Managing Strategic Accounts

Growth – it is something that encompasses our world the minute we enter it. We are born weighing so many pounds and so many inches in length and our ability to grow or not grow becomes a topic of conversation from that point forward, or at least for the next several years. We are constantly measured in these areas, compared to “norms and averages,” we are even judged by what percentile we are in related to both height and weight, for example, my son is 4 years old and in the 100 percentile in height. This is a great stat related to his growth, but I’m only 5’10” so I guess I will be looking up to him in the near future, literally. I’m slightly perplexed by that idea but that’s for another day. Maybe that means he is “best-in-class.”

As we get older, this topic of growth becomes less prevalent related to our outer-self and more a part of our inner-self. We look at how we grow as a person, whether it is intellectually, spiritually, or in a variety of other ways but growth is always something that we are either reflecting upon or acting on. Point being, growth is a part of our life, regardless of what stage of life we are in. This holds true in our professional lives as well. The difference between success and failure in the corporate world is directly related to one’s ability to grow or not grow. It takes many different shapes. It’s universal.

In the world of account management, growth is good, but profitable growth is king. Being able to manage your accounts in such a manner that lends to positive, profitable growth, year over year is the ultimate goal. How is this goal obtained? By providing unprecedented value. I’m not talking about successfully executing a statement of work, I’m talking about providing insightful, game-changing expertise and perspectives to your clients. This value can be provided through a variety of methods, regardless of the service you are offering or the widget you are representing.

Over the next several months, the SAM Source community is going to be concentrating on the theme of profitable growth and I would strongly urge you to engage in this discussion and share your insights and opinions related to this topic. We would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives. Stay tuned - more to come.

 
Michael Good
Vice President