Characteristics of
Strategic Account Manager
Top Performers

Top performing Strategic Account Managers are characterized by a desire to step up and take charge. These individuals do not sit back and wait for someone else to give the orders or set the plans for goal accomplishment. They champion their own area and follow through on the tasks and responsibilities they have taken on. Top performers do not hesitate to push their own ideas or direction. A strong results orientation and an emphasis on accomplishing the goals that were set forth are evident in a top performer. They exercise personal control over their planning and action steps and respond favorably to constructive criticism that will help them to increase their effectiveness in the future. Top performers value the success they can achieve in their professional lives and will set their careers as a top priority.

Top performers work at keeping their technical competencies up-to-date. They are not reliant upon others' expertise in unfamiliar areas, but invest the time and effort to ask questions, learn about changes in the market or industry, and gather the information critical to keeping on top of their job. Not only are they committed to staying informed and expert on product applications, top performers are skilled at passing relevant information on to others in a training or coaching role. The emphasis is on sharing information that is pertinent and can be retained by those being taught. Elaborate bells and whistles with high entertainment value are not as important as developing a training method that will have a lasting educational impact. Sharing advice and information is not merely a discipline for top performing Strategic Account Managers. They gain personal satisfaction from the opportunity to help others, and consequently, will go out of their way to help or advise others. They want to see others benefit from their learning, and will adopt a very patient and encouraging approach.

Job Survey Items that Correlate with Strategic Account Manager Performance

Working "principles" of Top Strategic Account Managers:

• Learn how to meet and interact with your customers' top decision makers
• Never take your competitor for granted; they'll usually surprise you
• Set realistic goals, and be prepared for the stress of last minute problems or changes that will come with no warning
• Get to work before everybody else does
• Know your customers' needs and concerns intimately
• Help customers even in areas unrelated to your product or service
• Only bend the rules when it's necessary to service the customer
• Remember that competitors may sometimes offer better service
• Make sure your customers know when a problem has been solved and know you know

The mistaken "mind set" of less effective SAM's:

• The best thing about this job is the freedom it offers
• I get so much information it's hard to keep up with it all
• We could do better if we had better marketing materials
• Marketing will keep us appraised of what the competition is doing

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