Area Account Manager Job Description

Account Managers

An account management career is often suited for excellent communicators with a commitment to client satisfaction. An account manager who is attentive to the needs of their customers can be the difference between a happy customer and one who leaves the company. Account managers work with the appropriate people within their company to resolve problems if they occur.

Customers know who to contact for reliable answers when they need them. Account managers who are effective may go on to an account director position. Some become a director of account services, a high-level role that oversees the entire account management department.

Account managers work from home, on-site or in an office. They can travel to meet with clients and work from home. Account managers sometimes need to be available on evenings or weekends.

The Key Account Manager: A Sales Specialist with Knowledge of the Business

The Key Account Manager participates in regular sales reviews with the senior key account management. The Key Account Manager keeps data and information relevant to key accounts for the purpose of conducting analyses that influence account-specific decision making. The Key Account Manager is responsible for generating business in assigned accounts and for the achievement of new accounts for the business.

The Key Account Manager helps in the identification and evaluation of business opportunities by keeping an eye out for business best practices, trends, and principals that will enable the key account department to keep consumers satisfied and loyal to the business. The Key Account Manager plays a major role in the strategy by implementing sales strategies that lead to high consumer satisfaction and building awareness with the key clients. The Key Account Manager is involved in the strategic account planning process in which the financial targets, performance objectives, account management standards, and critical milestones are decided upon.

The Key Account Manager is collaborative with the customer support and resource management departments in an effort to meet account performance objectives as well as the key accounts' expectations through complimentary cross-functional efforts. The Key Account Manager works with senior account management to create and determine departmental strategies, financial requirements, and account management standards. The Key Account Manager is responsible for other duties that are necessary for the proper management of key accounts and duties assigned to him by the Senior Key Account Manager, Head of Key Account Management, Director of Sales, Chief Sales Officer or the employer.

The Key Account Manager needs a bachelor's degree in Sales, Business Management, Communications, Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, Business Administration or any other related field. An equivalent of the same in working experience is also acceptable. The ideal candidate should have at least 5 years of Key Account Management experience and be able to learn quickly and understand account planning in the key account management department.

The candidate will have problem solving skills. A suitable candidate will have demonstrated a great deal of sales experience, having met and even exceeded business targets, and will also have demonstrated an ability to drive sales. The Key Account Manager needs to demonstrate high skills in Ms Word, PowerPoint, and Ms excel in order to create visually and concisely engaging reports and presentations for senior account management and collaborating personnel as well as commercial materials for the key account clients.

Key Account Management Using LinkedIn

A key account manager is responsible for retaining top customers and nurturing those relationships. They should become a strategic partner and advisor to the client, discovering new opportunities to work together for mutual benefit. Key account management reorganizes the business's teams and culture to develop different approaches to their biggest clients across the company, because traditional account management treats every customer relationship approximately the same.

Key account management is a strategic program that covers the entire organization. The KAM will likely have contact with each level of the business to make sure the customer's needs are met. KAMs can use the map in Lucidchart to simplify their communications.

Sales reps and KAMs can use account maps to find the right people to contact. Track all of the interactions on a single platform. The KAM acts as a visionary because of the strategic nature of the role.

They will be expected to lead both customers and internal executives on key initiatives. If companies can sell on value, they are more likely to be the primary suppliers of large accounts. Only a small percentage of sales executives think their reps are effective at value selling.

You can keep an eye on the market with the help of LinkedIn. You can always stay one step ahead of the competition if you use LinkedIn to monitor account markets. Adding a sales navigator to the company will help keep track of company changes.

10 Top Account Management Skills for Key Account Managers

Most Account Managers don't listen long enough to get a complete grasp of the situation before they start to spout their solutions. Sometimes they hit it, but most of the time they miss the mark. If you think you need to change something in your time management skills, you can simply change some things you do on a daily basis.

Understanding your client's business objectives allows you to manage and execute programs that are in sync with their objectives as well as yours, according to Thom. A client development plan template can help you ask the right questions to help you identify the challenges of your client's business. Patrick Wendrich believes you should be passionate about your products.

Savinides believes that Account Managers should be able to transfer their passion to the person they are talking to. The group was divided on whether formal training was a good place to develop account management skills. Many Account Managers believed they could gain skills on the job if they had formal training.

If you want to see the whole discussion for the 10 top skills for key account managers, please send me a message and I will invite you to the account management skills discussion page on Linkedin. I am really happy that you have found the information useful. Everyone has their own style of being an account manager and they can learn a lot from it.

I am sorry that your manager isn't giving you the encouragement, training and guidance you need. Maybe it is time to find a new manager. If you need help, please contact me at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com.