This course is designed to transform participants into business advisors and high yielding and profit generating relationship managers whom clients rely on and companies’ value. The course shows participants how to build long term, value-based relationships with large accounts, penetrate them for additional business, and maximize the revenue they generate while reducing the time and costs in managing them. The course also provides a strong focus on quantitative approaches to account qualification and account planning best practices.

Course Methodology

The course includes self-assessment tools, planning and analytical templates, and psychometric self-assessment instruments to measure personal abilities to accommodate different personality styles. Group exercises and case studies will also be integral parts of the training methodology used.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• 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

Target Audience

In addition to key account managers and sales managers, this course is targeted at cross functional personnel who seek to understand modern customer management practices to improve cross functional support and develop personal careers in key account management.

Target Competencies

• Account planning
• Sales forecasting
• Networking skills
• Cost to serve computations
• Account classification models
• Presentation skills
• Time management
• Relationship management

Course Outline

Key Account Management (KAM) defined

• The changing nature of sales force activity
• Definition of key account management
• Criteria for qualifying Key Accounts (KA)
• Strategic accounts versus key accounts
• Objectives of KAM
• Managing customer profitability and Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Definition and goals of CRM
• The value of loyalty
• Acquisition costs and lifetime value (LTV)

Account Analysis: Defining and Selecting KA

• KAM: best practice actions
• Account analysis insights
• Account analysis meth
• The single factor models
• The portfolio models
• The decision models
• Important 'KPIs' for KA qualification
• Computing the cost per call
• Break even sales volume
• Result based simulation

Key Account Relational Development Mode

• Business partnership defined
• The partnership skill set
• The KA relational development model
• Pre-relationship stage
• Early relationship stage
• Mid-relationship stage
• Partnership relationship stage
• Synergetic relationship stage
• Reasons for divesting partnership
• The KA quizzes

The Key Account Planning process (KAP)

• Two layers of planning
• Prioritizing efforts
• Important business analysis
• Customer analysis
• Past business analysis
• Competition analysis
• Identifying opportunities
• 'SWOT' analysis
• Developing account strategy
• 'TOWS' analysis

The Critical Role Of Key Account Manager

• Understanding the role and responsibilities of key account manage
• Harnessing daily to-do-lists to optimize sales productivity
• Identifying and working with different personality styles
• Presentation skills for key account manager

 Business Development: Overview and Best Practice

• Business development: definition and scope
• Account analysis and qualification: an overview
• The new landscape of account management and BD
• Understanding the buy-sell ladder model
• Client classification: building an ideal client profile
• Understanding and working the customer loyalty ladder

 Building and Leading the Business Development Team

• Stages in team formation
• Building a high-performance team
• Defining team roles
• The team motivation mix
• Management versus leadership
• Practices of exemplary leaders (industry practices)