Strategic Account Management: A Leadership Perspective
Posted by Ron Snyder in Account planning | 0 comments
This is a summary of an interview with Victoria Hibbits, VP of Imaging Sales, Government and Complex Accounts at McKesson. Victoria Hibbits is the VP of Imaging Sales, Government and Complex Accounts at McKesson. She is responsible for Government and Key Accounts for Imaging Workflow Solutions. She has played leadership roles, directing national account and government account efforts at a number of other medical equipment manufacturers, including Siemens, Acuson, Stentor and Vital Images. Here is what she had to say about the importance of account management and how to do it effectively.
7 Strategies for Maximizing Account Planning Success
Posted by Ron Snyder in Account planning | 4 comments
By Ron Snyder and Marty Levy
One of the most important sales battlefields is the account. Winning at an account is more than winning a deal. In account management, you are seeking to earn a position of trust at your customer that enables you to grow and build your business over an extended period of time. Maximizing your share of the dollars your accounts spend in your product/service area is a key driver of sales success. The strategy decisions you make that position you to participate in and win an ever-increasing share of your customer's business are critical. Account managers should choose carefully the strategies in their key account plan that will yield the maximum results over time.Account Planning is a Team Sport
Posted by Ron Snyder in Account planning | 0 comments
How do you approach account planning? Is it an individual or a team sport? Michael Jordan and LeBron James couldn’t win without great teams behind them. Similarly, even superstar Account Managers need a team of supporters behind them to succeed. When doing account planning we tend to focus on having the Account Manager develop “his/her” plan. Shouldn’t the entire account team be involved in building the account plan for your most important customers?
6 Account Management Worst Practices to Avoid
Posted by Ron Snyder in Account planning | 0 comments
What is the worst account management practice you've ever seen? Given the complexity of selling to large accounts today, it is easy to miss something that will end up costing you a lot of business. Further, one of the most important elements of account management is laying a good foundation. Without this, everything else is more difficult if not impossible! Poor account management causes the following problems.
- Missing important opportunities to win new business in the account.
- An inefficient sales process that unnecessarily increases sales cycle length.
- Creating unnecessary stalls in the sales process.
- Losing business you could have won.
- Selling at a greater discount than necessary.
Planning for the New Year: Six Fatal Planning Mistakes
Posted by Ron Snyder in Account planning | 0 comments
As published in the Selling Power Blog (October 1, 2012) As you prepare for success in the new year, here are six common planning mistakes to avoid to ensure you achieve your goals. Those sales managers engaged in complex, value-based selling should be especially vigilant to avoid these fatal mistakes. You need a plan to win!
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