What DO Excellent Account Managers do differently?
There’s account managers who seem to just about do enough in terms of generating profitability. And then there is successful Account Managers who are critical to their business and the customers they serve.
This sounds familiar with account management teams across the responsible for developing account managers….so we’re asking the question….
Just what is it that they do differently?
What behavioural characteristics do they demonstrate that makes them the Account Management supremo?
There are several key traits that make up what an excellent Account Manager does and we thought we would share what we’ve noticed during our experience of working with account management teams.
COMMUNICATION EXPERTS
The great account managers will continually maintain all channels of communication and will often find themselves making dozens of calls in a day.
And it’s not just keeping their key contacts and stakeholders updated and informed as to what’s going on, but also suppliers and project managers. Excellent Account Managers will never fully ‘switch off’, they’re always available and will religiously check email and remain in the loop, even during periods of annual leave.
How do they do this? Simply put, they are masters of communication.
Superior account managers embrace the latest technology. They use multiple platforms to communicate in a versatile way with their client.
ORGANISATIONAL EXCELLANCE
They call on their organisational skills and are usually known for their ability to do so. Excellent account managers also can organise on a small or a large scale whether it’s a conference call with several parties, a business meeting or an event and their efficiency at organising these is always noticeable and evident. Their productivity is high and they can always call on the right support for the right customer project.
FORMING RELATIONSHIPS
A great account manager possesses excellent relationship skills. They will constantly strive to develop their personal relationships.
These do not happen overnight and are perfected over time and then used to open and establish what will become a long-lasting relationship. The adage that we’ve all heard goes ‘people buy from people’…. there may be an element of truth to that, however people buy value and quality based on a relationship of trust.
Great account managers take the time to understand their contacts, their business, their motivators, their issues, their headaches and what keeps them awake at night and will work on solutions…..they research tirelessly so they are prepared and never take things for granted. Great account managers care for their customers and will very often go the extra mile to ensure deadlines are met.
Another essential component in relationship building is that recommendations are given for new business opportunities emerge which can benefit the account manager.
THEY RESPECT BUT ALSO CHALLENGE
Account Managers who are more successful than other account managers usually manage larger spending accounts and with added responsibility to their customers. They will not be afraid to tell a large spending account that they are potentially not making the right decision, or not selecting the right product or service. They will then present more options and see through to a solution.
