S S 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

Dominant Exclusive Emerging Pervasive Absent

Symbiotic relationship with clients

Sustainability

Making the competitors irrelevant

Projects Particular Performing Pertinent People 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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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

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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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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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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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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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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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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Q&A

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