Are your account plans pointless?
Jan 23, 2026
Account planning often fails for one simple reason
It focuses on accounts, not partnerships
This is where PQ or Partnering Intelligence, makes the difference
PQ is about how well you work with customers and colleagues to create progress over time
Not just to win deals, but to build something that lasts
PQ has six elements:
🔶 Trust
🔶 Win win thinking
🔶 Interdependence
🔶 Transparency
🔶 Future orientation
🔶 Comfort with change
When you bring these into account planning, things shift
With customers:
- Trust leads to more honest conversations and better insight
- Win win thinking keeps plans balanced and relevant
- Interdependence clarifies who does what and why
- Transparency builds confidence and avoids surprises
- Future orientation connects today’s actions to longer-term outcomes
- Comfort with change keeps plans realistic and adaptable
With colleagues:
- Trust improves collaboration and information flow
- Win win thinking reduces internal tension
- Interdependence breaks down silos
- Transparency strengthens decision making
- Future orientation improves focus and prioritisation
- Comfort with change supports agility and learning
The result is simple
Account plans stop being documents
They become shared direction
That is what good partnering looks like
This is one example of PQ feeding into the VALUE Framework
🔸Validate - right opportunities
🔸Align - right research
🔸Leverage - right conversations
🔸Underpin - right solutions
🔸Evolve - right outcomes
Thinking like a partner drives collaborative selling
How are you implementing partnering skills?
Are you ready to increase your sales?
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