This post provides exhaustive information on the job description of an account manager, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that they commonly perform.
It also presents the important requirements you may be expected to meet to be hired for the account manager role by most employers.
What Does an Account Manager Do?
The account manager is a professional employed by a company to handle sales and customer relationship management for the firm.
The job description of an account manager entails developing long-term working relationship with an assigned customer, handling their portfolio in line with company’s laid down regulations to achieve complete customer satisfaction.
The account manager will have certain client portfolios assigned to him/her. He/ she is expected to have skills in multitasking since there may be need to handle more than one portfolio at a time.
He/she is equally required to connect with the various stakeholders and business executives of the organization to effectively carry out their responsibility to their clients.
The account manager’s role also involves acting as the link between the internal team of the organization across several departments and the client.
He/she is expected to promote successful and timely delivery of company’s products and services to the client in line with the latter’s requirements.
Account managers are not required to be directly involved in the day-to-day running of clients’ accounts, but to ensure smooth relationship with clients and to develop new businesses from the existing accounts under their responsibility.
Many organizations prefer to attach a client to an account manager on a permanent basis, except if the client specifically requests for another manager, or the account manager leaves the employment of the organization.
The intention of the organization is to create long-term working relationship between the client and their account manager.
This positions the account manager to have better understanding of the client’s portfolio and be able to handle any issue related to the said client conveniently.
The work description of an account manager also involves acting as a go-between for the sales and customer service arms of the organization, inter phasing between the company and its clients on the areas of sales and relationship development.
He/she is expected to fully understand the particular demands of the client assigned to him/her and plan how to meet with such demands and to generate sales out of such demands to the benefit of his/her company.
The ultimate goal of the account manager is to maintain the existing relationship between group of clients or single client and the organization so that the client will continue to do business with the organization.
The account manager’s duties also include proper keeping of records of transactions of purchased goods and sales.
He/she will equally participate in innovative development and leadership programs in the organization, and also participate in negotiating with clients on behalf of their company.
Account Manager Job Description Example/Sample/Template
The account manager carries out various duties, tasks, and responsibilities for the diverse industries they work in as shown in the job description example below:
- Attain sales target of the company
- Make sales on assigned customers’ portfolios
- Cross-sell and up-sell once new sales opportunities are identified within existing accounts
- Solve and manage any conflict with the client
- Coordinate and interact with other members of staff and the sales team that are attached to the same account with him/her
- Establish working budget with the company and the client
- Get the job done within deadline for any particular account
- Act as the point of contact for all matters related to the client’s portfolio
- Maintain and build long-lasting and strong relationship with the customer
- Build relationship as a trusted advisor with executive sponsors, customer stakeholders, and key accounts
- Communicate with external and internal stakeholders the periodic progress of the business organization
- Track and forecast key account metrics
- Recognize and develop opportunities in the company and also work together with the company’s sales teams towards achieving organization’s growth
- Provide required assistance on issue escalation and severity requests as required by the clients.
Account Manager Job Description for Resume
Having a good resume is vital to your success in getting a new account manager job as it can get you an interview with the employer where you will be able to show them why they should hire you other than anyone.
The job description sample shown above provides suitable material you need to prepare the job experience section of the resume, which tells prospective employers that you have the necessary experience to perform effectively on the job.
Account Manager Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success
If you desire to excel in the account manager career, as well as win employers’ heart when searching for the job of account manager, you should develop the listed skills, abilities, and knowledge below:
- Bachelor of Arts or Sciences in relevant fields, like marketing and business, or its equivalent
- Media studies or marketing background will be an advantage
- Membership of organizations like The Sales Management Association and the Strategic Account Marketing Association is important
- Possess relevant working experience or experience as an account manager in other organizations
- Possess communication skills both in verbal and written forms
- Ability to relate across departments and various levels of the organization
- Possess experience in client-focused solution delivery based fully on the needs of the customer
- Possess ability to multitask without leaving out any detail
- Possess top level skills in presentation, negotiation, and listening.
Account Manager Skills for Resume
It is important to use the above skills and qualities in the skills section when making a resume for the post of account manager.
Employers will more likely invite you to an interview when your resume provides the skills and experience for the role, which they are looking for.
