Key Account Manager
Key Account Manager (KAM) is one of the most critical roles for any organisation and requires a complex mix of sales and business skills. The adoption of a good KAM strategy offers many organisations the best opportunity to maximise the revenue potential and retention potential of their most important customers.
This is a very senior business role, requiring significant knowledge and understanding of business strategy and goal setting; the ability to research and analyse market dynamics; interpretation of results and determination of likely outcomes and associated actions required; creation of business and financial value propositions; high level cross-company and partner engagement skills; and a strong sense of purpose, direction and leadership.
This role involves detailed research and analysis of the dynamics within the key account and of their market, as well as the ability to demonstrate how and by what means the relationships will mutually enhance both businesses over time, particularly relating to growing agreed, significant business metrics, such as Net Present Value (future free cash flow) for both organisations.
Candidates for Key Account Manager roles require a wide range of high level capabilities to perform this role including the ability to:
- Identify and prioritize key accounts by mutual future growth in key financial metrics such as NPV
- Develop a deep understanding of the customer business, strategies, markets, competitive landscape and operating methods
- Craft customer focused strategies that deliver positive impact for customer, customer’s customer and own business
- Create offering models for key accounts, engaging cross-company or beyond as required to deliver real business value propositions
- Build appropriate relationships at senior levels across customer, partners and own business and communicate effectively
- Develop clear commercial strategies that create true ‘win-win’ for all parties
- Manage conflict at all levels, driving through acceptable outcomes for all parties
- Deploy effective negotiating and selling strategies in the key account and internally, using other resources as required to achieve outcomes
