Account tiering model template for ABM
David & Goliath | Last updated
An account tiering model decides how much effort each account earns. This worksheet records the fit evidence and confirmed access for each account, then sorts it into Tier 1 individual work, a shared cohort tier, lighter programme coverage or hold. Each assignment carries a reason, an owner and a review trigger, and the worksheet supplies no score, benchmark or pass mark.
The full template
Fictional illustration: a cybersecurity vendor entering ANZ. These entries show how to fill in the worksheet. They describe no real organisation, customer or result.
| Field | Your prompt | Fictional filled-in illustration |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | What evidence supports serving this account? | A cybersecurity vendor sees a relevant published security evaluation requirement |
| Access | Which relationships and roles are confirmed? | A technical contact is known; commercial authority remains unverified |
| Tier 1 | When can you justify individual account work? | Strong fit and available expert capacity support a dedicated briefing, subject to approval |
| Cohort tier | When is a shared approach appropriate? | A shared evaluation question suits an industry discussion with account-specific follow-up |
| Programme coverage | When is lighter coverage appropriate? | Fit exists but the buying context is still a research hypothesis |
| Hold | What stops activation? | Unclear buying entity or unresolved data permissions |
| Review | What would change the tier? | Confirmed decision ownership and a documented capacity review |
How to use it
Define fit and exclusions first
Link to the agreed ideal customer criteria and selection record. Record the buying entity, territory and relevant problem. Exclude accounts that cannot be served, conflict with current responsibilities or lack sufficient fit evidence.
Record evidence and uncertainty
For each account, distinguish confirmed business needs from research hypotheses. Describe relationship access and relevant buying-role knowledge without treating a contact title as authority. Keep data sources and a review date.
Define the effort available
Describe the work each tier receives and the owner able to deliver it. Individual research and expert briefings require different capacity from a shared industry discussion. Agree the model with delivery before assigning accounts to the highest-effort tier.
Assign a provisional tier
Use the same documented criteria across the cohort. Record a reason, owner and unresolved question for every assignment. Keep unsuitable or uncertain accounts on hold instead of forcing them into a high-priority tier.
Review changes with sales
Set a review date and a trigger such as new fit evidence, a corrected buying entity or changed capacity. Preserve the previous tier, reason and effective date so reporting can explain changes to the service level.
Who fills it in
Sales and marketing owners allocating account effort, with delivery and subject experts confirming what can be supported. This worksheet allocates effort; it is not an account-list discovery tool.
What to bring
- Account-selection criteria and exclusions
- Evidence register with confidence and unknowns
- Tier service descriptions and capacity check
- Account owner and review date
- Tier-change history
When to do it
Agree tiers before assigning channel work. Revisit them at a scheduled account review or when evidence changes. Do not promote an account automatically because it clicked an ad or because a reporting period is ending.
What to review
- Accounts with an evidence-backed tier and accountable owner
- Delivery capacity relative to the work assigned
- Unresolved fit or buying-entity questions
- Tier changes with a reason, date and approver
- Account progression reported by original cohort and current tier
Use the ABM measurement guide for stage definitions. Activity alone does not establish sales acceptance, pipeline or revenue.
When to use it, and when not to
Use it after the team has an account-selection method and needs to decide which accounts merit individual work, a shared cohort approach or lighter programme coverage.
Do not use tiering to disguise an unverified account list as an agreed strategy. A platform match, intent signal or large company name does not by itself justify intensive work.
Common mistakes
- Calling every desirable logo Tier 1
- Using invented scores that hide missing evidence
- Treating intent data as a confirmed purchase
- Allocating individual work without expert or sales capacity
Compliance notes
Apply the checks relevant to your channel and buyer. These sources do not establish clearance for New Zealand activity, which needs a separate local review.
Keep tier reasons about business fit and justified effort. Avoid sensitive personal profiling, and do not distribute contact records to every channel just because an account is prioritised.
OAIC: Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles | OAIC: APP 3, collecting personal information | OAIC: direct marketing and APP 7
For commercial email or messages, verify consent, identify the sender and provide a working unsubscribe. Keep suppression records.
Review personal-data collection, notice and intended use under the Privacy Act and APPs where applicable. APP 7 does not replace Spam Act or Do Not Call obligations.
OAIC: Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles | OAIC: APP 3, collecting personal information | OAIC: direct marketing and APP 7
Check Do Not Call eligibility before calling. Calling standards also apply to numbers outside the register.
Do Not Call Register: industry overview | Do Not Call Register: industry standards
If using LinkedIn ads, review the creative, destination and targeting against its advertising policies before launch.
For government participants, check the receiving agency's current gifts, hospitality and procurement rules before any offer. Commonwealth, NSW and Victorian guidance are starting points, not permission for every jurisdiction.
APSC: gifts and benefits guidance | NSW Government: gifts, benefits and hospitality | Victorian Public Sector Commission: minimum accountabilities
Questions
Is Tier 1 just a list of the biggest companies?
No. A high-effort tier needs a documented fit reason and capacity to deliver the work. Company size alone does not establish relevance or access.
Does this replace an account list?
No. This worksheet allocates effort across accounts selected through an existing process. Use the account-list guide for selection foundations.
Should tiers change when an account clicks an ad?
A click may prompt a review, but it does not confirm a buying project. Change a tier only with a documented reason and agreement about the work it receives.
Sources
- OAIC: Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles. Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- OAIC: APP 3, collecting personal information. Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- OAIC: direct marketing and APP 7. Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- ACMA: Spam Act 2003 guidance. Australian Communications and Media Authority. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- Do Not Call Register: industry overview. Australian Communications and Media Authority, Do Not Call Register. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- Do Not Call Register: industry standards. Australian Communications and Media Authority, Do Not Call Register. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- LinkedIn advertising policies. LinkedIn. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- APSC: gifts and benefits guidance. Australian Public Service Commission. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- NSW Government: gifts, benefits and hospitality. NSW Government. Link checked 5 November 2026.
- Victorian Public Sector Commission: minimum accountabilities. Victorian Public Sector Commission. Link checked 5 November 2026.
Cite this template
This template is a working aid from David & Goliath: its examples are fictional and it reports no client results or benchmarks.
David & Goliath, "Account tiering model template for ABM", last updated 5 November 2026, https://davidandgoliath.ai/templates/account-tiering-model-template
Related
Getting help with this
Use the agreed tiers to scope the account effort and dependencies before discussing an engagement.