What is working with key clients. Responsibilities of a Key Account Manager. Where Key Account Managers Come From

NOREBO RU - metro Pushkinskaya, Moscow

103,000 - 123,000 rubles.

...Job responsibilities: 1. Working with federal and localkey clientsunder direct contracts or through distributors. 2. Independent negotiation with clients on all aspects working together: contract terms, assortment entry / rotation...

2 days ago

Eduson.tv - metro Avtozavodskaya, Moscow

100,000 - 120,000 rubles.

...Leading corporate online training service in the Russian Federation Eduson (clientsfrom Gazprom and Russian Railways to the Pension Fund of Russia and telecoms) is looking formanagerto work with keyclients. During your work, you can learn a lot from colleagues and top management (Groupon, Pixonic, Delivery Club, CarPrice)....

4 days ago

OPEN group - metro Domodedovskaya, Moscow

...market. As before, we serveclientsand we work with suppliers in most of the largest... ...we are looking for corporate clientsKama. If you are: # ready for dynamic... ...do: support and maintain largekeyclients of the company expanding the portfolio...

9 days ago

Konik - metro Volgogradskiy prospect, Moscow

100,000 - 250,000 rubles.

...years in the children's goods market) in connection with the development of the sales department in Moscow invites applicants for the positionManagerto work with key clients (KAMa)... Objectives: Development of the current base of key customers (base is provided), search for new customers, increase...

9 days ago

Milk House, Trade and Production Company - Moscow

RUB 90,000

...market conditions; 4. Development of an active matrix; 5. Control of workmanagerson work with shops; 6. Analysis of analytical reporting,... ...Knowledge of the structure of network sales; Ability to negotiate withkeymanagers (leaders); Knowledge of programs: 1C, Excel;...

10 days ago

Migas - Moscow

RUB 100,000

...150 lots. Over 5 years of operation of the site, more than 50 thousand lots have been sold. Invites Candidates for the position "Managerfor working with corporateclients "... Responsibilities: The main task of the position: Increase in market share and sales growth....

11 days ago

LANIX - Moscow

RUB 50,000

Responsibilities: sales of goods for children (toys) on russian market search, negotiation and conclusion of agreements with federal and local area networks preparation of commercial proposals; organization and control of shipments of goods; control of accounts receivable ...

4 days ago

Key Crate - Moscow

RUB 120,000

...Building and maintaining long-term relationships withkey clients(federal networks), negotiations,... ...Higher education Experience in positionmanageron working with key clients (KAM) from 3 years in a Russian or Western company (FMCG...

10 days ago

Antal Russia - Moscow

...Our customer- a large European manufacturer of ceramic tiles Responsibilities: Maintaining distributors of the company; Maintenance of existing contracts on federal networks (DIY) Control accounts receivable; Increase in assortment, product rotation...

3 days ago

MASTER FOOD - metro Shosse Entuziastov, Moscow

60,000 - 120,000 rubles.

...Responsibilities: Coordination of work withkey clients Analysis of customer needs; Establishing and maintaining contacts; Carrying out... ...Higher education. Work experience from a year on a positionKAM(Ho-Re-Ca experience desirable) Developed communication skills...

17 days ago

Alpintech - Moscow

90,000 - 120,000 rubles.

Job responsibilities: - Developing and maintaining a positive relationship with the network. - Motivationclienton the conclusion of long-term cooperation. - Prevention of problems with clients and prompt resolution of difficult situations. - Formation, approval of promo...

23 days ago

New Territory - Izmailovo, Moscow

RUB 100,000

...discover something new in it. If you are ready to share this feeling with us, we will be glad to see you in the positionManagerto work with key clients / KAM. You will literally be the face of the company that interacts with the most important customers. This...

17 days ago

Yotta-Farm - Moscow

...We invite you to the "Yotta-Pharm" LLC teamManagerto work with key clients (KAM) The company Yotta-Pharm LLC is the official distributor of medicines produced at the factories of Pharmasintez Group, created to sell high-quality Russian medicines...

22 days ago

Avexim - metro Dynamo, Moscow

...In the Russian pharmaceutical company (own production) due to expansion a vacancy opensManagerto work with key clients (KAM)...

22 days ago

POLARIS - Moscow

Job Responsibilities: Developmentclientse-commerce (AliExpress, Citilink, Ozon, Wildberries, Holodilnik, etc.). Attracting new partners. Negotiating Strategic planning and sales forecasting, assortment management, assessment of competitors' activity...

10 days ago

B.I.-Technologies - Moscow

Pareto's law says: 20% of customers bring about 80% of the profit. It is to this twenty percent, but the most profitable "minority" that salespeople of any company try to direct most of their efforts. These 20% are the key clients of the firm, who are the most important, desired, "loved". Why does this category of customers require a special attitude from all employees of the company? First of all, because the stability and prosperity of any business depends on the quality of partnerships with key clients of the firm:

Key clients of the firm consistently bring it high profit;
Key clients – it is an opportunity to build long-term relationships that will not end after some time, as might be the case with ordinary clients of the company;
Working with key clients – it is a constant opportunity to increase sales or keep them at a consistently high level. And the most important thing – it is stability that no other clients, partners, counterparties can "promise" the firm;
It is the key customers – these are, as a rule, large and actively developing companies, they are a kind of "indicator" of market changes. Based on the changes in the needs of key customers, entrepreneurs can plan their business, take new vectors in development in order to always remain relevant and meet the needs;
Key clients communicate in different circles and it is they who can tell their colleagues and partners about the interaction with the company, make the company an appropriate reputation.

In addition to all the listed advantages of working with key clients, there is one more really important one. Experienced entrepreneurs unanimously confirm the fact that it is much more profitable and wiser to focus on and develop a business by working with key clients than to direct the main forces of employees to find new partners and buyers.

So, working with key clients – this is undoubtedly an important aspect in connection with their all-round "attractiveness", but there are some difficulties in this matter. Firstly, every company that tries to "retain" its key customers must be prepared for the fact that other competing companies will fight for such profitable partners, offering "attractive" organizations all new terms of cooperation, tempting discounts and bonuses. This means that in dealing with key clients, the firm must be “head and shoulders” above its competitors. This applies to prices, quality of goods and services provided, level of service and quality of service – key customers, as a rule, are really selective and “capricious” in choosing the companies with which they work.

Today, special specialists carry out work with such companies in firms. – key account managers. Today it is they who are important figures in the activities of any organization and at the same time solve a number of basic tasks.

Key account manager: responsibilities

The position of "Key Account Manager" all over the world today is usually abbreviated as "KAM", the abbreviation comes from the English concept "Key Account Manager", which in translation means "Key Account Manager". Sometimes key account managers are confused with ordinary account managers, but these two positions are different, since the functionality, responsibilities of the KAM, as well as the range of skills and abilities that he must possess, are much wider than the range of skills of the "average" manager or sales person.

The Key Account Manager is the “face” of the company, its “ambassador”, and this is not just an ordinary employee, but a real specialist, a professional in his field, who must combine such skills and competencies, and the following functionality:

the ability to conduct business negotiations;
be able to establish close and trusting relationships with key customers;
salesmanship;
be able to maintain the loyalty of key customers to the company;
consult clients on all issues related to the activities of the company, sold goods, services, orders;
know the specifics of the market and all the "subtleties" of the sphere in which the company operates;
must know foreign languages;
must understand the specifics of the company's activities for each key client;
be able to think “strategically” and anticipate the desires and needs of key customers;
be able to present the company's goods and services, lobby its interests at specialized events, tenders, or in situations where there is an opportunity to find new customers;
must carry out "maintenance" of each client, starting with the first negotiations with him, the conclusion of the transaction, ending with "feedback", that is, collecting information about whether he is satisfied with the purchased goods or services;
must write reports, fulfill the sales plan, prepare commercial proposals, fill out the documentation;
control the implementation of clauses of contracts and all stages when working with key clients, etc.

In addition to the above skills and competencies, KAM – Key Account Manager – should have the following personal qualities: resistance to stress, the ability to listen and hear the interlocutor, a high level of erudition, be client-oriented in work, be able to find your own approach to each person, be able to motivate, have the "gift" of persuasion and the technique of working with objections, speak beautifully and correctly express your thoughts, have a strategic thinking and always be result-oriented.

The responsibilities of a key account manager include personal meetings with customers, at which the terms of cooperation are discussed, all important nuances, and ultimately – deals are made. But even after that, the range of tasks of this specialist does not end: the manager for working with key clients must become a “flagship” for them, a reliable assistant, must constantly “lead” his customers, fulfilling all their requirements and anticipating their wishes.

In addition to this large number of competencies that a key account manager must have, his activities are complicated by the need to communicate with a large circle of people at once, to work with specific personalities and difficult characters. All this only suggests that not every specialist will be able to work in this position, which means that it is necessary to carefully select employees for this vacancy of the company.

The main mistakes when working with key clients

Today, not a single hundred books have been written on the topic of working with key clients of the company. guidelines... Why is this aspect given so much attention? First of all, because working with this category of customers – it is always a great responsibility for the account manager. Any slightest oversight, mistake, delay can cost the entire company the loss of the most promising client, and, therefore, loss of money, which is fraught with very tangible consequences for the business.

By definition, working with key clients of a firm will be difficult, since this category of people has power, money, they have earned a high status with their work, which means they value their time and money. The approach to each such client should be individual and their "service" should be carried out only at the highest level – exactly to the level to which they are accustomed. And it is the key account manager who must be able to meet all the customer's requirements, otherwise, the slightest stupid mistake can cost a lot, and the key customer will simply leave and voluntarily "give" their funds to a competing firm.

What mistakes should a Key Account Specialist not make in the process of interacting with them?

1. Delays are not allowed. The daily activity of a key account manager is based on interaction with people, and in addition to the ability to "find an approach" to each of them, the specialist must be able to earn the trust and respect of his client, and that is why punctuality in this regard – the most important requirement. It is simply unacceptable to be late for meetings with key clients. Each delay tells the buyer only one thing: it is simply not worth working with a company whose employee cannot even come to negotiations on time. This means that a key account specialist simply cannot make such a stupid mistake.

2. Disputes. Each account manager should know the specifics of handling customer objections, since disputes – this is a fairly common problem today for representatives of this profession. When selling goods or services to a client, first of all, you need to be able to listen to him, and even in case of complaints and dissatisfaction of the buyer, the manager must remain attentive, balanced, subtly feel the emotional mood of the interlocutor and be able to tune him in the right way. Don't argue even if the client is wrong. Entering into polemics with him, you risk losing him forever.

3. Another mistake inexperienced key account managers make – they interrupt the interlocutor. It is absolutely impossible to do this. Throughout the meeting, the client must be sure that he is listened to and heard, his opinion is really interested.

4. Lack of information. When working with key clients of a company, a really important aspect is the collection of information about the client's company, a certain "dossier" on him, general information about his income, financial indicators of the history of the creation of the company, possible needs, plans for the development of the company, etc. With all this information, the key account manager gets his hands on a fail-safe weapon, but the manager who comes to the meeting and begins the conversation with the phrase: "Tell us what your company is doing?" immediately gets "minus one hundred points" in his favor. Not a single VIP client will want to deal with a company in which such an incompetent employee works.

5. Insufficient preparation for negotiations. A survey of key clients showed that the vast majority of them get annoyed when they see a company specialist in front of them who is simply not ready to meet. Who did not collect information about the client's company, did not think over the questions, did not take an interest in the client's needs in advance, did not think over interesting proposals that he could voice to the buyer, does not know the specifics of the company and is even poorly aware of the capabilities of his product. Remember: no one tolerates non-professionals, let alone key clients competent in their field.

6. Bad manners. Rules of etiquette and business communication has not been canceled yet. The vast majority of key customers react quite sharply to poor managerial manners – it just annoys them. Every key account manager should be diplomatic, courteous (especially towards the fairer sex), gallant, follow absolutely all the rules of decency, and have good manners. All this will surely help to win over the interlocutor and tune him in the right way.

7. Insufficient knowledge of the product offered to the client. The top 7 mistakes managers make when dealing with key customers include such a common mistake as not knowing their product. If a specialist is not able to give exhaustive answers about his product or service to the client, to interest him, to offer non-standard and effective solutions and "tips" on the use of such a product, then with such a manager the key client will not even talk and waste his time. A manager must be like a fish in water in his field, know all the specifics of the business from "a" to "z" and be able to satisfy the interest of even the most curious and picky client.

Each key account specialist should be a worthy representative of his company, and the requirements for this category of employees are undoubtedly overstated: this is both the ability to sell and knowledge competitive environment, and understanding of the specifics of the client's activities, and the ability to be a psychologist in dealing with him. The main indicator that a key account manager is really doing his job well and is "in place" will be that business relationship with clients will eventually become friendly. In other words, each manager should try to make sure that the key client becomes his friend, tuned in to long-term mutually beneficial cooperation and even mutual assistance. This will be an absolute success.

Key Account Manager is a manager whose job is to establish contacts with the main clients of the organization. This position is found in many trading firms and agencies.

Key Account Manager Concept

For this profession, the generally accepted abbreviation is "KAM", which is an abbreviation of the English name Key account manager. The main duties of the employee holding this position are to motivate the main customers of the organization to develop long-term cooperation.

It is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question "What is KAM?" In essence, it is this specialist who connects the key clients of an economic entity with the latter. His actions should be aimed at meeting the needs of such clients, while he should provide consulting assistance in choosing the best option for the client's business.

Which customers are considered key?

Sales organizations and agencies have many clients that individually generate little revenue for these organizations.

The work of KAM is aimed at ensuring that the clients who bring the company 10-20% of the income for the longest possible period of time cooperate with this economic entity.

Key customers include those who are leaders in the considered market segment, bring high profits to the organization in question (there may be few such customers, but in aggregate they can bring up to 70-80% of profits), provide new opportunities to increase sales volumes, consider the organization in which KAM works as a reliable partner.

Thus, another answer to the question "What is KAM?" will be like this: this is a manager who works with his head, which differs from the average sales manager, whose main working body is legs.

Account manager tasks

The tasks of the KAM are reduced to the implementation of the implementation plan in the territory assigned to it, the identification of key customers with an analysis of their potential, priority and new opportunities for doing business in the organization, contact with leading specialists, management of partners, organizing purchases from leading suppliers, carrying out a tender work, if such is provided for an economic entity, work with distributors, holding and participating in major events, drawing up reports.

Job responsibilities of KAM

The responsibilities of a Key Account Manager are as follows:

research of markets of interest to the organization he represents, negotiating with potential clients;
expansion of sales channels;
maintaining key clients;

statistical processing of information when drawing up an implementation plan;
processing orders of key customers;
informational support of the above-named clients;
solution of conflicts and claims from customers.

What are the requirements of the employer for applicants for the position in question

A key account manager must have business acumen, intuition, tact, be capable of analysis, and to some extent even be a psychologist. Like most employees of the organization, the applicant for this position is required to have a higher education and knowledge of a foreign language. In addition, he must have a good coverage of the product of the organization he represents, understand how pricing is done, and marketing strategy, as well as paperwork in legal entitythat he represents. He must have the skills of business communication, be stress-resistant, have an active life position.

In addition, employers want to see in the KAM positions specialists with sales skills or with VIP-clients who would have the following main characteristics:

a combination of assertiveness and tact;
ability to work as a team;
understanding of business laws and sales techniques;
holding marketing research on the work of customers and competitors;
presentable appearance;
knowledge of workflow.

Thus, the third answer to the question "What is KAM?" the following will serve: this is the position in which a general specialist should work, taking care of the interests of the company and of his own, since the salary of KAM directly depends on the profit received by this organization.

Most often, this position is occupied by PR people, advertisers, sales managers with their own client base.

Positive and negative aspects of KAM's activities

The Key Account Manager job has its positive and negative sides, just like any other job that involves communicating with people.

One of the main positive qualities is that successful work in this position allows you to achieve career growth. It should be understood that this can be achieved if necessary knowledge, intuition and ability to communicate with people.

The negative point is that even a successful activity does not always contribute to the implementation of a specialist in a particular organization. If the company conducts an ineffective marketing policy, then the employee will not be able to fully disclose.

Competence of KAM

The fulfillment of the tasks listed in the previous section presupposes that the Key Account Manager has the following competencies:

be able to identify customers in the category under consideration by potential joint growth by analyzing NPV and other basic indicators;
understand business strategies, market behavior, methods used by their clients in their daily work;
develop strategies for the organization that KAM represents, focused on the VIP client, which would work for the benefit of both the customer and the business entity in which the manager works;
develop complete business proposals for the group of clients in question, in which all divisions of the organization should be involved, as well as, if necessary, external resources;
create effective communications with the heads of organizations and departments of both your organization and your partner;
create commercial strategies, from the implementation of which all parties involved should benefit;
resolve conflict situations within the limits of their authority;
implement communication and sales strategies, using the resources that are necessary to achieve the set goals.

Income level when working in the position in question

The fourth answer to the question "What is KAM?" will be like this: "This is a position held by a specific person who, like all people, wants to be rewarded for his work."

His earnings are very rarely fixed. The main part of income is interest from transactions. They can come both from the transaction amount and from the received margin. If interest is charged on the transaction amount, then it provides for an agency fee, which can range from 5%, if the transaction is large - up to 15% - for medium transactions.

When effective work KAM's income level can exceed 10,000 euros, with ineffective - its size will be about 10,000 rubles.

Finally

The abbreviation "KAM" comes from the English Key Account Manager. A person holding this position can receive both high and low salaries, which is largely determined by the effectiveness of his work. This manager must build relationships with clients that individually bring at least 10% of the income of the organization that KAM represents. Clients can be different, so he must be a psychologist, and an analyst, and a linguist, and a manager, and a specialist in document management. He must develop various strategies that lead to the improvement of the performance of both the organization in which KAM is employed and the key customers. An employer may be looking for a manager with experience, but he is more expensive than one with little or no experience in the position. If the organization does not have such financial resources that would facilitate the recruitment of experienced KAMs, it is better to grow your own staff.

Key Account Manager - one of the key figures in the company. He enters into contracts with clients that bring the company the main income. Duties key Account Manager consist of many points, and the main result of his activity is a fulfilled (or better - overfulfilled) plan. In case of non-fulfillment of the plan, the variable part of the KAM salary can significantly decrease.

Key Account Manager Job Description

APPROVED
General director
Surname I.O. ________________
"________" _____________ ____

1. General Provisions

1.1. Key Account Manager is a professional.
1.2. The key account manager is appointed and dismissed by the order of the director of the enterprise on the presentation commercial director.
1.3. The key account manager reports directly to the head of the sales department (development director, commercial director).
1.4. During the absence of a key account manager, his rights and responsibilities are transferred to another official, which is announced in the order for the organization.
1.5. A key account manager is assigned a person who has higher education and at least 2 years of experience in sales.
1.6. A Key Account Manager is guided in his activities by:
- legislative acts of the Russian Federation;
- Company Charter, Internal Labor Regulations, other company regulations;
- the established financial and economic practice in this area;
- rules for concluding and executing contracts for the supply of products;
- real job description.

2. Job responsibilities of Key Account Manager

The Key Account Manager has the following job responsibilities:

2.1. Based on department plans, plans individual sales volumes and individual targets to develop an active customer base.
2.2. Schedules visits and calls to clients on a weekly basis.
2.3. In accordance with the schedule (and, if necessary, outside the schedule) regularly calls up and personally visits existing and potential customers, conducts all the necessary negotiations with them about the terms of sale of goods and the procedure for making payments.
2.4. Organizes preparation and conclusion of contracts with new clients, if necessary - re-execution of contracts with existing clients.
2.5. In accordance with the procedure established at the enterprise, it carries out a set of measures to check the reliability and creditworthiness of customers.
2.6. He personally accepts orders from all key customers, transferring technical work (entering orders into a computer) to the sales support department.
2.7. If necessary, he advises the client on the optimal preparation of an order, based on the specifics of the client's business and on the company's strategic focus on long-term cooperation with this key client.
2.8. Within the framework of the conditions set forth in clause 7, as well as taking into account the quality of the client's existing debt and his credit history, he strives for the maximum order size not only in terms of volume, but also in terms of assortment.
2.9. Based on the rules and regulations in force in the company, it determines the amount of discounts (price list column). In case of occurrence non-standard situation, consults with the head of the department.
2.10. Carries out merchandising.
2.11. Keeps track of the execution of orders made and mutual settlements with its clients. Analyzes cases of returns and refusals. Takes steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
2.12. Leads work on training customer staff in methods of increasing the efficiency of sales of company goods.
2.13. Provides timely and full return of receivables from its clients. Takes all possible measures for the immediate and complete collection of overdue receivables.
2.14. If necessary and in accordance with the rules adopted at the enterprise, participates in the preparation of acts and other documents for shortages, re-grading, etc.
2.15. Keeps a history of sales for each of its clients, and also collects and organizes all available information about existing and potential customers in their market segment, their needs, and the prospects for developing trade relations with them.
2.16. Collects and organizes all available information about competitors, always tries to keep abreast of all changes in the market, is always ready to adequately respond to the actions of competitors.
2.17. At the request of the management, it evaluates the sales prospects in the assigned market segment, prepares proposals for adjusting the range and prices.
2.18. In the presence of appropriate management decisions, it works to stimulate sales, to implement special programs of discounts and bonuses, and other sales promotions.
2.19. He is constantly improving his professional level.
2.20. Provides timely and reliable execution of all required reporting and other working documentation.
2.21. Provides a mode of keeping trade secrets.
2.22. Maintains good working relationships within the workforce.
2.23. Carries out office assignments of his immediate supervisor and direct superiors.

3. Rights of a key account manager

A Key Account Manager has the right to:

3.1. To represent the interests of the enterprise in relations with clients on the issues of marketing organization.
3.2. Get acquainted with the decisions of the company's management regarding the procurement and marketing of products.
3.3. Submit proposals for improving product sales to the commercial director.
3.4. Interact with employees of all structural units enterprises.
3.5. Request, personally or on behalf of the immediate supervisor, information and documents from the heads of departments and specialists necessary for the performance of their official duties.
3.6. To inform the immediate supervisor about all the shortcomings in the activities of the enterprise revealed in the course of fulfilling their duties and make proposals for their elimination.

4. Key Account Manager Responsibility

The Key Account Manager is responsible for:

1. For improper performance or non-performance of their duties provided for by this job description - within the limits determined by the current labor legislation of the Russian Federation.
2. For causing material damage - within the limits determined by the current labor and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.
3. For non-fulfillment of the sales plan, the plan for the active client base, the plan for new clients - within the variable part of the salary.

The Key Account Manager is responsible for maintaining relationships with the most important partners to the firm. Therefore, he must remember that one cannot look at clients only as a source of income, such an attitude is always intuitively felt and repulsive. It is important to be able to strike a balance between your own interests and the benefits of your partner.

general description

In Russia, a tradition has developed - to classify people involved in communication with people as managers. The word “manager” has the meaning of “managing others,” and a key account manager usually has no subordinates and is only responsible for his own work. The best way would be to call such a person simply a "specialist."

However, we will not delve into the terminology. The profession Key Account Manager (KAM), or key account manager, is found in trading companies and all kinds of agencies, such as advertising. Interaction with clients is the most important part of any business, so the company's specialization is not fundamental here, it only corrects the work of a specialist and clarifies the tasks facing him.

Interaction with customers is the most important part of any business

KAM is engaged in maintaining relations with the most important clients for the company, forms commercial proposals, conducts an initial presentation and subsequent meetings, concludes contracts on behalf of the company. He takes part in the development of pricing policy, decides on discounts or special conditions for partners, and also controls the process and timing of the provision of goods or services, compliance with agreements. A key account manager must be able to predict possible difficulties in the work and quickly solve problems.

Education

Many employers agree that a key account manager needs a college degree, but which one is not so important. Ideally, KAM needs knowledge in marketing and human psychology. Consequently, psychological education can become the main one, and marketing courses can be additional. Having a Marketing Degree is not that important because the main job of a Key Account Manager is to connect with real people. Employers, on the other hand, give preference not to a pretty line in the "Education" column, but to a similar work experience of an applicant for this position.

Related careers

Former marketers or advertising and PR specialists come into this profession - as a rule, they are attracted by the opportunity to significantly increase their level of income. Often, former sales or advertising managers who have developed the skills and client base to supervise independently are applying for the KAM position. important projects and lead the main customers of the company. Long-term and stable relationships with various organizations are always useful, regardless of what the potential employer is doing. All companies are one way or another focused on sales, so the areas of interest of many of them very often overlap.

Functional responsibilities

KAM's work begins with market research and identification of potential strategic clients - those with whom cooperation should become one of the main sources of income for the company. Then he contacts them. Having established the initial contact, the key account manager, with the help of specialists from other departments, forms commercial proposal, in which the potential client should be shown the benefits of cooperation. It is formed very carefully, based on knowledge of the market, the client and his needs. The better the analysis of a potential partner is, the more likely it is to interest him in a specific proposal. Then the next step will be a personal meeting.

Svetlana N. has been working with clients for several years, now - in advertising agency... Prior to that, she was an advertising and sales manager. According to her, the first personal meeting is a very important element in building relationships. After all, the success of further cooperation will depend on how people have managed to find a common language with each other. Svetlana says that at a meeting, a person first of all evaluates himself, and only then a partner, so communication takes place not only on the verbal, but also on the non-verbal, energetic level.

After the parties agree to start work, the details of cooperation are discussed separately, then an agreement is signed and the process of providing goods or services begins.

KAM makes sure that both sides comply with mutual obligations, so that there are no overlaps.

A key account manager should not only constantly look for and attract new clients to cooperation, but also keep existing ones in sight, track changes in their business and, based on this, adjust interaction with them. He also needs to painstakingly manage the client base, collect all available information about the company, right down to customer reviews and his own observations.

Skills and qualities

The main tools used in the work of KAM are the ability to understand the psychology of people, business communication skills and knowledge of the product (product or service) offered by the company represented by the manager. In addition, the ability to “program” oneself for good luck is very important in the work of such specialists. “You need to be able to compose the right message to the client. “By“ betting ”anyone and anything, you can make a deal only once - the second time it won't work,” Svetlana shares her reflections.

A good key account manager must have a business acumen, know where to make money, but at the same time be tactful, have a developed intuition and understand when to stop, stop putting pressure on the client so as not to overdo it. Otherwise, the deal may fail.

A good key account manager must have a business acumen

KAM must also have good intellectual ability and analytical thinking. Separately, it should be noted such a skill as knowledge foreign languages... The number of companies that cooperate with foreign partners is constantly increasing today. Knowledge of English is required to become a Key Account Manager in a large organization.

Pros and cons of the profession

This profession involves constant contact with people. It is suitable for those who have an active lifestyle, are able to analyze the situation and make predictions. The advantage of this profession is that a key account manager can quickly build a career by taking higher positions in the company due to his personal charm and ability to win over people. Another positive point is the ability to receive very high wages. But since the level of compensation depends not only on the skills and abilities of the specialist, but also on the capabilities of the company as a whole, the factor of the instability of earnings, the dependence of the level of income on the number of transactions made and the interest received will be a disadvantage for many candidates.

The level of compensation depends not only on the skills and abilities of the specialist, but also on the capabilities of the company as a whole

Problems can arise when the skills and abilities of a specialist are not fully in demand specific company... For example, a good person falls victim to a bad marketing organization. There is only one way out of this situation - the search for a new job.

Salary

Key account managers are rarely paid as a fixed salary. Most of them receive interest on transactions. The percentage can come from the margin - from the difference between the cost of the product and the amount for which it was sold - or from the total amount of the transaction. The latter includes the so-called agency fee, it is from it that bonuses are awarded to the manager. The size of the agency fee can vary from 10 to 15% of the transaction amount, if the transaction is medium, and be equal to about 5% if the transaction is large.

Wage of a key account manager during the “productive” and “lean” months for the company may differ significantly - from 10 thousand rubles to 10 thousand euros per month and even more. KAM's earnings depend not only on personal skills, but also on the company's capabilities - how long it can provide a given product or service. If an organization fails to fulfill its obligations in a timely manner, for example, for some reason delays the process of providing a service, this will negatively affect both its reputation and the profit received.

Perspectives

A successful Key Account Manager may subsequently take on the position of Sales Manager, Development Director, or Commercial Director. Careeris usually determined by the number of successful deals.

With regard to financial prospects, then how larger company, the larger the deal and the more bonus KAM gets. Therefore, when looking for a job, job seekers should first of all pay attention not to the "Salary" column in the job description, since there may be a fantastic amount, but to the scale of the company and its business reputation in the market.

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