I need my key account resourced for the growth we're planning, before it arrives.

I need my key account resourced for the growth we're planning, before it arrives.

Growth tests every part of delivery. Teams that invest ahead of demand are ready when the client says yes, and the client feels the difference from day one.

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

1. Does your team plan its resourcing needs two to three quarters ahead?
2. Does your company invest in people, tools and delivery before the client asks?
3. Can your delivery model scale across the client's locations and functions?
4. Are your account leaders rewarded for the client's experience of quality, speed, volume and service?
5. Can your team show the client how your investments support their success?

Two or more no's, and your growth may outrun your ability to deliver it.

Several years ago, we signed a new 3-year contract with a cornerstone account. The competition had owned this relationship for 12 straight years. Then something catastrophic occurred with the incumbent vendor, and after a formal RFP process, we were awarded the exclusive contract.

Now we were the vendor at the table. But, we hadn't proven anything yet. The client's top executives and the Board had approved this new deal, and thousands of employees would touch this program in some way.

So, first things first, build the foundation. We hired three times the headcount the previous vendor had deployed. We designed, built and implemented tools for automating manual processes. We developed a new delivery model that could scale across all of the client's locations and functions. We installed account leadership that was incentivized to deliver on the customer experience from a quality, speed, volume and service standpoint.

From day one, the client was experiencing a vendor that was making the right investments for the partnership, despite not being asked to by the customer.

While we ran a more expensive model than the previous supplier, our investments paid off for both of us. We ended up capturing twice as much spend, and the client became our best referral source, willing to sell on our behalf across their industry. That led to 100s of new key account wins and $100M+ in new revenue for our company.

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.

If your key account doubled next year, would your team be ready to deliver it?

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.