Securing key account growth

Delivering customer value

Great companies pursue customer engagement and value creation as their central thrust for profitable growth.For many such companies a relatively small number of strategic or key accounts are pivotal to success. These should be the engine of growth.

• However, companies often convince themselves that they hold competitive differentiation when they are perceived by key
  customers to rank no more than on a par with competent and dedicated competitors.
• Corporate growth is transformed by capturing higher value with these key customers. It does not require changing healthy Corporate Strategies.
• Companies often use the wrong measures for growth and performance. If they are increasing share, margin and the number of value-creating initiatives with true key accounts then they are successful – if they do not have all three then they are failing.
• Senior managers should use these three simple measures to define success and implement strategies to ensure
  all three are growing with each key account.

Richard Ilsley and Alistair Cook identify three development strategies.