We finally got the meeting with my key account's top executive. How do I make sure it isn't the last one?

We finally got the meeting with my key account's top executive. How do I make sure it isn't the last one?

A first meeting with a top executive can help your brand go up or down depending on how they perceive your value. Assuming your value speaks their language, it's the follow-through that earns their respect: commitments kept, fresh insights on how to avoid costly mistakes, and peer-to-peer ties between your executives and theirs.

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

1. Did your KAM send a summary of the meeting within a day or two, with every commitment and its owner?
2. Has every commitment from that meeting been delivered on time?
3. Does your team bring the top executive a fresh insight tied to their priorities at least once a quarter?
4. Has one of your executives met one of theirs, peer to peer?
5. Have you developed a second champion in another function or location, in case the first one moves?

Two or more no's, and the next meeting may be harder to earn.

Top executives want to know where you've done this before. There's little appetite for trying vendors that aren't proven. I had a meeting with a top executive who asked a very specific question: "Which of my direct competitors do you work with?" I knew who he was referring to and told him, "We've worked extensively with your top competitor in the past, but not as a strategic partner. We would be willing to discuss an exclusive partnership in exchange for exclusive business that we can forecast accurately." He said, "Deal." That was the beginning of a 20-year relationship, and it became the top key account in our portfolio.

A first meeting like that opens the door. Your team keeps it open with a plan for every meeting that follows.

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.

What has your team brought the top executive since the first meeting?

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.