Fresh from Florida

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By Stephen Kozicki

Last week, Peter Browne from Gordian Business was presenting in Florida at the Strategic Account Management Association’s 50th Anniversary Conference. Peter was presenting a case study of a successful client who in a mature market grew profit ahead of their 5 year plans.

“SAM has had the biggest impact of any initiative
we have undertaken in the last five years.
The business is almost unrecognisable.”

Case study, The Managing Director

The Strategic Account management Association (SAMA) have published the case study in their latest ‘Velocity’ magazine released at the SAMA conference. Also at the SAMA conference was the global launch of the practical business-to-business book on Strategic Account Management by Peter Browne and Gary Peacock.

Image: Peter Browne (Gordian Business) & Todd Snelgrove (SKF Global)

“In this book Gary and Peter provide some very practical and fresh ways of how to identify, build and grow relationships with individual and corporate customers.  Critically important, for corporate customers, they explain why some relationships work and why some do not work.  But they don’t stop there; they also offer simple tools and thinking models for how you can enable your team to plan how you can work with your key customers from a strategic perspective.”

Lynette Nixon, Industry Fellow, Innovation and Design Thinking at University of Technology, Sydney

So, if you are considering starting a SAM program in your organisation or are already on the journey and need practical advice to maintain your momentum, then pick up a book. The book is available from www.matrixplustraining.com.au or your airport bookshop, or soon download a copy of the ebook from www.amazon.com. 

Does your business need SAM (Strategic Account Management)?

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By Gary Peacock

 

Only those who will risk going too far
can possibly find out how far one can go.

T.S. Eliot 

In business there is a constant tension between managing risk and capitalising on opportunities. SAM is a critical element for doing both.

From our experience the top 10 to 20 accounts of any B2B organisation typically represent 60-80% of revenue and profit. We have seen cases as high as 95%. The consequences of losing one of these customers are dramatic, and in today’s business environment it is almost impossible to replace these customers; your competitors will protect them at all cost.

Do you have a problem?

Depending on a few accounts for your revenue		Do you rely heavily on a few large customers for most of your revenue? Is the revenue generated by these large customers growing as a percentage of total revenue? Over time, industries consolidate and the big get bigger. If you are an industry where this is happening it is likely you have a problem.
Losing large accounts		Have you lost a large account and you don’t know why (sorry, price isn’t the reason)? Repeatedly, companies lose key accounts and rationalise the loss of a one-off, caused by actions of a desperate competitor. They are rarely one-offs. They are a signal the market is changing and more is to come. Do nothing at your peril.
Serious financial consequences of losing a large customer		Have you assessed the financial impact of losing one of your largest customers? Would it be manageable or would it be fatal? How easy is it in your industry to replace a lost large account with a new one? In most industries this is becoming harder; if not impossible. Big accounts are locked into long-term agreements and competitors will defend them at all costs.

Businesses also need SAM because customers have become more sophisticated in their buying strategies. Successful sales and management teams need to become more sophisticated in their key account management strategies. Rethinking and adapting approaches for each customer is imperative. As industries and customers evolve, so too does the way they make buying decisions and manage supplier relationships.

Is your market changing?

Different competitors		Are you seeing new or different competitors emerge? Many industries are experiencing new niche competitors nibbling away at their revenue, or online channels creating low-priced and convenient alternatives. Are generic products a growing threat? Can you justify the premium customers must pay for your branded product – and for how much longer?
Different buying processes Different relationships		Is the way your key accounts buy changing? Are procurement and the senior executive team becoming more involved? As organisations apply greater governance and executive oversight, decisions are being made higher up. This is clear trend. Is your account team equipped to deal with these changes in the buying process?

If you identify with a problem or market change above then you would benefit greatly from a SAM program in your organisation. If you are looking to start a SAM program or are already on the journey and need additional practical advice to maintain your momentum, this is the book for you: Managing B2B customers you can’t afford to lose.

If you are thinking about starting a SAM program at your organisation then check out http://www.gordianbusiness.com.au/strategic-account-management or call +61 2 9450 1040 or email gary@gordianbusiness.com.au. We would love to hear your comments below and subscribe to our blog at the top right of the page.