Strategic account development

Strategic account development and retention Overview
Two days of practical advice and guidance on how to maintain and develop key accounts, using a consistently successful strategic approach based on a customised account planning model.
Format
A highly interactive two-day course involving practical exercises, role play, case studies and specific examples from your company.
Special features
Participants will be asked to bring details with them of two 'significant' accounts. Exercises, planning sessions and role-plays will then be constructed and focused on these real-life examples during the course.
Course outline

1. PROFIT - six principles of strategic account development
   • Introduction to the PROFIT model:
     - Performance
     - Relationships
     - Objectives and goals
     - Feedback
     - Integration
     - Teamwork
   • Practical account development strategies: overview and case studies
2. Practical account development strategies: overview and case studies
   • Use practical tools to help you manage and measure account performance and success
   • Design and build a monthly account dashboard for all sizes of account
   • Prioritise and manage accounts and customers pro-actively and successfully using proven planning tools
   • Develop a cross-selling strategy to integrate solutions into the customer's business as closely as possible
3. Relationships
   • How to build and manage key relationships within an account
   • Qualifying and managing key influencers accurately
   • Producing a 'relationship matrix' for each account quickly and easily
   • Approaching and developing new contacts strategically
   • Tools and techniques for successful tracking of contacts and call-backs
   • Developing a coach or advocate in every contact pro-actively
4. Objectives and goals
   • Where are you now? - how to establish your competitive position within an account
   • Know how to set, monitor and track key objectives for accounts over the short, medium and long term
   • Selling against the competition - developing both long and short term sales strategies
5. Feedback - building loyal and satisfied customers
   • The correct way to manage customer expectations and create listening loops within an account
   • How to monitor and track your customer's perception and satisfaction with your organisation
   • Building a personalised satisfaction matrix for each account
   • Customer review meetings: best practice in building loyalty by regular joint planning events
   • Understanding the concept of long term customer value and the importance of adapting a customer-focused attitude
6. Integration
   • How to integrate your solutions with the customer's business needs and processes
   • Spot and react to early warning signals that may cause an account's loyalty to fade, reduce revenue or switch to a competitor
   • Developing a loyalty strategy for key accounts or groups of smaller accounts
   • Getting your message and strategy across to C-level contacts
7. Teamwork
   • Working with others to achieve your account goals
   • Gaining internal commitment from your organisation
   • Managing and working with a virtual team
   • Creating cross-departmental communication loops
8. Putting it all together
   • Personal account reviews
   • Personal learning summary and action plans