The short answer
An account research template is a structured brief an account executive builds before pursuing a large account. It covers the company's strategy and stated priorities, active initiatives, the buying group and org chart, current tools and vendors, risks and a hypothesis for where you fit, ending with an entry and multi-threading plan. Expect one to two hours for a strategic account.
On this page
- The Account Research Template
- Account Research vs Prospect Research vs Account Plan
- Where to Find Strategy, Initiatives and Risks
- Mapping the Buying Group and Org Chart
- Account Research Template Example: Kestrel Logistics
- From Account Research to an Entry Plan
- Turn account research into tailored materials in three steps
- FAQ
Key takeaways
Start from their strategy: Read what leadership says publicly about priorities. Your pitch should attach to an initiative they already care about.
Map the buying group: Big deals involve several people. List every role, what each cares about and where they likely stand.
Write down the risks: Incumbent vendors, frozen budgets and reorgs kill deals. Name them early so you can plan around them.
End with a plan: Research without an entry point and a next step is a book report. Finish with who, what and when.
The Account Research Template
Seven sections, built for one strategic account. Fill it before your first meeting, then update it after every call.
ACCOUNT RESEARCH: [Account] / [Owner] / [Last updated]
1. SNAPSHOT
Business: [what they sell, to whom, how they make money]
Size and shape: [revenue band, headcount, locations, business units]
Recent changes: [funding, leadership, M&A, launches] + [sources]
2. STRATEGY AND PRIORITIES
Stated priorities: [from annual report, CEO, investor deck] + [sources]
Active initiatives: [named projects, programs, expansions]
Where we could help: [initiative our product supports, and how]
3. BUYING GROUP AND ORG CHART
Economic buyer: [name, title] / cares about [goal]
Likely champion: [name, title] / cares about [goal]
Users: [team, size, current pain]
Technical evaluator: [name, title] / concerns [security, integration]
Procurement or legal: [name or team] / process [known steps]
4. CURRENT STATE
Tools and vendors: [what they use today, incl. competitors] + [sources]
How the work gets done: [process we would change]
5. RISKS
[Risk]: [likelihood] / [mitigation]
6. HYPOTHESIS
[Why this account should buy, why now, in two sentences]
7. ENTRY AND MULTI-THREADING PLAN
Entry point: [person and angle]
Threads: [person] via [channel, message, owner] by [date]
Next milestone: [meeting or outcome] by [date]
Keep sources next to facts. In a six-month deal, you'll be asked "where did we hear that?" more than once. A link answers it in seconds.
Account Research vs Prospect Research vs Account Plan
These documents get mixed up, and the mix-up wastes time. Each one answers a different question at a different depth.
| Document | Who uses it | Question it answers | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales research template | SDR, before outreach | What do I say to this person first? | Minutes |
| Call prep template | Rep, before one call | What do I want from this call? | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Account research template | AE, before and during a deal | How does this company work, and where do we fit? | 1 to 2 hours |
| Account plan template | AE or account manager, ongoing | What will we do to win or grow this account? | Half a day, then monthly |
Research comes before the plan. This template describes what's true about the account today. The account plan uses it to set goals, plays and dates.
Where to Find Strategy, Initiatives and Risks
Strategic accounts publish more about themselves than most reps read. Start with what leadership says in public, because that's what budget follows.
- Annual report or 10-K. For public companies, the business overview and risk factors name priorities and worries in plain language.
- Earnings call transcripts. Listen for repeated phrases. If the CEO says "operational efficiency" three times, that's your theme.
- Investor presentations. They show the growth plan by segment, region and product.
- CEO and executive interviews or posts. Private companies' priorities often surface here first.
- Job postings. Roles and tool requirements show where money is going right now.
- Press releases and their customer stories. New markets, partners and the outcomes they brag about.
Look for their competitors' moves too. If a rival of your prospect just launched something, your prospect's priorities may shift to respond. That's often the "why now".
Mapping the Buying Group and Org Chart
Large deals usually involve several people with different goals, and any one of them can stall it. Map them before your first meeting, then correct the map on every call.
- Economic buyer. The person who can approve the spend. Find their stated goals in interviews or posts.
- Champion. Someone with influence who wants the change and will sell it internally. Often not the first person you meet.
- Users. The team whose day changes. Their pain is your evidence.
- Technical evaluator. IT, security or operations, checking integration and risk.
- Procurement and legal. They control the paper process and the timeline at the end.
Mark each person's stance. For, neutral, against or unknown. The "unknown" column is your multi-threading list.
Draft on LinkedIn, confirm live. Search the company for titles in the functions you sell to, plus one level up. Then ask on every call, "Who else would weigh in on a change like this?", and update the map that day.
Account Research Template Example: Kestrel Logistics
Here's a condensed version for a fictional account. Maya Chen, an AE at Northwind, which sells freight quoting software, is researching Kestrel Logistics.
ACCOUNT RESEARCH: Kestrel Logistics / Maya Chen / October
1. SNAPSHOT
Business: asset-light 3PL, mid-market shippers, US and Canada
Recent changes: new COO hired in the spring; two regional hubs announced
2. STRATEGY AND PRIORITIES
Stated priorities: 'faster quotes, higher margin per load' (COO interview)
Active initiatives: hub rollout in Ohio and Texas this year
Where we could help: consistent pricing across new hubs
3. BUYING GROUP
Economic buyer: COO / cares about margin and rollout speed
Likely champion: Director of Pricing / owns quoting today
Users: 12-person pricing desk / pain: manual lane rates
Technical evaluator: IT lead / concern: TMS integration
4. CURRENT STATE
Quotes built in spreadsheets; TMS named in job posts
5. RISKS
Hub rollout absorbs IT for two quarters / start with a no-IT pilot
Pricing director may see tool as a threat / involve her team early
6. HYPOTHESIS
New hubs will multiply quoting volume before pricing headcount catches
up; the COO's margin goal makes consistent pricing urgent this year.
7. PLAN
Entry: Director of Pricing, angle 'pricing for two new hubs'
Threads: COO via exec email from our VP; IT lead after first meeting
Notice the risk section. Both risks change the plan: a pilot that needs no IT work, and a pricing team brought in early instead of worked around.
From Account Research to an Entry Plan
The last section of the template is the one that earns the hours you spent on the rest. Turn what you learned into specific moves.
- Enter where the pain is clearest. Usually the champion or user leader, not the economic buyer.
- Plan every thread. Name the person, the message, the channel, who sends it and by when.
- Bring the account's own words. Quote their stated priority in your first email and your first slide.
- Set a review date. Update the template after each meeting. Once the deal is live, track its qualification in a MEDDIC template.
For a broader view of account-level selling, see our guide to account research. Each thread in your plan needs its own material: an executive deck, a one-pager for the users, a script for the first call. Edithly's prospect research reads the account's website and builds those materials on your brand, so the hours go into the strategy, not the formatting.
How Edithly does it
Turn account research into tailored materials in three steps
Edithly reads the account's website and public signals, then builds materials around what it finds: an on-brand pitch deck for the executive story, a one-pager the buying group can forward and a call script for your first meetings.
- 1
Paste the site with a request
In the Home box, paste the account's website with a one-line ask, such as 'pitch deck and one-pager for Kestrel Logistics, focus on their new regional hubs'.
- 2
Send and approve credits
Send the request. The assistant may ask a follow-up question or ask you to approve credits with Continue.
- 3
Open, review and share
Open the result cards and check them against your research. Copy the share links for the deck and one-pager, each with a view count.
Website
Ready
- Personalization basis
- Fact + source link
- Recent move
- Hiring signal
- Do not say
- By hand
- 1 to 2 hours of research per strategic account, plus materials
- With Edithly
- A few minutes for the materials; your judgment for the plan
Frequently asked questions
What is account research in sales?
Account research is the deeper study an account executive does on a target company before and during a complex deal. It goes beyond one contact to cover the company's strategy, initiatives, budget timing, buying group, current vendors and risks. The output is a plan for where to enter the account and how to reach every person involved in the decision.
What's the difference between account research and prospect research?
Prospect research is quick and focused on one person: enough to write a relevant first email or call, usually in minutes. Account research is deeper and focused on the whole company: strategy, people, risks and an entry plan, often taking an hour or more. SDRs mostly do prospect research; AEs do account research on deals worth the time.
How do you map an org chart for a target account?
Start with LinkedIn: search the company for titles in the functions you sell to and the ones above them. Add names from press releases, conference talks and the leadership page. Then sort people by role in the decision: economic buyer, champion, users, technical evaluators, procurement. Confirm and correct the map on every call by asking who else is involved.
Where do you find a company's strategic priorities?
For public companies, the annual report, investor presentations and earnings call transcripts state priorities in leadership's own words. For private companies, look at the CEO's interviews and posts, funding announcements, press releases and job postings, which show where they're investing. Then confirm on your first call: 'I read X is a priority this year. How does that affect your team?'
Can Edithly help with account research?
It helps you act on it. Edithly reads an account's website and public signals when it builds materials, so the pitch deck, one-pager or call script reflects the account's business. It does not build org charts, provide contact details or write the account plan for you. Those remain your judgment, informed by the template on this page.