Key account salespeople love to emphasize the importance of Guanxi or relationships when it comes to managing their key accounts. But is maintaining good relationships the only criterion of gaging good key accounts practice? And assuming it's not the only criterion, but still an important criterion, at what levels should these relationships be built?
Let's take a look at what are the aspects that HR Chally recommends as optimal key account behavior:
– Learn how to meet and interact with your customers' top decision-makers.
You can look for the formation key account management services via various online sources.
– Never take your competitors for granted: they'll usually surprise you.
– Set realistic goals, and be prepared for the stress of last-minute problems or changes that will come with no warning.
– Get to work before everybody else does.
– Know your customers' needs and concerns intimately.
– Help customers even in areas unrelated to your product or service.
– Only bend the rules when it's necessary to service the customer.
– Remember that competitors may sometimes offer better service.
– Make sure your customers know when a problem has been solved and that they know you know.
As seen from the above, the purpose of building good relationships is to facilitate the above key areas so as to grow the account. This is of particular importance when you need to interact with top decision-makers effectively (not just the implementers), so as to know their needs and concerns intimately.
Hence, if you want to make sure that your key accounts salespeople have what it takes to manage those accounts well, you may need to train them how to do so.
However, as both you and I know, training is useless unless the new skills and behaviors are reinforced further.