Strategic Key Account Management

One accepted benchmark in many companies today is that 80 percent of revenue/profits comes from only 20 percent of the customers - your Key or Major Account Customers.

If that's true, then it makes strategic sense to focus on these customers and develop higher levels of engagement, a unique value added service and a stronger mutually beneficial and cooperative relationship.

Prioritising important customers enables companies to align their sales teams and programs with the customers and segments most likely to produce the best results.

There are many opportunities available in a key account relationship, from both the supplier and the customer perspectives. The challenge for organisations is to harness these opportunities through proper management and co-operation with their key accounts.

The Challenge:

• Larger, tougher customers with complex organisations;
• Shifting supply chain costs back to you;
• Introducing global policies and "rules" for suppliers;
• Demanding higher service levels and more discounts and incentives;
• Knowledgeable about technology, product specifications, the market, and your competitors;
• Have high expectations and are lifting the bar on supplier selection;
• Supplier complexity - multiple business units selling to the same customer;
• Suppliers must make move from supplier to business partner status;
• Products and services alone no longer provide a source of competitive advantage - relationships are critical - managing relationship matrix;
• Must provide a (TBE) Total Business Experience;
• Need to manage global account customers – across countries and cultures;
• More strategic approach to effectively maximise sales and profits and customer loyalty;
• High level leadership and general management skills required by account managers.

Sample of coaching/training outcomes:

• Facilitate change from traditional sales culture to strategic key account management;
• Move from transactional selling to strategic partnership relationship;
• Segment the customers - who is important, identify where to direct attention;
• Develop a simple and fast written Account Plan;
• Prioritising and planning - the key to success as an account manager;
• Research information (or gaps) needed for profiling each account;
• Conduct a simple SWOT analysis to identify competitive advantages and weaknesses at the account;
• Conduct a value added search - identifying opportunities to add value and providing a TBE (total business experience);
• Developing key objectives for each account (including relationships);
• How to most effectively promote the unique value proposition;
• Identify importance of client relationships - the human side of business;
• Improve skills needed to build relationships - EQ;
• How to build rapport (trust, respect/likeability) - the foundation of all relationships;
• Completing a "relationship matrix" - strategic tool;
• Identify "key influencers" and how to maximise strategic advantage;
• Strategies to maintain and strengthen customer relationships;
• Effectively managing client expectations;
• Learn essential influencing skills needed to "sell" solutions and valued add proposals;

Our approach is to create a unique in-company workshop for you which involves the following process steps:

Needs analysis - A needs-analysis is conducted with management and participants to ensure the workshop caters to specific development needs and identifies common trends across the organisation.

Customised - the workshop is custom designed to be relevant to your customers, markets, products, processes, company policies and specific challenges.

Personalised - participants will work on their own real-world problems during the workshop.

Interactive - will involve open discussion, role playing and small-group sessions.

Minimum disruption - workshops are scheduled to ensure a minimum of disruption to normal business operations. Our sales training workshops can be completed at one concentrated time or spread out over a period of weeks or months. A conference, seminar or meeting is an ideal time when the whole team is together, to focus on improving strategies and skills.

Follow-up - On going coaching support for the team leader and team members as appropriate.

Contact Us to arrange a free, no obligation meeting or discussion. We are confident to back our services with a results based performance guarantee.

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