Key Account Manager Skills and Abilities
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 6:57 am
Unlike regular employees, a key account manager carries out an important mission, representing the interests of his company. He must have deep knowledge in the professional field, possess a number of skills and abilities, and perform various functions:
participate in business negotiations;
facilitate the formation and strengthening of relationships with key clients;
engage in sales;
ensure a high level of trust in the brand among key customers;
provide customers with detailed explanations regarding business operations and product sales;
understand the nuances of the market advertising data package and the numerous aspects associated with carrying out activities in a specific area;
understand foreign languages;
have an understanding of the specifics of each key client’s business;
have strategic thinking and anticipate the intentions of key clients;
tell customers about the product in detail, promote the brand among members of the business community or in conditions that are conducive to the growth of the customer base;
accompany individual consumers at all stages of working with them, from accepting an application and discussing the terms of the agreement to receiving feedback characterizing the degree of satisfaction with the purchase made;
generate reports, monitor plan implementation, develop commercial proposals, maintain documentation;
monitor compliance with the terms of the agreement and the implementation of all activities within the framework of interaction with key clients.
The list of skills of a key account manager should also include personal qualities: the ability to remain calm, achieve understanding, developed intellect, attentive attitude to the client, the ability to gain the trust of the interlocutor, arouse interest, speak convincingly and prove one's case, clearly formulate one's position, the ability to foresee events and invariably achieve the intended goal.
An important part of the key account manager's work is holding direct meetings with customers to clarify all the details of cooperation and, accordingly, signing contracts. However, the manager continues to maintain contacts with key customers - he needs to act as a guide, provide them with any assistance, respond to all their requests and identify their needs.
Thus, the job description of a key account manager involves solving many issues. At the same time, another problem arises - he is forced to interact with different partners in parallel, take into account their characteristics and find a personal approach. From all this it follows that only a few specialists are ready to occupy this position, so the search for candidates for this position must be approached with the utmost responsibility.
Case: VT-metall
Find out how we reduced the cost of attracting an application by 13 times for a metalworking company in Moscow
Find out how
Where to Find a Good Key Account Manager
To find a key account manager that meets your requirements, it is worth using job search sites. There is always someone to choose from - for each published vacancy there are about 15 responses from applicants.
First of all, a resume of a key account manager should reflect experience in this area, knowledge of the market specifics and achievement of various key indicators. These criteria allow you to immediately exclude unsuitable candidates from consideration. It is also necessary to take into account which clients were considered key - each company interprets this term in its own way, taking into account both the cost of production and the gross volume of production.
It is important to remember that real professionals have high demands for wages - if they are not satisfied with the working conditions, they may well leave the company, taking the client base with them.
Client base
Source: shutterstock.com
The organization can also resort to another method - to select its own employee and prepare him for this role until he has the required qualifications. In the previous case, you will immediately have an experienced specialist, although this will involve the nuances discussed above. When preparing a full-time manager, you spend time and money, and the end result will not always meet your expectations.
When meeting candidates for the position of KAM, it is best to choose candidates who are committed to cooperation and professional growth. The manner of communication and character traits, as well as the level of actual skills of the applicant, are of great importance.
Sample pool of interview ques
participate in business negotiations;
facilitate the formation and strengthening of relationships with key clients;
engage in sales;
ensure a high level of trust in the brand among key customers;
provide customers with detailed explanations regarding business operations and product sales;
understand the nuances of the market advertising data package and the numerous aspects associated with carrying out activities in a specific area;
understand foreign languages;
have an understanding of the specifics of each key client’s business;
have strategic thinking and anticipate the intentions of key clients;
tell customers about the product in detail, promote the brand among members of the business community or in conditions that are conducive to the growth of the customer base;
accompany individual consumers at all stages of working with them, from accepting an application and discussing the terms of the agreement to receiving feedback characterizing the degree of satisfaction with the purchase made;
generate reports, monitor plan implementation, develop commercial proposals, maintain documentation;
monitor compliance with the terms of the agreement and the implementation of all activities within the framework of interaction with key clients.
The list of skills of a key account manager should also include personal qualities: the ability to remain calm, achieve understanding, developed intellect, attentive attitude to the client, the ability to gain the trust of the interlocutor, arouse interest, speak convincingly and prove one's case, clearly formulate one's position, the ability to foresee events and invariably achieve the intended goal.
An important part of the key account manager's work is holding direct meetings with customers to clarify all the details of cooperation and, accordingly, signing contracts. However, the manager continues to maintain contacts with key customers - he needs to act as a guide, provide them with any assistance, respond to all their requests and identify their needs.
Thus, the job description of a key account manager involves solving many issues. At the same time, another problem arises - he is forced to interact with different partners in parallel, take into account their characteristics and find a personal approach. From all this it follows that only a few specialists are ready to occupy this position, so the search for candidates for this position must be approached with the utmost responsibility.
Case: VT-metall
Find out how we reduced the cost of attracting an application by 13 times for a metalworking company in Moscow
Find out how
Where to Find a Good Key Account Manager
To find a key account manager that meets your requirements, it is worth using job search sites. There is always someone to choose from - for each published vacancy there are about 15 responses from applicants.
First of all, a resume of a key account manager should reflect experience in this area, knowledge of the market specifics and achievement of various key indicators. These criteria allow you to immediately exclude unsuitable candidates from consideration. It is also necessary to take into account which clients were considered key - each company interprets this term in its own way, taking into account both the cost of production and the gross volume of production.
It is important to remember that real professionals have high demands for wages - if they are not satisfied with the working conditions, they may well leave the company, taking the client base with them.
Client base
Source: shutterstock.com
The organization can also resort to another method - to select its own employee and prepare him for this role until he has the required qualifications. In the previous case, you will immediately have an experienced specialist, although this will involve the nuances discussed above. When preparing a full-time manager, you spend time and money, and the end result will not always meet your expectations.
When meeting candidates for the position of KAM, it is best to choose candidates who are committed to cooperation and professional growth. The manner of communication and character traits, as well as the level of actual skills of the applicant, are of great importance.
Sample pool of interview ques