In many cases, organisations implementing strategic account management plan a long, methodical change programme. Occasionally, though, the business environment demands rapid change where time to experiment and prove the payoff is simply not available.

This was true at SN Brussels Airlines at the start of 2003. Its CEO, Peter Davies, sought not only to introduce a radical new way of looking after its corporate travelers but also he wanted this implemented urgently. Within three months a new and separate corporate account unit was designed and launched.

The new unit has proven to be very successful, resulting in significant increases in sales and the acquisition of several new accounts. This article outlines SN Brussels Airlines’ story—how this business, while operating in a harsh climate, used strategic account management to outperform the industry.

Published in Focus Europe by the Strategic Account Management Association, Volume 3, No. 4, 2003