establish Credibility

Goal: Position yourself as expert, build trust

Touches:

Email #2 (case study relevant to them):

Subject: How [Similar Company] scaled SDR team post-Series B

Hi [Name],

Following up on my last email about SDR scaling.

I wanted to share a specific case study that might be relevant:

[Similar Company] was in a similar spot to TechCorp:
- Just raised Series B
- Scaling sales team rapidly
- Needed to maintain/increase pipeline

Challenge: New SDRs taking 4-6 months to ramp

Solution: [Brief overview of what they did]

Result:
- Ramp time reduced to 45 days
- 40% more pipeline generated
- 85% SDR retention (vs 60% before)

Full case study: [Link]

If you'd like to discuss how this might apply to TechCorp, I'm happy to chat.

[Your name]

LinkedIn content engagement:

☐ Comment on VP's post about hiring challenges
"Great post about hiring! We've seen success with [specific tactic]. Happy to share more if useful."

☐ Share relevant content, tag them
"Thought this would interest @[VP Name] given TechCorp's expansion to APAC..."

Third-party validation:

☐ Have a mutual connection introduce you (if possible)
"Hey [Connection], could you intro me to [VP] at [Company]? I think we could help with [problem]."

Week 5-8: Direct Outreach (Multi-Stakeholder)

Goal: Engage multiple people, book meeting

Email to VP Sales:

Subject: TechCorp + [Your Company]: Should we talk?

Hi [Name],

I've been following TechCorp's growth—congrats on the Series B and APAC expansion!

I noticed you're scaling the sales team (10 SDRs + 5 SEs). Based on my work with companies like [Similar Company 1], [Similar Company 2], I have some ideas on how to:

1. Ramp new SDRs in 45 days (vs industry avg 4-6 months)
2. Generate 30-40% more qualified pipeline
3. Maintain quality while scaling volume

Worth a 15-minute conversation?

Here are a few times that work for me: [Specific times]

[Your name]

P.S. Here's a 2-minute video showing what I mean: [Personalized Loom video]

Personalized video content:

Record 2-min Loom:
"Hi [Name], [Your name] here. I've been researching TechCorp and noticed [specific observation]. Most companies at your stage face [problem]. Here's how we'd approach it..."
[Show their website, specific insights]

Parallel outreach to Sales Ops Director:

Subject: Solving sales ops challenges during hypergrowth

Hi [Name],

I saw you're scaling TechCorp's sales team significantly (15+ new hires).

That puts a lot on Sales Ops—new tool integrations, process documentation, training programs.

I help Sales Ops leaders at companies like [Similar Company] manage this transition smoothly.

Specifically:
- Automated workflows (less manual work)
- Centralized dashboards (visibility for new hires)
- Integration support (connect your existing tools)

Would it help to see how [Similar Company's Sales Ops Director] handled their scale-up?

Happy to share: [Calendar link]

[Your name]

Multi-threading: Reach all 4-6 stakeholders in same 2-week period

Week 9-12: Closing the Gap

Goal: Convert engagement to meetings

If engagement but no meeting yet:

Email (direct ask):

Subject: Should I close your file?

Hi [Name],

I've reached out a few times about [problem].

I'm guessing:
1. Not relevant right now
2. Interested but swamped (I get it—Series B growth is intense!)
3. Want to talk but timing isn't right

If it's #2 or #3, let's find 15 minutes. If #1, I'll close your file.

Which is it?

[Your name]

If multiple stakeholders engaged:

Request group meeting:

"Hi [VP Name],

I've been chatting with [Sales Ops Director], [SDR Manager], and a few others at TechCorp.

Seems like there's interest in exploring how we can help with [problem].

Rather than multiple separate conversations, would it make sense to do a 30-minute group call with the key people?

I can show you exactly how [Similar Company] handled their scale-up, and you can decide if it applies to TechCorp.

What's the best way to get everyone together?"

Phase 4: The Enterprise Demo

Pre-Demo Preparation (Critical for Enterprise)

Unlike SMB, enterprise demos require deep prep:

1. Build account plan (30 min):

☐ All stakeholders attending (roles, priorities)
☐ Their specific challenges (documented)
☐ Desired outcomes (what success looks like for them)
☐ Competitive alternatives (who else they're considering)
☐ Decision process (timeline, steps, approvals needed)

2. Customize demo environment (60 min):

☐ Load their company logo/branding
☐ Use their data (or realistic equivalent)
☐ Set up workflows specific to their use case
☐ Prepare integrations with their tech stack

3. Create supporting materials:

☐ Custom one-pager (their challenges → our solution)
☐ ROI calculator (with their numbers)
☐ Security/compliance docs (enterprise requirement)
☐ Case study from similar industry
☐ Executive summary (for economic buyer)

Demo Structure (60-90 Minutes)

10 min: Introductions & Agenda

- Everyone introduces themselves
- You acknowledge their situation: "I know you've raised Series B, scaling to APAC, hiring 15 sales roles..."
- Set agenda: "Here's what I thought we'd cover. Does that work or should we adjust?"

20 min: Discovery (Even if you've researched)

Ask each stakeholder:
- VP Sales: "What's your top priority in the next 90 days?"
- Sales Ops: "What's the biggest bottleneck right now?"
- SDR Manager: "What's preventing your team from hitting quota?"

Listen. Take notes. Adjust demo based on answers.

30 min: Tailored Demo

Don't show every feature. Show workflows for THEIR use case.

"Based on what you've shared, let me show you three things:

1. How [Similar Company's VP Sales] scaled their team
   [Show specific workflow]
   "For TechCorp, this would mean [outcome specific to them]"

2. How [Sales Ops Director at Similar Company] automated processes
   [Demo automation]
   "This would save your team [X hours/week]"

3. How [SDR Manager] ramped new hires in 45 days
   [Show onboarding workflow]
   "For your 10 new SDRs, this means [specific benefit]"

Each section: Show → Let them try → Tie to outcome

10 min: ROI Discussion

Pull up ROI calculator with their data:
- Current state: ₹X cost, Y output
- With solution: ₹A cost, B output
- Net benefit: ₹C additional value

"Does this math make sense? Are these assumptions accurate?"

10 min: Objections & Next Steps

"Before we wrap, what concerns do you have?

[Address concerns]

Next steps:
1. I'll send you [proposal / trial access / security docs]
2. You review with [economic buyer / legal / IT]
3. We schedule follow-up with [whoever needs to be involved]

Timeline: [Be specific]

Does that work?"

Phase 5: Deal Progression & Close

Multi-Threading Throughout Sales Cycle

Don't rely on single champion. Engage everyone:

Weekly check-ins:

VP Sales: High-level updates, strategic questions
Sales Ops: Technical questions, implementation planning
End users: Product questions, training needs
Champion: Internal selling support, objection handling

Supporting materials (send throughout):

Week 1: Executive summary
Week 2: Technical architecture doc
Week 3: Implementation timeline
Week 4: Customer references (similar companies)
Week 5: Security/compliance docs
Week 6: Proposal & contract

Handling Enterprise Objections

"Need to run by legal/IT/procurement"

Response: "That makes sense. I've worked with [Similar Company's] legal/IT team before. Would it help if I joined a call with them to answer questions directly?"

Provide: Security questionnaire responses, compliance docs, standard contract

"Expensive"

Response: "Let's revisit the ROI. Based on your numbers..."
[Show calculator]
"The question is: Does [X return] justify [Y investment]?

Also, what's the cost of NOT solving this? You mentioned [pain point] is costing [amount]. That's [cost × time] if you wait [timeline]."

"Using [Competitor]"

Response: "That's great! Can I ask what made you take this call if you're happy with [Competitor]?"
[They'll reveal pain point]

"Ah, so [issue]. That's actually where we're different from [Competitor]..."
[Show differentiation]

Closing Enterprise Deals

Timeline: Expect 90-180 days from first touch to contract signed

Key checkpoints:

Checkpoint 1: Economic buyer engagement (Week 6-8)

If you haven't engaged economic buyer by week 8, deal will stall.

Action: Request executive briefing
"[Champion], would it make sense to do a 20-min executive briefing with [CFO/CEO]? I can present the business case directly."

Checkpoint 2: Technical validation (Week 10-12)

IT/Security review. Provide all documentation upfront.

Offer: Technical proof of concept, sandbox access, architecture review

Checkpoint 3: Legal/procurement (Week 12-16)

Contract negotiation. Have standard MSA, redlines ready.

Be flexible on terms, firm on price.

Final close: Usually happens in group decision meeting

Measuring Account-Based Success

KPIs (Per Account)

Metric	Target	What It Measures
Stakeholders engaged	4-6	Multi-threading
Meetings booked	3-5	Progression
Decision-maker engagement	Yes	Deal viability
Proposal submitted	By week 12	Pipeline velocity
Close rate	20-40%	Overall effectiveness

Campaign Metrics (All Accounts)

Metric	Target	What It Measures
Accounts targeted	25	Focus
Accounts engaged	15-20 (60-80%)	Outreach quality
Meetings booked	10-15 (40-60%)	Conversion
Deals closed	5-10 (20-40%)	Win rate
Average deal size	₹20L-1 crore	Value

Case Study: Landed ₹60L Enterprise Deal with ABM

Target Account: FinTech company, 800 employees

Research phase (Week 1-2):

Raised $30M Series C 6 months ago
CEO posted on LinkedIn about scaling challenges
Hiring: 15 SDRs, 8 AEs, VP of Sales Ops
Using competitor (switching opportunity)

Warm-up (Week 3-4):

Engaged with CEO's LinkedIn posts (3-4 thoughtful comments)
Sent helpful guide about SDR scaling (no pitch)
Connected with VP Sales, Sales Ops Director, SDR Manager

Direct outreach (Week 5-8):

Personalized emails to all 4 stakeholders
2-minute personalized video for VP Sales
Case study from similar FinTech company
Phone calls to Sales Ops Director

Result: Booked group meeting with all stakeholders (Week 9)

Demo (Week 10):

90-minute customized demo
Showed workflows specific to FinTech compliance needs
ROI calculator with their data
Outcome: Request for proposal

Close process (Week 11-20):

Submitted proposal (Week 11)
Security/IT review (Week 12-14)
Legal negotiation (Week 15-18)
Executive sign-off (Week 19)
Contract signed (Week 20)

Deal: ₹60L ACV, 100-user license

Total time: 20 weeks from first touch to close

Key success factors:

Multi-stakeholder engagement (6 people)
Deep research (understood their specific needs)
Customized everything (demo, ROI, proposal)
Patient persistence (20 weeks of consistent outreach)

What SalesUp Does

We execute account-based strategies for enterprise deals.

Our approach:

Target account selection (Dream 25)
Deep research (2-4 hours per account)
Multi-channel orchestration (email, LinkedIn, phone, events)
Stakeholder mapping & engagement (4-6 per account)
Meeting booking & demo support
Deal progression support

Our results:

60-80% of targeted accounts engage
40-60% of engaged accounts book meetings
20-40% of meetings close deals
Average deal size: ₹20L-1 crore

Book a demo to discuss enterprise account targeting.

Enterprise deals require precision, not volume. Target 25 accounts. Research deeply. Multi-thread stakeholders. Customize everything. Close 20-40% of targeted accounts at ₹20L-1 crore each.