Category 2: "Institutionalization of digitalization to create meaningful customer impact"

Winner: AVI-SPL

Summary: Using voice-of-the-customer mechanisms (Customer Advisory Board, individual client interviews, et al.), AVI-SPL identified critical touchpoints in the customer journey that could be enhanced through digitalization for maximum client impact. As a result, AVI-SPL set out to automate its strategic account planning process and overall customer partnership roadmaps and to build capabilities around providing real-time performance analytics both to customers and internally. They successfully deployed both Microsoft Power BI and Kapta as well as instituting the procedural and organizational structure changes to support their successful deployment and adoption.

Results: With one strategic account, AVI-SPL experienced two-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 66% and a year-over-year (YOY) growth rate of 26% (industry-average CAGR is just 9%). Overall CAGR for the entire portfolio is 61%. AVI-SPL earned $48 million in incremental total contract value with just four new customers thanks to global accounts story and global accounts customer references.

Go deeper: Listen to SAMA President & CEO Denise Freier interview AVI-SPL’s Danielle Matteson and Joe Laezza to hear how they implemented their company’s award winning digitalization.

Category 3: "Outstanding young program of the year (< 5 years)"

Co-winner:  Wajax

Summary: Responding to market changes and evolving customer expectations, Wajax embarked on creation of a strategic/key accounts program in 2016, merging three distinct divisions that had previously operated independently. With sponsorship from the CEO, the company built from scratch a strategic accounts program which would offer key customers a globally consistent, single-source solution leveraging the entire enterprise’s resources – therefore providing a unique and unified value proposition.

Results: For Eastern Canada, key accounts represent close to 40% of Wajax’s annual industrial category revenue and close to 25% of the company’s yearly revenue. For the company’s top 12 mining customers, wallet share grew by more than 25% in less than 3 years after the introduction of a strategic account model. Profitability with key account customers increased by 3% to 5% by leveraging a unified value proposition.

Go deeper: Listen to SAMA President & CEO Denise Freier interview André Dubé, the architect of Wajax’s strategic accounts program here.

Category 3: "Outstanding young program of the year (< 5 years)"

Co-winner:  AVI-SPL

Summary: AVI-SPL launched its strategic accounts program in 2018 to better serve large multinational customers in search of a single-source provider capable of exceeding expectations regardless of where in the world or what type of services they require. The company made a significant investment in full-time employees and resources dedicated to its strategic customers, including funding for SAMA certification (CSAM). In addition to several common SAMA best practices, AVI-SPL focused on several specific foundational program enablers to transform its customer relationships, namely: account qualification and selection, “all-in” executive sponsorship, exclusive financial benefits, digitalization of the customer journey, and strategic alignment and meaningful experiences.

Results: Fifty-five% CAGR for strategic accounts since inception. Fourteen original strategic accounts grew from 10% of total company bookings to ~20%, despite overall bookings increasing. EMEA/APAC pipeline growth has nearly doubled since 2018, a key strategic goal for the program.

Go deeper: SAMA President & CEO Denise Freier interviews AVI-SPL’s Danielle Matteson and Joe Laezza to go “under the hood” of the company’s award-winning program.

Category 4: "Outstanding mature program of the year (5+ years)"

Winner:  Schneider Electric

Summary: With a goal of doubling wallet share with strategic accounts, Schneider undertook a comprehensive effort to evaluate and transform its mature strategic accounts program. After third-party benchmarking, the company set to refine its people, processes and tools, including: yearly assessments of all account managers, additional staffing of strategic accounts, “Sales Academy” and “Solution University” to support account manager growth, rollout and socialization of new CRM, relationship mapping, win strategy and account planning tools, refresh of executive sponsorship program and executive committee sponsorship of SAM program transformation.

Results: Better growth versus the rest of the company for mature accounts, despite cost-of-sales reduction

• Accelerated engagement on digital transformation and sustainability/climate change agenda
• SW, Services and analytics growth superior to the rest of the group
• Doubling of wallet share with strategic accounts in 3-4 years.

Go deeper: Listen to SAMA President & CEO Denise Freier and Managing Director Harvey Dunham interview Schneider Electric's SVP for Strategy (Industrial Automation & Segments) Friedrich Richter and Strategic Accounts Management Program Vice President Pierre Tabary.