The Tiering Pyramid
Account tiering is about matching investment to opportunity. You can't do 1:1 personalization for 1,000 accounts, and you shouldn't do 1:many for your top 10.
Each tier down should be roughly 5-10x the size of the tier above. This creates natural resource allocation: if Tier 1 gets 10 hours/account/month, Tier 2 gets 1 hour, Tier 3 gets 10 minutes.
These are your "must-win" accounts. Every tactic is customized to the specific account.
Grouped by industry, use case, or persona. Personalization is at the cluster level, not individual account.
Scaled tactics with light personalization (company name, industry). Automation-heavy.
Resource Allocation by Tier
| Resource | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing spend/account | $5,000-$20,000 | $500-$2,000 | $50-$200 |
| Sales time/account/month | 10+ hours | 2-4 hours | Automated + reactive |
| Content customization | Account-specific | Segment-specific | Generic + tokens |
| Review cadence | Weekly | Bi-weekly | Monthly |
Movement Between Tiers
Tiers aren't permanent. Accounts should move based on signals:
Tier Up (Promotion)
- Intent spike detected (researching your category)
- Multiple contacts engaging
- Expansion opportunity at existing customer
- Strategic account added by sales leadership
Tier Down (Demotion)
- No engagement after 6 months of effort
- Lost deal, needs cooling off period
- Company situation changed (acquisition, layoffs)
- Budget constraints require prioritization
Lock tier assignments for a quarter, then review. Constant re-tiering creates chaos. Let programs run long enough to measure impact.