ACCOUNT MANAGER HANDBOOK

Transcription

1 ACCOUNT MANAGER HANDBOOK

2 INTRODUCTION An account manager or key account manager performs sales and relationship-building activities and assists in managing the account. An organization hiring an account manager will ideally seek to employ a person who can demonstrate confidence and relevant experience in these roles. They should have strong communication skills and demonstrate the ability to work with the team to effectively meet deadlines and achieve the company s targets. The work is focused on maintaining and developing the company s existing customers, and depending on if the company is in the development phase or the management phase, the account manager should also be responsible for sales. In a development phase, sales to new clients can account for 40 % of the account manager s activities. In the more mature company, then considerably less time will be invested in developing new customers, however this should not to be confused with exploring and developing new sales opportunities with existing customers.

3 An account manager must be comfortable making longterm financial decision for a company. KNOWING THE CLIENTS IS VITAL! To really get to know the clients, it is vital that a newly hired account manager gets intensive training in the company during the first month. CRM Before their work commences, the account manager will learn and be trained in the company s CRM system and thus, be able to understand which customers and contacts he or she will be a priority to work with and what Key Performance Indicators they will be judged by. VISIT THE CLIENTS Once settled in their role, and as soon as possible, it is important to prioritize to meet with those clients and with the original salesperson s collaboration. By co-visiting with the original salesperson, the account manager will get significantly more understanding of the client s interests and develop a more positive relationship with the clients.

4 PRODUCT/SERVICE TRAINING To be able to sell and create trust with the clients it is vital that the account manager understands their company s offerings and the relevance to that client. That understanding is achieved through various types of training including at the very least, product training and effective sales and communication skills and an understanding of DISC profiling. As the relationship with the client develops, the account manager will learn what the clients are ordering and how they place orders. It is recommended they ask the client who places the orders, if the company is the sole supplier of these products or services or, if there are other suppliers as well, what they like most about working with the company as a supplier and what improvements, if any, they would like to see in the relationship. Only then can the account manager get to know the competitive landscape and fully understand the relationship. INCOMING INQUIRIES It is critical to the sales and customer support process that the account manager, in conjunction with the salesperson, understands how to handle and who will deal with the various different incoming enquiries. It is also vital that the account manager knows: > How the company and the offers are positioned, > The value placed on each customer > Where proposals and sales details are stored, > How a ROI is calculated and the business benefits from the relationship. ACTIVITY AND CONTACTS The account manager works with a mix of phone, , Skype or other video conferencing facilities and face to face meetings with the contacts and combines these with social media, thus enhancing the relationship. Ongoing communication is vital and requires up to seven contacts before trust can be established. The account manager is expected to make contacts per day, and send a large number of s. BUT, as easy and convenient as it is to send , there is no substitute whatsoever for a telephone call and, with key accounts, a face to face meeting after a briefing with the salesperson who established the account. COMMUNICATION SKILLS & DISC BEHAVIOURS For technical businesses with many existing customers a dominant, RED, behavior is not required and may be replaced by a person with the corresponding degree of competency - BLUE, behaviours as it facilitates the details and facts. GREEN and YELLOW should be the dominating colors for an account manager.

5 PERSONAL QUALITIES REQUIRED > Good administrator > Excellent spoken and written language > Strong interest in developing business > Strong interest in developing the self > Strong wish to help > Likes to work independently > Accountability > Ability to see opportunities NEEDED SKILLS > Office package (Word, Excel, Power Point) > Laptop > Smartphones > Very good national language > Very good writing in national language > Knowledge in additional languages is credit > Presentaion skills > Knowledge in rhetorics > Negotiation skills > Outgoing and listening person > Easy to create and maintain good relation > Good Interpersonal Skills > Can challenge oneself to high activity > Confidence in oneself > Able to communicate at all levels > Engagement SALES PROFILE D I S C > Innovative, goal oriented, energic, resolute > Inspiring, open, confident, Generous > Loyal, good listener, co-operative, calm > Fact seeking, knowledgable, systematic, diplomatic

6 THE SOCCER PARABLE If an account manager was part of a soccer team, that person would be the offensive midfielder. As such both picking up the ball from the defense line, preventing the opponent from advancing, serving team mates with passes which they can score with and also themselvesscoring from time to time. For an account manager that means close follow up on the client, serving colleagues with opportunities, closing business on their own, keeping track of and preventing competitors from taking over business. Field sales KAM new bus. Field sales The account manager is like a team vice- captain and pushes and encourages the colleagues to do more business with the client. The account manager also helps set the strategies and operative plans for the client together with the sales manager. That can also mean creating the optimal team to win the next deal. Major account Director/Manager KAM existing bus. KAM existing bus. KAM existing bus. Indoor sales Indoor sales

7 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WHAT IS YOUR TRACK RECORD FOR CONSISTENTLY ACHIEVING YOUR TARGETS? As an interviewer, you should expect an account manager to be efficient in knowing how to meet targets within deadlines. You may ask the candidate about the track re- cord for achieving targets. With this question, you give the candidate an opportunity to provide examples of goals they have met and strategies they used to achieve them. You may also look for the candidate s strong communication skills as a vital tool in the candidate s examples. DESCRIBE AN EXAMPLE OF A TOUGH DECISION YOU HAD TO MAKE QUICKLY You should seek an account manager with the ability to make fast decisions. The candidate should be able to provide examples of situations, the various choices they had and the reasons for the decision that was made. The example may involve a new credit policy, lowering a price for volume dealers, or other incidents with long-term effects on a business. WHAT KIND OF WORK ENVIRONMENT DO YOU PREFER? In addition to accounting activities, an account manager holds a management position that involves company relations to interact effectively with staff. With a question related to a preferred work environment, you are probing the candidate s leadership abilities and interpersonal skills. A candidate who chooses an environment in which it is possible to interact, to offer support and feedback, may be preferred to a candidate who prefers to sit behind a desk and just do as they are told.

8 WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL ACCOUNT MANAGER? You ask the candidate about his or her opinion of how a successful account manager should act, to understand the characteristics that the candidate believes would make them a success. The candidate should identify three or four key concepts as examples of own experiences such as communication skills, effective negotiation skills and strengths in market research. The candidate should sound confident in answering this question EXAMPLE QUESTIONS Besides the described examples earlier, the following questions can be relevant to ask. PERSONAL > Tell me about yourself? > What is most important for you, family or career? > What are your biggest strengths? > Why did you leave your last job? > What are your career goals? > What is you personal goal in life? > Why do you want to work here? > What is your greatest weakness? > What do co-workers say about you? BUSINESS > What is most satisfying when closing a deal? > What makes you get up in the morning? > Describe how you work with a deal, from lead to contract > How will we as a company see a difference in our business if you get the job? > Business or relationship, which is most important for you? TYPICAL TARGETS > 5-10 performed meetings a week > 5-10 booked meetings a week > 2-5 relationships per relevant client department > 80 % of time focused on growing existing clients

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