Any programme of Key Account Management training must be tailored to the precise needs of the business and market, particularly given that: the nature of any KAM strategy and practice must be based, first and foremost, on the nature of the Key Accounts themselves.
A typical implementation programme might involve the steps illustrated below.
Formal workshops are followed by application tasks, that prepare for the subsequent workshops. The intention is that live KA teams will be formed and developed through this process. The KA Manager is helped to take on an increasing responsibility for progress throughout the programme.
Objectives: As a result of attending this workshop, the KA Managers will:
Understand the purpose, benefits, requirements and implications of KAM
Develop clear objectives and plans for their own key accounts
Be able to manage the customer relationship towards planned goals
Develop responses and plans designed to achieve Key Supplier Status
Assess the impact of the purchasing revolution, and the necessary responses
Use tools to assess the customer's business strategy and lead drivers, and develop solutions that make a positive impact
Be able to identify the customer's decision making process, so developing entry strategies and contact plan
Be able to develop Added Value Solutions using activity cycle analysis
Outline Agenda
Definitions, Purpose, Benefits and Implications of KAM
To establish that KAM is a team based selling activity that starts with an assessment of the true customer opportunity.
The true opportunity only emerges after understanding two things:
Chains - The customer's place in the market chain
Snails - The customer's decision making process
Planning and application workshops
i.Draw out the full opportunity chain surrounding the target customers
ii.Identify the nature, and members of, the customer's decision snail
The Relationship Development Model
Moving from hunter to farmer mode
Moving from bow tie to diamond teams
Team and individual GROWs (Goals, Roles, Obligations, Work Plans)
Planning and application workshops
i.Identify the ideal diamond team
ii.Draw up appropriate 'Team GROWs'
iii.What implications does establishing a true diamond team have on structure, organization, reporting lines, levels of authority, communication and etc?
Entry Strategies - selling to the organization
Build the appropriate Diamond Team through an understanding of the customer's decision-making process, and through a planned and ordered penetration of their decision making units (DMUs)
DMU analysis
The Contact Matrix
GROWs (Goals, roles, obligations, work plans)
The Hartwright Hospital Case study
Planning and application workshops
i.Draw up the Contact Matrix for one of your own key accounts
ii.Draw up the GROWs for each team member
Key Supplier Status - The Purchasing Revolution
Examine the impact of a range of new purchasing strategies and tactics - in particular how they demand a change in the way we interact with the customers purchasing professionals
Supply chain management
Centralised purchasing organization
Supplier evaluation, supplier positioning, and supplier rationalisation
The use of e-business the pursuit of measured value received
Planning and application workshops
i.Identifying the key issues in your own key accounts
ii.Identify measurable, relevant, and rewardable value based propositions
Added Value Solutions - selling beyond products
Through an analysis of how the customer interacts with you and your products - from initial sourcing, through use and on to the impact on their own development, manufacturing, marketing and sales activities - to identify the potential for constructing positive impact solutions:
Shared Future Analysis
Activity Cycle Analysis
Planning and application workshops
i.Activity Cycle Analysis
ii.Identify and construct new solution based propositions
Obstacles, Requirements, and Planning for Action
Identify the obstacles that lie within current organization, structure, processes and etc.
Identify the requirements in terms of skills, communications, disciplines and processes - to include the creation of formal written key account plans.
The ideal KA Manager and team
Key Account Selection
Measuring account profitability
Key Account Plans
Planning and application workshops
i.Set appropriate long and short-term targets for each key account
ii.Prepare the format for a practical written KA plan
