I need my executives backing the strategy for my key account so every function commits.

I need my executives backing the strategy for my key account so every function commits.

The people who deliver for your key account follow the priorities of the leader they report to. When that leader backs the account, people, roles and budget follow.

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

1. Before your key account manager (KAM) commits to a key account, do they know whether an internal executive will back it?
2. Does the team delivering for the account have their own leader's support to focus on it?
3. Does an internal executive attend business reviews with the client on a recurring schedule?
4. Does your KAM prep the executive before each client meeting, so they can listen and act where they have the power to?
5. Does the executive get regular updates on performance and growth opportunities, and see their ideas in the business reviews?

Two or more no's, and your account team may be following priorities that leave your key account behind.

When I was a strategic account executive, my formula for choosing which national accounts to target was simple. Do we have an internal executive committed to growing the account? Do we have at least one active site to anchor the account team? Does the account have upside?

That year, I found a large biotech firm that fit perfectly. We were active in one location out of 10, and a regional vice president (RVP) sat in the branch next to the customer's HQ.

I asked the local account team why they weren't focused on growing this account. They said their regional leader directed them to business that moved faster, with better margins and less competition. That afternoon, the RVP gave me the same answers. Then I asked him to attend a business review with the client the next day, and he agreed.

From there, I connected him with the client's key stakeholders, set a one-hour meeting with the client each quarter, and prepped him before each one so he could listen and contribute where he had the power to act. Between meetings, I gave him a steady diet of performance metrics, account updates and growth opportunities, and built his suggestions into every business review.

As he became more engaged, he added team members dedicated to the account, created new roles to improve delivery, and championed the account with the other RVPs. Revenue doubled each year for three years. We went from one location to all 10, surpassed every vendor in a $45M program, and were awarded Supplier of the Year.

Our system, the Vitality Index, shows your key account teams where they stand today, the work it takes to level up, and how to do it, until they reach a vital partnership that lasts.

Which internal executive would you invite to your key account's next business review?

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.