Acknowledgments

This book goes far beyond me in terms of what it took to make it happen. Without the team at SalesGlobe, Essential Account Planning would not be possible. First among them is Collette Parker, our content leader, editor, and writer extraordinaire. Collette helped me take a subject that has many moving parts and get the message across clearly. She is dedicated to the SalesGlobe vision of helping sales leaders think about challenging topics in new ways, and she helps achieve that vision through the content we develop. Thank you, Collette, for your excellence, your wit, and your friendship.

Without great client work, we would have nothing to write about. Carrie Ward, Michelle Seger, Jim Benard, and Rebecca Sandberg have been at the core of the hard work and contributors to the thinking that helps our clients and their businesses. Thank you for being champions of excellence.

My wife, Blythe, has given me balance and reality. She inspires me while reminding me of what’s really important when I drift into my frequent delusion that life is business. Through all of the travails, she has been at my side. Thank you, Blythe. My two talented daughters, Isabel and Olivia, continue to give me purpose for the long run. I am repeatedly amazed at how these two ladies have grown and how their talent will take them further than we expect. My parents, Paul and Christina Donnolo, gave me a real example of how anything is possible with the right vision, accountability, and work ethic. Their kid turned out to not be a lazy bum as they had feared, and I’m grateful that they are here to cheer me on. I can never thank them enough.

Thanks for reading this book. As an old author friend once joked about a great book he wrote, “It’s one of those books that once you put it down, you just can’t pick it up.” I hope this book gave you some great ideas and a few good laughs. In the end, sales should be fun.