Account Management Strategy

Customer Management, in particular key account management, is a multi-dimensional task: you only need to review the list of Imonic services to see the range of 'component' services that fit together under this one discipline.

While there is a logical sequence to many of these account management activities, which you apply and in what order all depends on your starting point e.g. what resources and skills you have internally, and most importantly what it is you're setting out to achieve and demonstrate you've achieved.

For an organisation that's just striking out in this area, our recommendation is to concentrate on doing the basics well. Refinement and sophistication can be added later, once you've got the fundamentals in place.

A common mistake is that of trying to "eat the elephant whole". Customers are not created equal and attention paid to selection and categorisation (segmentation) in the early stages will pay handsomely later on.

At Imonic, we've developed and trademarked a process for high value customer management called KAD™ (Key Account Development). It has provided a solution to many of our clients who wanted a pre-defined process from the outset, with a logical sequence of stages over an agreed time plan to deliver measurable results.

Imonic work with prospective clients to assess needs, agree objectives and plan the provision of our services in modules (menu picking), to meet those objectives, resulting in the development of a phased account strategy programme that meets specific and tailored client needs.

In summary, key components of a successful key account development programme would often include the following modules:

• Choosing which customers upon which to set growth or retention objectives.
• Appraising your performance with those customers.
• Performance improvement.
  • Process improvement.
  • Skill improvement via training and coaching.
  • Key account planning (with specific actions and account targets).
• Adding value to the account through the implementation of customer preferences that you can supply and they are willing to pay for.
• Customer re-appraisal of performance, after impact.

Imonic key account programmes are precisely tailored and explicitly measurable, they are also highly "customer driven". Imonic have synthesised the key steps. Visit the KAD™ Key Account Development page for more information.