Key Account Academy
Skills Modules Library

Skills Modules Library

The Academy material is divided into broad topics which we call Series.

Each Series is divided into Modules and each Module is further divided into Units for ease of study.

Foundations Series

The best place to start is with the Foundations Series which covers the really important issues of Account Management and their implications to you and your business. The main Series will assume a good knowledge of the Foundations.

Strategic Growth Planning Series

Every Key/Strategic Account must have a well-thought out Strategic Growth Plan which defines clearly the opportunities for growth for the coming 12-24 months, the value to be delivered to the customer for each opportunity and the action plan. This is a practical Series requiring the Manager to develop a Plan for one account. This Series will be launched in quarter one of 2020.

Depth Customer Knowledge Series

Long term growth demands the Account Manager identifies how the customer will be better off (the value) and this can only be achieved when the Account Manager has a detailed understanding of the customer, its strategic objectives and strategy and the implications of the strategy along with a good knowledge of the customer’s own market and market trends. This Series will be launched in quarter two of 2020.

Negotiation Series

The ability to negotiate with the key account is a core skill which must be practiced regularly. The Series sets out the core aspects of effective negotiation and then explores personal style and the steps in the negotiating process. Managers will discuss and practice the skills in role play exercises with colleagues to test strategies and communication. This Series will be launched in quarter three of 2020.

Value Identification and Creation Series

Ultimately success with key and strategic customers is dependent upon the level of value delivered by the supplier. Whilst all Manager talk about value the reality is that identifying and creating value is a difficult process and not one which should be taken lightly. This Series introduces a number of techniques for Managers to work in-house and/or directly with the customer’s own management team to identify and create new value. This Series will be launched in quarter four of 2020.

Strategic Pricing

Understanding pricing strategies and the implications on sales and profitability of taking pricing decisions is important for all senior Account Managers with margin responsibility. This Series reviews various pricing strategies and looks at the implications of discounting and altering the terms structure. This Series will be launched in quarter one of 2021.