Never mind exceeding key customer expectations, just meeting them is harder than ever with fierce competition, economic pressures, skill deficiencies, and increasing customer demands. Â
So how can your Key Account Managers gain competitive advantage?
Denise Freier (SAMA, IBM) and Bob Sacco (IBM) will explore the #1 challenge facing our key account managers — Influencing your internal organization for customer alignment.Â
This has historically been the #1 KAM challenge and continues to be the biggest inhibitor to success. Yet you can take it under YOUR control.
Denise and Bob will discuss why KAM success demands internal alignment. Â They will use practical examples and best practices to describe the damaging pitfalls, and what a KAM and their leadership team might do proactively to turn the tables to create a competitive advantage.
Key learning points
- Why is alignment important and what does good alignment look like- internally and externally
- The role of the C-Suite and Corporate Governance in charting the path.
- Managing across divisions, brands and geographies – who makes the decision?
- Pricing and profitability
- Commissions and measurements
- Program level consistency and execution.
- Collaboration is key to internal and external trust and loyalty.
Denise Freier
Ex SAMA & IBM
Denise Freier has over 40 years of experience in executive sales management and business growth. She recently retired as President and CEO of the Strategic Account Management Association, where she significantly grew membership and revenue.
Previously, she held several leadership roles at IBM, including Client Director, Global Sales Executive, and Global Sales Transformation Executive. Denise has received multiple IBM leadership awards and is known for her exceptional cross-discipline relationships and high-performance team building.
Bob Sacco
Executive coach and advisor
Bob Sacco is a seasoned go-to-market strategist and player-coach with a distinguished career, including roles as a former IBM Managing Director and current Advisory Board Member. He excels in strategic account management, sales process optimization, and deal coaching. Bob has a proven track record of driving significant growth, securing mega deals, and scaling startups.
Bob led the growth of IBM’s largest global strategic accounts, securing deals from $100M to over $1B. He is renowned for his hands-on approach, intuitive ability to identify failure points, and his focus on building trusted relationships, strategic planning, and disciplined execution to empower clients towards high sales performance and execution excellence.
