What Worth Proposition Do You Hold to Your Sales Accounts?

Appreciate your account’s customer better than they do

Account managers are quick to say they do this already, but few really do it. What and who are your customers? What is inspiring them to make their decisions? What are the choices do have? What will the client base look like three years from now?

These are all questions that should be answered. The motivation is easy: If your client doesn’t have a marketplace to sell to, then you don’t have a market to sell to.

Know your customer’s formal and informal industry structure

It's key to have important associations that widen simply two levels above and one level below the level you interface with frequently. One of the first questions I ask a key account manager is, “Who are the people two levels above and one level below your contact?”

Classically, they’re quick to name those above, but many times they have no clue as to who is below. That’s sad, because what they mostly don’t know is who might be the one to substitute the person with whom they currently interact.

Worse yet is the account manager normally does not have a significant relationship with these people. The only thing they know about them is their name. The best insights into a major account are almost forever going to come from people other than those the account manager interfaces with on a normal basis.

If there aren’t superior relationships, then you have to inquire yourself again the query I asked at the beginning. What value does the account manager bring that couldn’t be delivered by someone else? 

Know the strategic objectives of the account and the issues they face

I’m not talking about the things that might impact what you sell to them. I’m talking about the whole company.  I would expect each key account manager to previously know the issues that may impact what they trade to the account.

I’m talking the big picture.  Why?  You might be selling aviation fuel and feel life is good, only to find the flight company you’re selling to is rapidly in a cash crunch to the leases on their aircraft. I’ve watched far too many account managers place the blame for a loss of business on a little beyond their control.

Yes, it might be outside of their control, but with the good knowledge and planning, they could have banned the loss from being an issue. The same goes for being able to recognize upside opportunities.  Being on the front end of opportunities and working with the account to exploit them is an ideal position.

Perform “four-legged" account management

Yes, this is something you perhaps have not heard of, but I will fight it is often the most important factor. "Four-legged” is a term I use to explain two people. Simply put, it means the business does not rely solely on the account manager, but there is another person uniformly capable of dealing with the account. 

This goes further than the conservative human resources term “succession planning,” because I think strongly both people need to be occupied regularly. The reason to have two people is because they will uncover different information by developing different relations. Yes, the second person is many times the account manager’s superior, who is fine, but it means they have to be planned about statue out the time to use with the account.

There you have it!  These four dangerous steps to account management aren’t just about triumph in the today’s environment, but also success in tomorrow’s environment. Now back to my unique question: “What do you bring to your accounts that someone else from your company couldn’t do more successfully, efficiently or at a lower cost?”

If there is incredible that can be done improved by someone else, then make the change and make the change now. Allow the account manager to focus not on maintaining a routine, but on uncovering and building new opportunities.