Create significant and interdependent supplier-customer partnerships
At a Glance
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Who Should Attend:
Anyone responsible for maintaining or supporting an organization's major, national and international accounts, including key account managers, experienced salespeople, and sales managers.
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Format:
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Two-day, instructor-led session
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Follow-up coaching session to reinforce the learning
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Tools Provided:
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Comprehensive Learning Guide and Resource Manual
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A Key Account Planner
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Subscription to our monthly LearningLink e-newsletter
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Related Training:
Gain an in-depth understanding of the complexities of servicing "key account" customers. Learn strategic and tactical skills and processes to effectively identify and anticipate their requirements. Become skilled at strategically managing key accounts, gaining supporters for your initiatives and influencing decision-makers, and ultimately evolving customer-supplier relationships into a preferred sales or partnerships.
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This course will help you:
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Develop key deliverables between both organizations
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Use planning and process tools to set objectives. Develop strategies and tactics to achieve those objectives.
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Deal effectively with various decision-makers and influencers at all levels of both organizations
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Proactively research and develop relationship opportunities
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Manage the process of change for your customers' customers
Key Account Management
Detailed Synopsis
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The Key Account Management Workshop is designed to help you develop the knowledge and the skills required to maximize your performance and productivity as a Key Account Manager. At the end of the workshop, you will be better able to develop strategic and technical plans, manage decision-makers and influencers from both organizations and initiate positive change.
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Unit 1: Definition and Criteria of a Key Account
We start by examining the criteria used internationally, and in your own organization, for identifying a customer as 'key'. Once you have clarified the criteria, and there may be several, it is possible to focus on the 'deliverables' that each contributes to this special relationship. You will quickly appreciate your pivotal role as the interface between the two organizations. We end the unit examining your role as a planner, a strategist and a tactician, and use these competencies as you start preparing your Key Account Plan for one of your key accounts.
Unit 2: People who Decide and Influence
One of your primary responsibilities is to manage the people in both organizations. Each has specific authority, influence and recommendation powers vested in them or their position. And each has different points of view, or perspectives, about your initiatives, proposals, projects, products and services etc depending on their role and function. You will learn how to positively influence the people, and manage the positions and perspectives. You will learn how to influence each power base and deal with an adverse power gradient. You also want to find and develop people who want you to achieve in the account - your 'champions'. And you will learn how to turn negative gatekeepers, or blockers, into allies.
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You will continue to develop your own Key Account Plans.
Unit 3: Opportunities within a Key Account Relationship
There are significant relationship opportunities and substantial benefits available to both parties. It is your responsibility to ensure that opportunities are proactively sought and exploited for mutual benefit. During this unit, we take the opportunity to review the selling - buying process for you. Within your key account management role, you are continually selling products, services and expertise. This short refresher will ensure your professional selling skills are updated and support your account management tasks. We conclude this unit by discussing your role as a change agent - someone your contacts come to treat as their 'agent provocateur' - the person they welcome because you challenge their status quo, move them out of their inertia, and help them face the real issues. They also rely on you to ensure that every initiative you put into their organization is treated as a change event, and all aspects of implementation managed by you. During this unit, you will continue to prepare, and conclude your own Key Account Plans.
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