Don’t Gamble with GAM

How BC Components reduced the risk of their GAM Programme

Leif Schwan arrived at BC components in August 1999. “I had been bought in by the new management team to try and change our approach to our major customers” It had only been 8 months since BCc had become a stand-alone company and there was clear need for a change in the approach towards our major/global customers.

Leif explains. “In some senses we were too close to Philips and there was a cosy belief that we would always be their preferred global supplier.” However, The customer base also includes companies like Nokia, Siemens and Alcatel.

BCc found that the historic relationship with Philips had little significance to building future relationships with these global accounts – and that included Philips! “The management team was adamant that we needed to improve our Global Account Management (GAM) and could not rely on old cosy relationships to power our future growth” says Leif.   Unfortunately, there had already been earlier failed attempts to introduce effective GAM across BCc so the workforce was anything but receptive for another assault.

Published in Focus Europe by the Strategic Account Management Association, 2001