Managing a large number of accounts without sacrificing quality is a common challenge for sales managers. You want to keep your customers happy, generate more revenue, and avoid burnout. But how can you do that when you have dozens or hundreds of accounts to oversee? Here are some tips to help you balance quantity and quality in your account management.
Not all accounts are created equal. Some are more profitable, loyal, or strategic than others. You need to identify which accounts deserve more of your time and attention, and which ones can be handled with less frequency or intensity. You can use criteria such as revenue potential, growth rate, satisfaction level, retention risk, or referral value to rank your accounts and segment them into categories. For example, you can use the ABC method to classify your accounts into A (high value), B (medium value), and C (low value) groups.
It's very important to segment your customers to invest adequate time for each of them. First of all, you need to identify customers' needs. Even the most important client should not receive more time than he wants. After that, you can segment them based in their revenue, actual and potential
You can't deliver quality to every single account. Some SHOULD be more hands-off than others. What you can do, is prioritize accounts and provide top quality to the ones with the highest expansion potential and/or risk of churning. For smaller accounts where you can't personally connect for an hour to ensure top quality, focus on strategies leaning heavily on automation to manage those accounts.
Having been in enterprise-sales for nearly 20y and a front-facing account exec for 12 of them, I can tell you that all customers are important - as one of my execs has told me, all we as suppliers have is a "short-term lease" on these customers. We have to continually make sure - daily - that these customers are happy and gaining value from their interactions with the company (product, account team, customer success team, support team, exec team) - failure in any one of those will be the weak link. It takes a strong account exec to orchestrate/QB these efforts - along with knowing your role. I always introduce myself as just the guy that sends email and buys lunch! Know your team's strengths and put them in a place where they can shine.
This strategy ensures focused attention on key accounts while efficiently managing others. -Account Prioritization: Recognize that accounts vary in profitability, loyalty, and strategic importance. -Rank and Segment Accounts: Use criteria like revenue potential, growth rate, satisfaction level, and retention risk to categorize accounts. -ABC Method: Classify accounts into high value (A), medium value (B), and low value (C) groups, allocating time and resources accordingly.
I leverage my CRM to categorize accounts using a 2x2 matrix based on potential value and close timeframe so I can appropriately tier sales nurturing touchpoints from weekly calls for hottest leads to quarterly emails for long-term targets. Strict calendar blocking maximizes focus on urgent opportunities while also consistently moving lower-tier accounts gradually towards sales readiness. For the largest or most complex deals, I loop in sales engineers or cross-divisional specialist support early to add senior expertise tailored for CxO stakeholders. Though the portfolio remains vast, customizing relationship-building and solution-selling support to ideal customer profiles ensures no client ever feels neglected.
You don't have to do everything yourself. You can leverage your team, your tools, and your processes to delegate and automate tasks that are repetitive, low-impact, or time-consuming. For example, you can assign some of your C accounts to junior sales reps, who can handle the basic service and communication needs. You can also use CRM software, email templates, and scheduling tools to automate tasks such as sending reminders, updates, or follow-ups. This way, you can free up more time and energy for your A and B accounts, where you can add more value and build stronger relationships.
You must invest your time in significant tasks wich generate value to sales process. Repetitive tasks could be automated or delegated to other People in your organization.
This approach increases efficiency, allowing for quality engagement where it matters most. -Utilize Your Team: Delegate certain accounts, like lower-tier (C) accounts, to junior sales reps for routine servicing. -Leverage Technology: Employ CRM software, email templates, and scheduling tools for automating tasks such as reminders and follow-ups. -Focus on High-Value Accounts: By automating and delegating, you can dedicate more time and effort to higher-value (A and B) accounts.
You can inspire your sales team to meet tight deadlines by setting clear expectations, providing necessary resources and support, offering incentives or rewards for reaching goals, promoting open communication and collaboration, and leading by example with a positive and proactive attitude.
Delegating involves knowing your team. Who does better with upscale, more premium clients? Who's good at building quick affinity with a large volume of clients? Who likes sitting at a desk for hours doing menial data entry work? Use your team member's strengths (AND weaknesses) to your advantage.
Delegate Responsibilities: Assign Dedicated Account Managers: Assign specific account managers or teams to handle different segments. This promotes accountability and ensures that there is a dedicated focus on the unique needs of each account. Empower Team Members: Delegate tasks based on team members' strengths and expertise. Empowering your team fosters a sense of ownership and encourages proactive problem-solving.
Communication is key to managing a large number of accounts without sacrificing quality. You need to set clear expectations and goals with your customers, your team, and yourself. For your customers, you need to communicate how often and how you will contact them, what services and benefits they can expect from you, and what feedback or actions you need from them. For your team, you need to communicate the roles and responsibilities of each member, the standards and metrics of performance, and the support and resources available. For yourself, you need to communicate your own priorities, boundaries, and limits, and avoid overcommitting or underdelivering.
Conversar com seus clientes e entender como eles avaliam a sua forma atual de atendimento e como seria o atendimento ideal na vis?o deles vai te trazer elementos fundamentais para estruturar o seu processo e investir tempo onde ele realmente é valorizado
Set Clear Expectations: Define Account Objectives: Clearly outline the objectives for each account. This ensures that both your team and the client understand the goals, fostering a shared vision for success. Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Set measurable KPIs to track and assess the performance of each account. This provides a quantitative basis for evaluating success.
Clear communication of expectations and goals ensures quality management across all accounts. -Communicate with Customers: Define the frequency and mode of contact, services offered, and feedback required from customers. -Guide Your Team: Clarify team roles, performance standards, and available resources. -Self-Management: Set personal priorities and boundaries to prevent overcommitment.
Juggling a Multitude: Quality in the Face of Quantity Anyone who's ever spun plates knows: keeping them all aloft takes focus, finesse, and a dash of daring. Balancing a plethora of clients is a delicate dance between efficiency and excellence. Here's how to keep those metaphorical plates spinning: 1. Crystallize Expectations: Don't be a guessing game. Set clear, measurable goals with each client. 2. Prioritize with Precision: Not all plates spin at the same rate. Use intuition to identify high-priority clients. 3. Communicate Like a Maestro: Open communication is the soundtrack to your juggling act. Keep clients informed of progress. 4. Delegate with Discernment: Remember, you're not a one-man circus. Empower your team to own tasks.
You can't manage what you don't measure. You need to monitor and measure the results of your account management efforts, both in terms of quantity and quality. You can use data and feedback to track and evaluate how well you are meeting your customers' needs, generating revenue, and achieving your goals. You can also use data and feedback to identify and address any issues, gaps, or opportunities in your account management strategy. For example, you can use customer satisfaction surveys, retention rates, upsell and cross-sell rates, or referrals to measure the quality of your account management. You can also use sales reports, dashboards, or analytics to measure the quantity of your account management.
Monitorar constantemente seus resultados pode trazer insights importantes sobre a eficiência da sua aloca??o de tempo. Clientes que você investiu mais tempo e esfor?o trouxeram resultados superiores? Responder a essa pergunta vai te auxiliar a corrigir como você investe seu tempo e energia
Very important to ABM - always be measuring. Measure your progress towards quota, your progress towards sales campaigns & your progress towards relationships. The last is the most important, as that usually ignites/accelerates the second, and then the third is merely an outcome. Determine the "ROI" of travel i.e. every second you spend should be ruthlessly evaluated for its value. You should get to where every email you send, every phone call you make and every text you send is part of a broader systemic approach you have to managing your business.
Intentional feedback loops. This is probably the most critical section when balancing multiple client accounts - how do you know if you're doing well or not. It can't be left to chance. You and your company need to set up continuous and formal feedback mechanisms so that you have the pulse of your client at any given time. Feedback loops might also have to be set up with other departments of your org if they can provide insight that the client may not.
Will always prefer to maintain the specification which meets to the client’s requirements. Always prefer to match the needs against their needs and will never compromise on the product to void the rejection and make the supplier name proud in the market and the large account like corporate
Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation: Regularly Review Performance: Periodically review the performance of each account against established KPIs. Identify areas of improvement and success to refine your strategies. Adapt to Changing Needs: Markets and client needs evolve. Be agile and ready to adapt your approach based on changing circumstances or emerging opportunities.
Account management is not a one-time or static activity. It is a dynamic and ongoing process that requires constant review and improvement. You need to regularly assess and update your account management process to ensure that it is aligned with your customers' needs, your team's capabilities, and your business goals. You can use best practices, benchmarks, or feedback to compare and improve your account management process. For example, you can use the Pareto principle, which states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts, to optimize your account management process. You can also use the PDCA cycle, which stands for Plan, Do, Check, and Act, to continuously improve your account management process.
Reavaliar constantemente os resultados do seu processo pode trazer elementos para aprimorar continuamente a forma como você trabalha e trazer mais eficiência a seus processos.
Use advanced tools such as Power BI to elevate data visualization, it helps to map the data correctly and provides insightful info. Create charts with conditional formatting, allowing you to delve into the depth of data effortlessly with just a few clicks. I have consistently used Power BI, and find it invaluable for seamlessly lensing through piles of data.
Building a Supportive Team Culture: If you have a team, fostering a culture of support and collaboration can make a significant difference. When team members feel supported and valued, they are more likely to contribute effectively to managing accounts. Personal Stories of Success: Look for stories of individuals or companies that have successfully managed large portfolios of accounts. What strategies did they use? What lessons did they learn? These stories can provide valuable insights and inspiration. Regular Feedback from Clients: Don't just assume that your strategies are working; get feedback directly from your clients. This can provide insights into what's working and what needs improvement.