A view of the elements that an organisation must consider when thinking of Account Management

1. SS
Ten Slides in Ten Minutes:
Account Management
[Capturing the Hearts and Minds of Prospects & Clients]
Presented by:
Bill Graham APM.APMP
June, 2013
bill.graham@sales-synthesis.co.za

2. Dominant ExclusiveEmerging PervasiveAbsent
Symbiotic
relationship
with clients
Sustainability
Making the competitors irrelevant
Projects ParticularPerforming PertinentPeople Places
The Sustainable Business Imperative
Building mutually beneficial and sustainable long-term client relationships
Source: Sales Synthesis
Multi-National Companies [MNCs] may embrace a
new dawn or a long dark night.
Know where you are going
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3. Research to date, indicates that best practice companies are developing long-term plans for, and
together with, their accounts of “strategic importance”. Companies that are strategically
important to an organisation should be objectively decided on, using the following two
perspectives:
i. the attractiveness of the customer to an organisation’s strategic direction [incl.
present/future portfolio of solutions]
ii. the customer’s perception of organisation’s business strengths [success is also dependent on
customer’s buy-in]
Account Plans provide the basis for much better management insight in decision-making and
visibility for all business units, of expectations related to account activity.
Each Account defined as being of ‘Strategic Importance’ should have an associated Account Plan.
Introduction

4. Benefits of Producing Account Plans
• Better client understanding, positioning your organisation to be able to offer
thought leadership as a competitive discriminator
• Client involvement and buy-in – potentially allowing active involvement in the
client’s budgeting process
• Sharing of information across cross-functional business units
• Formulation of robust relevant account strategies (across geographies,
business units etc.)
• Early warning and guidance for execution & delivery
• Learning for all parties involved (extended team)
• Better management insight / customer portfolio management.
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5. The Account Management Focus
Market
Management
Relationship
Building
Opportunity
Scouting
Prompts:
• Global trends
• Industry Knowledge
• Opportunities
• Risks
Prompts:
• Pedigree/s
• Requirement/s for
advancement
• Resource alignment
• Communication plan/s
Prompts:
• Wants vs needs
• Resourcing
requirements
• Solutions vs Risks
• Ability to deliver
• Competition
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6. Best-Practice Account Planning Process
• Identify the Account Management team [Incl. Extended Team]
• Educate/Train on analysis, objective and strategy setting
• Identify resources with skills to craft the Account Plan content
• Brief on the planning process
• Brief on the analytical process
• Identify responsibility for the production of the Account Plan document
• Agree organisational sign-offs (& date)
• Agree customer involvement & sign-offs (& date)
• Communicate on planning process (& review agenda / dates)
• Communicate on output (plan, and results from the plan).
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7. Best-Practice Account Planning Process
• Identify the Account Management team [Incl. Extended Team]
• Educate/Train on analysis, objective and strategy setting
• Identify resources with skills to craft the Account Plan content
• Brief on the planning process
• Brief on the analytical process
• Identify responsibility for the production of the Account Plan document
• Agree organisational sign-offs (& date)
• Agree customer involvement & sign-offs (& date)
• Communicate on planning process (& review agenda / dates)
• Communicate on output (plan, and results from the plan).
Quarterly presentation of
Account’s Industry (Global through
National)
Quarterly presentation of the
Account, Opportunities and Action
Plans
Sales Leadership;
Execution & Delivery
Units
Sales Leadership;
Execution & Delivery
Units
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8. Contents
A Best Practice Account Plan contains at least the following elements:
Section 1: Introducing the Account
 Overview of Account (incl. Organisational Chart, Current Financial Analysis)
Section 2: Assessing the Client’s Eco-System
 PEST and/or STEEPLE and/or SWOT
 Competitor Analysis
Section 3: Positioning organisation for Success
 Relationship Matrix
 Extended Team
 Current Projects
 Opportunity List
Section 4: Engaging & Measuring for Success
 Critical Success Factors
 Communication Program
 Risks
 Action Plan
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9. Governance – Account Plan (Self) Assessment
1. Completeness & quality/integrity of content
2. Strategy to develop and maintain client relationships
3. Identification, qualification and unlocking of opportunities
4. Account Manager’s plan to spearhead the efforts of the organisation into the chosen
accounts
5. Understanding of the client’s industry & markets
6. Understanding of the roles of related current and emerging technologies
7. Evidence that a single point of contact for the client is being provided by the Account
Manager
8. Understanding of the client’s business, challenges and requirements
9. Understanding of the operational issues pertaining to service management and the
processes applied to improve/enhance operational inefficiencies
10. Implementation of sound account governance and compliance to the defined
governance
11. Evidence that the Account Manager spends time with Senior Executives of the
organisation to determine their requirements in terms of interaction
12. Facilitation of the communication process
13. Progressing Sales Opportunities.
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10. Q&A
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