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:

• Tier Assignment: Which tier and why

• Fit Score: Detailed scoring breakdown

• Signal Summary: Active signals identified

• Qualification Status: Go/No-Go recommendation

• Recommended Action: Specific next steps

• 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