Professional Diploma in Key Account Management training modules

Since we realise that access to the theory of the range of functions with which KAM works is not generally available in a suitable format, AKAM provides 8 recorded lectures on those disciplines. You are strongly advised to view them, recognise how they impact key account manager activity and allude to them in your competency descriptions.

Table of Contents

1. Key Account Management

With Dr Diana Woodburn, AKAM

While KAM touches on numerous other functions with which it needs to work, it now has its own substantial body of research and theory. Some of the earliest work focused on the special relationship between a complex supplier and a complex customer, and simply understanding what KAM is and how it differs from other approaches to customers. Development work then shifted towards how KAM operates, but in spite of the utility of these principles, many key account managers have never received formal training for the position and therefore don’t have access to these practical tools and concepts.

This session covers:

  1. What KAM is and is not and how it works: Defining Key Account Management
  2. Who should be a key account and why: Key Account selection and categorisation
  3. What the different stages of relationship look like and what they can do: KAM relationships
  4. How to work out what key accounts need: Value creation and strategic account planning
  5. Making sure that what you plan actually happens: Implementing KAM
  6. What difference all this makes your position: The Key Account Manager job

Module Video

Module Slides

Module Guide

Section
Video Timestamp
PowerPoint Slide
1. Defining Key Account Management
00:00:00
4
2. Key Account selection and catergorisation
00:16:01
13
3. KAM relationships
00:39.27
23
4. Value creation and strategic account planning
00:58:14
34
5. Implementing KAM
01:18:00
45
6. The Key Account Manager job
01:33:00
56

2. Marketing

With Dr Leslie Murphy, Technological University Dublin

Marketing surrounds Key Account Management in all directions. KAM itself is, in effect, marketing to a segment of one, while understanding that there are many sub segments inside that ‘one’ who want different things, talk different languages and respond in different ways. And now Marketing functions are embracing Activity Based Marketing (ABM), working together with key account managers. In addition, suppliers should be – and are – often concerned with supporting their key accounts’ marketing to their customers, whether co-developing the campaigns or understanding the implications and requirements for the supply side. So understanding and even using marketing theory is a must for key account managers.

This session covers:

  1. Understanding the Environment
  2. Designing a customer-led marketing strategy
  3. Creating an Integrated Marketing Programme
  4. Account-Based Marketing

Module Video

Module Slides

Module Guide

Section
Video Timestamp
PowerPoint Slide
1.Understanding the Environment
00:00:00
5
2.Designing a customer-led marketing strategy
00:40:38
18
3.Creating an Integrated Marketing Programme
0:49:54
22
4. Account Based Marketing
2:03:03
59

3. Supply Chain

With Dr Simon Templar, Cranfield School of Management

The pandemic drove supply chains to the forefront of every supplier and customer’s mind. In fact, key account managers should approach supply chains as both a major risk and a huge opportunity. Key account managers are often unaware that key customers, in particular, tend to focus on the riskiness of supply chains. Indeed, supply chain issues can derail some of the most exciting initiatives key account managers might propose. So a basic understanding of how supply chains work and where the costs lie is invaluable to a key account manager. They needs to discuss their issues and opportunities for value creation with supply chain practitioners in both their own company and their customer’s.

This session covers:

  1. Introduce supply chain and supply chain management
  2. The importance of supply chains
  3. Supply chain structures
  4. Supply chain management and firm performance
  5. Supply chain management and integration with other functions within an organisation
  6. Supply chain management and customer profitability

Module Video

Module Slides

Module Guide

Section
Video Timestamp
PowerPoint Slide
1.Introduce supply chain and supply chain management
00:03:18
4
2. Key Account selection and catergorisation
00:08:23
8
3.Supply chain structures
00:12:44
12
4.Supply chain management and firm performance
00:36:41
22
5.Supply chainIntegration with other functions
00:54:05
28
6. Supply chain management and customer profitability
01:09:28
35

4. Finance

With Kate Scott, Grange Partnership

Everyone in the organisation is responsible for the money, whether it is how it’s spent, how it’s leveraged or how it’s acquired. The majority of key account managers are poorly prepared for their role in contributing to the profits of their own organisation or their customers’. That means they often meet financial barriers and don’t understand where they come from or how to address them. They need at least to interpret the financial drivers on both sides, appreciate financial health and strategies from reading a balance sheet, and understand how the money moves through an organisation.

This session covers:

  1. What is financial success?
  2. What are the key financial statements?
  3. What are the key performance indicators?
  4. How might you or your customer make a longer-term investment decision?

Module Video

Module Slides

Module Guide

Section
Video Timestamp
PowerPoint Slide
1.What is financial success?
00:00:00
4
2.What are the key financial statements?
00:16:48
9
3.What are the key performance indicators?
01:01:00
40
4. Investment decision?
01:44:00
60

5. Buying and Procurement

With Colin Scott, Grange Partnership

Rarely does a key account’s Procurement function reveal its entire agenda to supplier. So understanding Procurement’s underlying principles and how it works is crucial to a key account manager’s success.  But while a key account is unlikely to rely on old fashion buyers these days, there may be some around. Key customers will employ professional Procurement people, who now have an impressive array of analytical techniques and ways of quantifying and monetising value for their organisation. They are unimpressed by simple offers of high quality and value without translation into profit for them. Understanding how they work is a minimum for key account managers.

This session covers:

  1. What is Procurement?
  2. Why is Procurement important?
  3. How does Procurement work – the pre and post-order steps
  4. How does Procurement work – Category Management
  5. Negotiating with Key Account Managers
  6. Key initiative for Procurement Managers today

Module Video

Module Slides

Module Guide

Section
Video Timestamp
PowerPoint Slide
1.What is Procurement?
00:00:00
3
2.Why is Procurement important?
00:16:01
12
3. How does Procurement work - pre and post-order steps
00:40.58
20
4. How does Procurement work – Category Management
01:01:00
27
5. Negotiating with Key Account Managers
01:26:00
38
6. Key initiatives for Procurement Managers today
01:41:00
48

6. Selling and Business Development

With Niall Hayes, Technological University Dublin

Many key account managers have a background in sales, but training may be quite some time ago – maybe even never! Without reiterating the basics of listening, overcoming objections etc, it is worth (re)visiting some higher-level fundamentals and reviewing what is still relevant in selling in today’s environment, and in KAM. What kinds of approaches to selling exist, how do they differ, to which should you aspire?

This session covers:

  1. Trends in sales
  2. Value of customers
  3. Business and sales development
  4. Account portfolio planning
  5. Measuring and evaluating business development

Module Video

Module Slides

Module Guide

Section
Video Timestamp
PowerPoint Slide
1. Trends in Sales
00:00:00
4
2. Value for customers
00:31:49
16
3. Business and sales development
00:50:08
28
4. Account portfolio planning
01:19:00
41
5. Measuring and evaluating business development
01:32:00
53

7. Leadership

With Dr Ashley Roberts, Warwick Business School

Leadership training is commonly offered to first-line internal managers, but rarely to key account managers. That is ironic, given that the KAM job demands leadership by the key customer, of the key account team, and for peers and senior managers internally. It may be one of the toughest leadership jobs in the organisation, so appreciating and applying some of the theory and principles now understood about leadership can be immensely helpful in the execution of the position. Knowing the theory behind the role can help challenge instinctive behaviour and support career development. Every manager has to be a leader at least some of the time.

This session covers:

  1. Leading the self
  2. Leading others
  3. Leading organisations

Module Video

Module Slides

Module Guide

Section
Video Timestamp
PowerPoint Slide
1. Leading the self
00:08:41
4
2. Leading others
01:26:02
31
3. Leading organisations
01:37:06
35

5. Organisational Behaviour

With Dr Viatcheslav Dmitriev, Rennes School of Business

Key account managers have to navigate their own organisation and their key account’s. Having an awareness of how organisations manage themselves and people within them can make the process a whole lot easier. Company cultures differ, so interpreting and anticipating their impact can facilitate the process of finding alignment in both principle and practice. Sometimes the ways that organisations operate seem counterintuitive to the fact that they are basically constructed of people. Organisational behaviour is an established discipline with great insights for key account managers.

This session covers

  1. Introduction to organizational behavior. Overview of the discipline.
  2. Organizational structural characteristics
  3. Individuals in organizations: fit, recruitment and selection
  4. Personality
  5. Motivation and compensation
  6. Performance management
  7. Organizational culture

Module Video

Module Slides

Module Guide

Section
Video Timestamp
PowerPoint Slide
1. Introduction to organizational behavior
00:00:00
5
2. Organizational structural characteristics
00:19:42
14
3. Individuals in organizations
00:41:23
26
4. Personality
00:54:33
31
5. Motivation and compensation
01:06:00
38
6. Performance management
01:27:00
50
7. Organisational culture
01:42:00
57

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