Key Account Management: Tools and Techniques for Achieving Profitable Key Supplier Status, 6th Edition

Any organization’s key accounts are its lifeblood. Key Account Management puts forward a unique yet straightforward planning methodology for identifying, obtaining, retaining and developing key customers.  Key account management focuses on the long-term investment of resources — both in terms of product quality and account managers — into a customer that can offer an exceptional return on resources.  But which are the key accounts? Are they the ones growing the fastest? The ones who are most financially secure? Or are they the ones who shout the loudest?

Now in its sixth edition, Key Account Management takes a long-term, team-selling strategic view of the whole process — from defining the customer, to managing the relationship and achieving key supplier status. With new material to reflect latest best practice, and new online resources, it stands alone as the premier book on managing key customers.

Table of Contents

Part One Definitions and purpose
Chapter 01 The key account approach
Chapter 02 Why Key Account Management?
Chapter 03 The spectrum of KAM ambition
Chapter 04 What is a key account?
Chapter 05 What is Key Account Management?

Part Two Analysis: opportunity and value
Chapter 06 Knowing the market, knowing your value
Chapter 07 Knowing the people, knowing your value

Part Three Relationship management
Chapter 08 From ‘bow-ties’ to ‘diamonds’
Chapter 09 Decision mapping and contact strategies
Chapter 10 The good, the bad, the sad and the ugly

Part Four Achieving key supplier status
Chapter 11 The purchasing revolution
Chapter 12 Supply chain management: seeking value
Chapter 13 Purchasing organization: rationalization and centralization
Chapter 14 Supplier positioning: managing suppliers

Part Five Achieving strategic supplier status
Chapter 15 Being of strategic value
Chapter 16 How do they plan to grow?
Chapter 17 How do they aim to win?
Chapter 18 What drives them?
Chapter 19 A shared future?

Part Six The value proposition
Chapter 20 The customer’s total business experience
Chapter 21 The customer’s activity cycle
Chapter 22 Measuring the value – securing the reward
Chapter 23 Making the proposal

Part Seven Planning and joint planning
Chapter 24 The key account plan
Chapter 25 Joint planning

Part Eight Targeting
Chapter 26 Customer classification
Chapter 27 Customer distinction
Chapter 28 Global Account Management

Part Nine Making it happen
Chapter 29 Sins and requirements
Chapter 30 Leadership and organization
Chapter 31 Skills, attitudes and behaviours
Chapter 32 The role of information technology
Chapter 33 Measuring customer profitability
Chapter 34 The implementation plan
Chapter 35 Training and further help