Overview
Course duration: 2 days.
This thought provoking two-day workshop focuses on maximising the potential of key accounts that are critical to an organisation’s success or failure.
This workshop covers the key skills required to maximise and maintain your key accounts, including multiple relationship management, networking and strategic planning.
A strong focus will be placed on relationship building and the skills needed to protect key accounts from competitor attack. Individual coaching, self-appraisal and skills practices will ensure maximum participation and learning. Delegates will leave the course with strategy planning documents in CD ROM format.
Is it right for me?
This course is aimed at those who are new or have limited experience in Key Account Management. It is not suitable for Key Account Managers with more than two to three years experience in their role.
What will I learn?
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Identify and understand the criteria for key accounts.
- Develop a creative, structured and value generating strategic account plan.
- Manage your business relationships to increase your business.
- Understand how to develop a planned approach to increasing business.
- Manage yourself and your time more effectively.
- Understand how behaviours affect both you and your clients.
- Complete key documentation that supports account development
- Be aware of your own strengths, limitations, motivators and work motivators.
- Identify clearly areas for your future development.
What will it cover?
Account Management - It's Big Business
- The profile of a key account
- Selling and account management - the difference
- Account manager - your role and responsibilities
Prioritising - Who are the Key Accounts?
- Researching your customer's profile and position
- Investment versus return - get your priorities right
- Assessing your strengths, weaknesses and unique advantages
Planning a Key Account Strategy
- Being clear about the potential of each account
- How to develop a key account over the long-term
- Longer buying cycles and their impact on your sales strategy
- Recognising threats and dealing with them
- Setting specific goals and objectives for each meeting
- Developing and maintaining key accounts in tough market conditions
Relationship Management
- Understanding the organisational structure of your account
- Influencing and negotiating with multiple contacts
- Identifying cross selling opportunities
- Identifying and gaining future sales
- Client centred selling - focusing on the real needs
- How and when to adapt your account management style
- Productive meetings and how to achieve them
From Relationship to Partnership
- Strengthening the relationship through regular contact
- Alliances across an organisation to maintain preferred supplier status
- Constructing strategic service level agreements
- Understanding buyers' needs and objectives
Developing a Business Plan
- When and how to support presentations
- Effective presentations and the essential skills behind them
- How to ensure large contracts bring in large profits
- Using added value to reduce the needs for price cutting
Developing a Personal Development Plan
- Assessing your needs for future development
Further courses to consider
Making Sense of Marketing
Trainer Profile
Dave Hardwick
This course for new account managers lasts for two days but in reality it could last longer.
During day one the delegates have the opportunity to develop a strategic plan for one of their key accounts and this can be as detailed as required. One of the learning points that often comes from this session is how little we know about our clients. Delegates usually leave the course with a list of actions to take for developing a better relationship with their accounts.
There’s a good mix of theory and practice during the two days which keeps the delegates interested. It’s an ideal course for account managers new to the role but even experienced account managers who have attended the course as a refresher often pick up new ideas.
I ensure that the atmosphere enables the delegates to share experiences and issues and this adds to the learning as we usually get a mixture of business sectors and organisations.
The Faculty
Along with Graham Kerr and Sarah-Jayne Church, Dave Hardwick is part of the dedicated faculty team who will deliver this course.
View our trainers' profiles.