I need my cross-functional team running one growth strategy for my key account, with or without me in the room.

I need my cross-functional team running one growth strategy for my key account, with or without me in the room.

Sales, delivery, finance and operations each touch the account in different ways. When they work from one shared strategy, simple enough for every function to interpret and act on, the team moves as one and the client feels it.

Five questions to see if your team can do this job today:

1. Does your key account have one written growth strategy, shared with every function on the team?
2. Does the strategy name the priorities for this quarter and next?
3. Can each function explain how its work advances the strategy?
4. When your key account manager (KAM) isn't in the room, does the team make decisions that fit the strategy?
5. Can each team member see how their work affects the work of the other functions?

Two or more no's, and your team may be playing from different sheets of music.

Developing a shared growth strategy for every dimension and function is critically important to getting the most out of everyone who touches the account. We made sure every single member of the team knew the part they played in our success.

Don't give them your list of things to do. Instead, give them the strategy that shows the work ahead: the map of the future for how their work impacts everyone else's work. With your guidance, they will be able to find the part they play and contribute to the team's success.

Just like an orchestra, where every musician sees all the notes they will end up playing on a shared sheet of music, the conductor can expect the musicians to step up when it's their turn to contribute.

Our system, the Vitality Index, gives your key account teams one growth strategy and the plan to run it across 21 growth drivers, including account team collaboration, business reviews and internal account investments. It shows where they stand today, the work it takes to level up, and how to do it, until they reach a vital partnership that lasts.

If you handed your strategy to every function tomorrow, would each one know when it's their turn to play?

We built a free, 4-minute Key Account Risk Assessment. It gives you a risk score for your key accounts across team alignment, account planning, account transitions, and visibility. Link in the comments.