It is widely accepted that having “the right people” in your Key Account Management (KAM) program is a cornerstone of success. This is especially true of the Account Manager who sits in the middle of an interlocking web of internal and external relationships. It is also widely accepted that there is a shortage of outstanding Account Managers who can operate within this environment very successfully – especially at a global level. However, time and again we see vague and unsupported definitions of what the role of the Account Manager is and the competencies inherent to fulfilling it.
If organizations are to win the Account Manager Talent War they need to know what they are fighting for. A large part of the solution rests with the company’s KAM Competency Framework. This is the Bible of what the job is and the sort of person that needs to be developed to perform it.
