As
large customers get more demanding, B2B companies need not to resign themselves
to take a beating on price. Collaborative selling can help companies create and
capture more value-but only if they improve their approach to customers, the
organisation, and collaborative investments.
“Better B2B Selling” The McKinsey Quarterly June 2005
Finding profitable growth from your key customers elusive?
Companies who eagerly seek out large accounts often find that these clients are
both demanding and unprofitable - it’s easy to be pushed around by these
two-ton gorillas. Many companies are forced to sacrifice profit margins in
order to keep their key accounts happy and their revenue streams secure.
The most effective teams are adept at managing their account portfolios to be
both growing and profitable even when faced with the toughest of procurement
departments.
Profit Protection: The Value Led Approach
For account teams trying to create and deliver more profitable offerings,
scrutinizing the value chains of customers is an important starting point. Only
then can account strategies be developed based on a deeper understanding of
their customers’ economics.
However when account teams are struggling to develop a real-time view of their
customer’s own strategy and competitive pressures it is not uncommon for
account teams to develop a narrow picture that fails to deliver the planned
results.
Account managers who can create both an in-depth and real-time view of a
customers’ internal strategy, economics and decision making network will be in
a better position to pro-actively create solutions that demand higher margins
and more loyal customers.
Embedding strategic account management as part of the DNA
To be effective, account managers must form an evolving strategy for every
account along with the tactics to create an ongoing campaign that delivers
results. The traditional process of ad-hoc account planning, the occasional
off-site session, data intensive CRM systems and static template-based account
plans simply don’t work.
Xmonic’s technology solutions along with its expert Consulting, Training,
Coaching, and Monitoring services help teams to create a systemized and
collaborative approach to account growth and profit maximization.
To learn more about our solutions
contact us directly or click on the links below to learn more.
|