We develop your key accounts systematically into long-term growth partners.
In many B2B companies, key accounts represent a large share of revenue and profit. At the same time, the requirements of these customers are becoming increasingly complex: procurement organisations are becoming more professional, decisions are made in buying centres with many stakeholders, and customers expect solutions rather than products. Companies that continue to manage key accounts only through personal relationships and annual meetings leave potential untapped and risk becoming interchangeable.
The CustomersX Key Account Management Model is a management framework that structures the path from customer analysis to an actionable account playbook. It combines six building blocks along the KAM process with six enablers that ensure implementation within the organisation.
Value Insights
Structure
Solutions
Sales Tactic
Pricing
Playbook
Successful key account management follows a clear logic: first, it is understood what value a customer has for the company and what value the company can create for the customer. Building on this, organisation, offering, approach and prices are aligned with the individual key account. The result is captured in a playbook that is binding for everyone involved.
The six building blocks form the process chain of the model. The six enablers Digitalization, Strategy, Skills, Processes, Enablement and Alignment act between the building blocks and ensure that key account management does not remain on paper but is put into practice in everyday sales. The individual elements are presented in more detail below.
It all starts with understanding customer value, in both directions. What current and potential value does the key account contribute to the company? And what challenges, goals and value drivers does the customer have? Well-founded value insights make it possible to select and prioritise key accounts correctly and to deploy sales resources in a targeted way.
This is where the organisation around the key account is defined. This includes the roles in the account team, responsibilities and interfaces with marketing, product management and service. On the customer side, the buying centre is mapped systematically: who decides, who influences and who uses the services?
Key accounts do not expect products but solutions to their challenges. In this building block, the value insights are translated into concrete solution offerings, ideally developed together with the customer in the spirit of co-creation. This creates an offering that is difficult to compare and therefore less price-sensitive.
The sales tactic describes how the solutions are positioned with the customer. It defines which people in the buying centre are addressed with which arguments and through which channels, how cross-selling and up-selling potential is used and how to deal with competitors.
Prices are under particular pressure with key accounts. Value-based pricing ensures that the customer value created is also reflected in the price. This includes clear terms and conditions, defined negotiation margins and discount rules that safeguard the profitability of the account.
In the playbook, all results are translated into a concrete account plan: goals, measures, responsibilities and deadlines. The playbook is the central management tool for the account team and is reviewed and developed further on a regular basis.
For the building blocks to take effect, the right conditions are needed within the organisation. Our model distinguishes six enablers:
Digitalization: CRM, data and digital tools that create transparency about the account
Strategy: anchoring key account management clearly in the corporate and sales strategy
Skills: the competencies of key account managers in analysis, consulting and negotiation
Processes: defined procedures for planning, steering and reviewing key accounts
Enablement: content, training and tools that support the account team in everyday work
Alignment: coordination between sales, marketing, service and management
In practice, many companies have already implemented individual building blocks, such as a customer classification or account plans. What is often missing, however, is the end-to-end connection from customer analysis to the playbook. In addition, many KAM programmes do not fail because of the concept but because of missing enablers, for example poor data quality in the CRM or unclear interfaces between departments.
With our Key Account Management Model, we work with you to determine the maturity of your key account management, identify the biggest levers and develop a clear roadmap for implementation. The model complements our Sales Excellence Model and focuses specifically on the customers with the highest value contribution.
There have never been more sales channels than today, and the complexity that comes with them. As a specialised consultancy, we support you in shaping the coming transformation successfully. On the basis of our Sales Excellence approach, we can systematically determine your strengths and weaknesses in sales and unlock the existing potential together.
The Key Account Management Model is part of our Sales Excellence approach. Learn more about the four dimensions of excellent sales.
