Top 12 Account Manager Skills to be Good on the Job

Top 12 Account Manager Skills to be Good on the Job

The account manager, like any other management position in an organization is a leader, and to succeed in this position requires having special skills and qualities.

However, unlike other managers whose job descriptions are often straightforward, the duties of an account manager is somehow complex.

His/her role is often divided between efficient management of the organization’s limited resources and ensuring that clients’ satisfaction is achieved.

In fact, the job scope an account manager depends on the nature or size of the organization he/she is working in.

Not minding the nature or size of the organization, there are essential skills and qualities that make a good account manager, standing him/her out from the crowd, these include:

1. Communication Skills: Account management requires constant communication with clients and the organization’s heads. This includes constant written and verbal interactions.

The ability to listen attentively is also very importantly so as to be able to understand your clients’ needs, get necessary facts, and be able to fix the problems without asking questions repeatedly.

2. Multitasking Skills: Account management involves lots of multitasking activities. A good account manager should be able to handle multiple clients/tasks simultaneously. For instance, he/she should be able to receive and resolve complaint from one customer while at the same time attending to another client, when the situation calls for it.

3. Organization Skills: To be the best manager in your unit, you need to be well organized. Good organizational skills allow the manager to be focused at all times even when the workload is large. An organized account manager can prioritize effectively and work stress free.

4. Friendly: In as much as an account manager is expected to be meticulous and level headed, he/she is not supposed to be overly reticent. His/her job requires constant interaction with clients and other employees. So, he/she is expected to have a good sense of humor and be friendly.

5. Passionate: The job of managing accounts requires supervising people and resources at the same time – receiving complains, fixing problems, receiving praises and blames all at the same time. This can be very draining and sometimes frustrating. So, it takes a person passionate about the job to succeed in it.

6. Accountable/honest: A good account manager is a trustworthy person. He/she tries as much as possible to be transparent in his/her dealings with clients and coworkers. He/she should also learn to take responsibilities for his/her actions and that of his/her juniors, especially when things go awry under his/her watch.

7. Competence/Confidence: To be considered good on the job an account manager should have a vast knowledge of how the industry he/she is operating in works. This is why a good academic background and experience in the field is very important. He or she is also expected to be a very bold and confident person.

8. Persuasive Skills: Aside from being bold and competent, the manager should be able to talk people into believing in his/her abilities and the solutions he/she offers. He/she should also be able to convince his/her coworkers and top management staff that his/her suggestions on certain issues are efficient without making it seem like he/she is imposing his/her ideas on others.

9. Positive Attitude: Positive attitude to work can be contagious. It can motivate fellow employees to go about their duties cheerfully, therefore reducing work stress. It can also rub off on clients.

10. Business Acumen: Good account managers are often people with exceptional business sense. He/she is able to identify opportunities and trends in the industry. He/she is also able to collate data, make analysis, and arrive at meaningful decisions in the absence of a business process manager or someone with similar qualification or job description.

11. Knowledge and Experience: Like it is stated earlier, having a vast knowledge of the industry the account manager is operating in is very important to his/her success. To be the best in this position a certain level of academic qualification is necessary.

The nature, size, or culture of an organization often determines the minimum academic requirement for a candidate to be selected for this position. In most cases, a degree in numerate courses will suffice. However, most organizations value field experience over academic achievements. To excel in this role, it is expected that the person must have gained enough experience working as an assistant account manager.

12. Empathy: To succeed as an account manager, one must always show genuine concern for his or her clients’ problems. He or she should always make their clients feel important; and it should also be his/her priority to get their clients’ problems solved.

Conclusion:

The account manager’s job is a tough one as he/she is expected to be responsible for both human and material resources assigned to him/her.

To prepare yourself for a successful account management career and be the best that you can be on the job, developing most of the skills and qualities presented above will really be beneficial.

Do you have one or two more account manager skills you want to share with other users of this site? If yes, please do so in the comment box below, we will be glad to read your contribution, thanks!