So how do you as an account manager shine brighter than your peers and drive account growth at your company? These are strikingly different conversations Source: This is because retention, renewal and repurchase all involve asking customers to commit to the same thing again, whereas account growth requires reps to convince customers to do things differently by buying new or different products. Great customer service will impact customer and client retention positively but have little effect on growth. Most account managers (88% according to a Gartner survey) believe amazing customer service is the best way to drive account growth. If you’re interested in pursuing a career as an account manager I came across some interesting research from the widely respected research and advisory company Gartner.Īccording to them “only 28% of sales leaders report that account management channels regularly meet their cross-selling and account growth targets.” Availability to your clients at most times, including nights and weekendsĪs you can see, the job requires you to work closely with your clients and have a deep understanding of both your own company business practices and those of each client.Keep up with trends, changes, and competitor actions that might affect their client.Establish budgets with the client and company.Interact and coordinate with the sales team and other staff members in other departments working on the same account.Manage and solve any conflicts with clients or any problems they may have.Negotiate contracts with clients establish a timeline of performance.Provide monthly product and revenue forecasts by account.Evaluate and manage new initiatives and business opportunities.Conduct quarterly client business reviews.Understand the technical and business aspects of each client.Drives account usage and actively develops opportunities to expand product sales within existing clients.Builds and manages relationships with existing client base.But this list will give you a good starting point to see if this is a potential career you’d like to pursue:
You’ll want to cross reference it with the duties and responsibilities you find on your specific job description. When you are going through various account manager job descriptions during your job search, you’ll see various duties and responsibilities listed. Account Manager Duties and Responsibilities
In the next section we’ll dive deep into the various duties and responsibilities that are common to account managers around the country. On top of that, good account managers will grow their accounts by offering helpful ideas and strategies to their clients.Īs opposed to the relatively short relationship that a salesperson will have with the customer/client, an account manager will form long lasting relationships with their customers/clients.īut that’s really just an overview of an account manager’s role. The account manager’s job is to ensure complete client satisfaction with the company’s product or service. This new client/customer falls under a new “account” that the account manager manages. Once the sale is made by the sales team/person, an account manager takes over the client relationship.
I hope this comprehensive breakdown of the account manager position helps you decide if this is a potential career path for you… What Does An Account Manager Do? They can be found across a wide breadth of sectors and industries and are critical to the success of many companies. Well, ( you probably see where I’m going with this) a job as an account manager might be just the ticket.Ī career as an account manager can offer you an intriguing blend of customer service, sales and relationship building. Are you good with people? Are you a great communicator?Īre you good with sales but like the idea of forming a longer lasting relationship with your customers and clients than you often get to do with a front line sales job?