What exactly counts as a “working account” in modern sales reporting? Below, we’ll define what a working account is, outline which activities qualify an account as “actively worked,” and explore how thorough account work has evolved with today’s B2B best practices.
What is a "working account"?
In B2B sales funnels, “working accounts” sit in the middle of the engagement journey – after initial marketing engagement but before a sales opportunity or deal. In simple terms, a working account is one that your sales team is actively pursuing with recent outreach and engagement, rather than a static name sitting idle in your CRM. For example, one sales framework defines a working account as any account with at least one logged sales activity (by an SDR or AE) in the past 90 days. In sales reports, these are the accounts truly in play – they’re being touched by your team and show signs of life.
Defining what constitutes a working account is more than semantics; it ensures your team and reporting focus on engaged opportunities. A target account that’s never been contacted isn’t “working” yet – but once reps start calling or emailing it, it becomes a working account. By clearly labeling working accounts, sales managers and RevOps leaders can better track productivity and pipeline health (e.g. how many accounts are being actively worked versus ignored).
Activities that qualify an account as "worked"
Not every account in your CRM is being actively worked – there needs to be recent activity. So what types of outreach or touchpoints qualify an account as being worked? Sales teams use a variety of channels and log these activities in tools like Salesforce, Outreach, or HubSpot to indicate engagement. According to HubSpot’s sales lead tracking, any of the following actions will move a lead/account into an “in progress” (actively worked) stage:
- Phone calls: An outbound call logged in the CRM (connect or even a voicemail counts as activity).
- Emails: Sending an email or sequence step to a contact at the account.
- Social touches: Reaching out on LinkedIn (connection requests or direct messages) or other social platforms.
- Meetings: Scheduling or completing a meeting/demo with the account.
- Other logged activities: Additional touches like SMS texts or any task completion related to the account.
In practice, if a rep calls a prospect, sends an email, or even drops a LinkedIn message, those touches signal the account is being worked. The key is that there’s recent, logged engagement. Many CRM systems will automatically flag or update an account’s status when such activities occur. For instance, Outreach.io differentiates between “touched” (the rep contacted them) and “engaged” (the prospect replied or interacted) – but simply being “touched” by a rep is enough to count as a working account from a reporting perspective. The takeaway: calls, emails, social outreach, meetings – any meaningful outbound activity means the account is in play.
Thoroughly working an account: B2B best practices
What does it mean to thoroughly work an account by today’s standards? It’s no longer just about one-and-done calls or a single contact. Modern B2B outbound is all about persistence, multi-threading, and multi-channel outreach. In the past, a rep might cold-call one lead at an account a couple times and give up. Now, top teams expect a more robust approach:
- Multiple touches: It takes about 8 touches to book a first meeting, yet nearly half of reps quit after one—even though 80% of sales need five or more follow-ups.
- Multiple channels:Prospects respond differently, so using a mix of calls, emails, and LinkedIn boosts your odds—and logging them in tools like Outreach or Salesforce proves the account’s truly in play.
- Multiple contacts (multi-threading): With 6–10 decision-makers in most B2B deals, reps should engage at least 2–3 personas per account to build momentum and avoid dead ends.
- Quality & personalization: Reps who personalize outreach using account context—like tech stack or recent news—see better engagement than those blasting generic messages.
- Evolving with technology: Today’s top reps use platforms like Salesloft and HubSpot to run structured, data-backed cadences that target the right people at the right accounts.
Actionable takeaways for sales managers
To ensure your team is truly working their accounts (and not just cherry-picking a few easy calls), consider these actionable steps:
- Define “working account” clearly: Set a CRM rule (e.g., ≥1 sales activity in the last 30–60 days) so reps and reports reflect true account engagement.
- Track and reward outreach activity: Monitor touches and channel mix, and recognize reps who consistently work accounts—not just those who close.
- Encourage multi-threading: Push reps to engage at least 2–3 stakeholders per account to avoid single-threaded deals and cover more decision-makers.
- Promote persistence but with strategy: Help reps build smart cadences and stay motivated, using data to guide follow-ups without spamming.
- Leverage modern tools and insights: Use sales engagement tools, dashboards, and intent data to target the right accounts and maximize efficiency.
By focusing on what defines a “working account” and coaching reps on thorough engagement, sales managers can drive a healthier outbound pipeline. The goal is to have a sales org where every account in a rep’s name is either being actively worked or consciously vetted out – no black holes. In today’s B2B landscape, the teams that win are those who blend perseverance with a strategic, account-based mindset. Defining and reinforcing what it means to work an account will help your team strike that balance, ultimately leading to more meetings, more opportunities, and more wins.
