Key Account Management

Most business-to-business companies have key account customers and it is essential to secure continuous business from those customers. The ideal outcome is to build relationships with the right decision-makers at different levels in their organization so that you become their preferred collaborative partner. This requires a clear key account strategy and a different understanding of what can bring superior value to the customer.

It is not just about your key account team dealing with the usual buyers. You also need to influence other decision-makers and external stakeholders.

 

 

  • Define the functions of key accounts and their importance for the commercial organization
  • Identify and prioritize key accounts to measure their profitability and qualify their strategic importance for their company
  • Classify the different levels of customer relationships to enhance the way they interface with customers
  • Develop customer-focused plans and strategies needed in the development of key accounts
  • Build core key account competencies to meet the ever-changing challenges in the market

 

  • Global Heads of Key Accounts who want to win more business globally
  • Key Account Directors who want to become the customer’s preferred partner
  • Key account managers who require a clear plan
  • Key account team members who need to contribute to the key account plan
  • Other managers required to understand the plan and support it

 

  • The principles of effective key account management
  • Understanding the five levels of KAM
  • Information required to construct a key account strategy
  • Structuring the key account strategy
  • Putting your objectives and strategy into context
  • Identifying the customer’s challenges and Key Success Factors

  • Finding and filling their capability gaps
  • Identifying hidden influencers in the key account
  • Discovering their challenges and priorities
  • Understanding their attitudes, perception, and motivation
  • Creating and using personas
  • How to tackle competitors in the account

 

  • Defining your KSFs for the account
  • Explaining and justifying your strategy and objectives
  • Targeting to influence the product specification
  • Building relationships with key decision-makers
  • Developing credibility outside the account

  • Communicating inside the key account
  • Becoming the thought-leader externally and internally
  • Offering the customer superior value propositions
  • Communicating to make your prices buyer-proof
  • Using principled negotiation with the key account

 

  • Templates and tools to construct the key account strategy
  • Tools to manage and control the strategy
  • Forming the key account team
  • Using colleagues from different disciplines to add value in the key account
  • Building and maintaining motivation for your key account strategy

 

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