BACKGROUND

Our client is a world-leading manufacturer of fastening systems.  

What experience does Obsidian have in this sector?

Obsidian has worked with many organisations to both develop a strategic approach to Key Account Management (KAM) and also to train staff in the methodology. Obsidian also worked closely with the City and Guilds accreditation body to help develop the NVQ in Key Account Management.

Nature of client's problem

Our client was looking to adopt within their sales team the KAM approach and to focus their external sales staff on the requirement to develop their activity on selected major accounts.  

The client chose Obsidian because of our experience in the field, our facilitative approach to running the workshops, and our relationship with the client built-up over several years.

Obsidian's experience in this problem area

Obsidian’s specialist consultant had fifteen years of direct sales experience where this approach was essential in developing business.

Objectives of Product/service offered by Obsidian

The overall objective of the programme was to provide a thorough background in Key Account Management to the sales team. The specific objectives of the programme were to enable the attendees:

• to fully understand the process of Key Account Management and the role of an Account Manager;
• to develop a strategy to efficiently manage key accounts;
• to develop a methodology of understanding the account and knowing the buyer;
• to evaluate methods of managing the account and the competition;
• to implement the key account management process on actual accounts during the programme.

How the assignment was carried out

The programme was two days duration designed to meet the specific needs of the client’s sales team.  

It was based on the following six stage approach:  

• Defining Key Accounts - Identifying Selection Criteria.
• Developing a Strategic Plan for each Account - Long and Short term Objectives and Supporting Strategies.
• Understanding the Account - Business Environment; Company Culture; External Forces and Maturity Level.
• Knowing the Buyers within the Account - Structure;Power Base; Decision Making Process and Buyer Motivation.
• Managing the Account internally - Team Selling; Recording Processes and Procedures.
• Managing the Competition - the Competitive Matrix and Competitive Strategies.

The programme concentrated on how to develop major key accounts and can best be described as a strategic approach to selling. Selling on its own is not enough, understanding the markets and customers of your own “Key Accounts”, understanding the business and “Managing the Account” are critical for success.

This programme therefore provided the platform of selling skills required to fully maximise results within key accounts in a defined strategic manner.

Benefits for the client

The key benefit to our approach is that by working on actual accounts within the workshop the KAM process starts to become integrated within the sales activity of the organisation.