Strategic Account Managers are expected to collaborate effectively with customer contacts at all levels. One of the most critical stakeholders we work with are senior-level executives. C-suite exec... read more

Strategic Account Managers are expected to collaborate effectively with customer contacts at all levels. One of the most critical stakeholders we work with are senior-level executives. C-suite executives have high expectations, and we must be at our best to meet and exceed them. For us to confidently connect with these individuals, our executive presence must be strong. Our preparation, image, message delivery, and conduct all have an impact on the customer, for better or worse. This session will answer the question, “What is executive presence, and how do I develop it?” This webinar will provide usable ideas to help any Strategic Account Manager assess and strengthen their executive presence. read less

AC23 Keynote read more

AC23 Keynote read less

AC23 Keynote read more

AC23 Keynote read less

Finding world class talent is more difficult than ever. Understanding abilities, skills and needs has become more challenging as the next wave of recruits hit your radar. How can you assess the bes... read more

Finding world class talent is more difficult than ever. Understanding abilities, skills and needs has become more challenging as the next wave of recruits hit your radar. How can you assess the best candidate, and what will you need to do to coach, teach or 'skill up' your SAM's for peak performance? Join us for this webinar to learn how to do just that! read less

Strategic accounts expect strategic suppliers to know, anticipate and even predict needs, market changes / shifts and possible ways to create competitive advantages. To effectively meet these accou... read more

Strategic accounts expect strategic suppliers to know, anticipate and even predict needs, market changes / shifts and possible ways to create competitive advantages. To effectively meet these account expectations, strategic suppliers need to have an even greater in-depth knowledge including fresh insights directly from their account – often from those they do not have frequent in-person interaction. Senior leaders of accounts expect a strategic supplier to understand their business, isolate opportunities for innovation, create economic value, while providing a high degree of probability of success through their solutions. This webinar will provide a case study example, directly from the strategic supplier themselves, of how utilizing direct from the account insights can create more effective and valuable account engagements; ultimately more mutually beneficial strategic relationships! read less

No matter how you spin it, saying “I’m sorry” isn’t easy. Especially if you’ve been saying nothing but “I’m sorry” for the past two years. Supply chain delays and staffing shortages, combined with... read more

No matter how you spin it, saying “I’m sorry” isn’t easy. Especially if you’ve been saying nothing but “I’m sorry” for the past two years. Supply chain delays and staffing shortages, combined with rising inflation and continued economic uncertainty, have made service failures not only inevitable but increasingly intolerable. And while vendors can resolve most lapses eventually, repairing the damage to the relationship has proven more challenging—no matter how sincere the apology is. The good news is, handling a customer crisis the right way can not only rescue the relationship but advance it to an even higher level. That’s a distinct advantage these days, when retaining and expanding customers is the best way to weather an uncertain business environment. read less

We know that Strategic Account Management is a team sport, yet marketing is often missing at the Strategic Account table. Account Marketing or Account-Based Marketing plays a critical role in th... read more

We know that Strategic Account Management is a team sport, yet marketing is often missing at the Strategic Account table. Account Marketing or Account-Based Marketing plays a critical role in the customer engagement strategy — especially in the execution of account plan tactics, and it has the opportunity to play a specific lead role in many of the engagement steps to accelerate relevance and mutual goals achievement. Join Catherine Lapouge Group Sales and Marketing Performance Director at Thales, and Dominique Côté, owner & founder of Cosawi and SAMA board member, to hear how Thales integrated account marketing from the starting point of their strategic account management journey and its impact on their growth and roadmap evolution. Hear how this business transformation that created acceleration and cohesion of their customer-centric approach. read less

One thing we have learned the past couple of years – if as a SAM you weren’t deeply ingrained with your customers in terms of knowledge and relationships, you went backward during the Covid era. If... read more

One thing we have learned the past couple of years – if as a SAM you weren’t deeply ingrained with your customers in terms of knowledge and relationships, you went backward during the Covid era. If you weren’t prepared, you found your customer’s business and organization changing drastically at the exact time when your access to people and insight was limited. If you weren’t constantly learning about and co-creating with your customers, your competitors were quick to jump in. Another thing we learned – there is almost nothing more important in the role of a SAM than truly understanding your customer’s business and needs, developing a network of supporters, and identifying and gaining access to real senior level decision makers with a customer-focused message.Although these skills can seem “basic”, understanding your customer’s business and leveraging that deep understanding with senior level decision makers are incredibly challenging and critical skills. This webinar has been designed for new and experienced SAMs who are working with dynamic customers where the stakes are high, and the payoffs are huge. read less

Inflation and pricing pressures from customers are two of the top five global challenges having a negative impact on SAMs today (as reported from SAMA’s 2022 annual conference in May). We expect th... read more

Inflation and pricing pressures from customers are two of the top five global challenges having a negative impact on SAMs today (as reported from SAMA’s 2022 annual conference in May). We expect these challenges to endure, as market volatility looks unpredictable for the next several years. The ability to create trust with customers while positioning price more effectively will be essential to a SAM’s success. In this webinar you will learn: 1. How to position price based on your audience. Different buyer types have different decision criteria and the way you position the price matters. 2. Why customers focus on price instead of the value they receive, and the tactics you can use to shift the conversation back to value. 3. When and how to communicate price increases. read less

Given the business and personal revolutions and revelations of the past 3 years, it’s time take a good look at how leaders of SAMs work with each other. The broad forces impacting our lives include... read more

Given the business and personal revolutions and revelations of the past 3 years, it’s time take a good look at how leaders of SAMs work with each other. The broad forces impacting our lives include less in-person time, and the need to re-organize how work fits into life. This has drawn attention to the fact that leaders and their SAMs need to re-evaluate how they work together to balance high performance and work-life alignment. The pressure for performance is higher than ever and SAMs (and their leaders) have more work to do than time to do it. The best and most efficient way to execute a strategy is not always known by the leader, yet they have a responsibility to help their SAMs figure out how to meet their goals. In this session, we will share some approaches and facilitate a conversation on HOW leaders and their SAMs can figure things out together. We will cover the 4 types of HOW conversations and the supporting Leader and SAM competencies that will elevate collaboration. read less

Supply chain disruptions during the pandemic were a wake-up call to the world and created some of the most challenging times many of us have ever seen. Just when things seemed to be improving, the ... read more

Supply chain disruptions during the pandemic were a wake-up call to the world and created some of the most challenging times many of us have ever seen. Just when things seemed to be improving, the invasion of Ukraine set other problems in motion that have tangential impacts on many goods and services. Couple that with increasing political tensions around the world, one thing is certain: SAMs need to be thinking many moves ahead. What are some of the tools you have at your disposal to address customer concerns? What are some of the tactics and strategies you should have at your fingertips as you prepare for both upcoming negotiations and regular business reviews with your strategic accounts? Join Bill Moore, President of Industrial Profit Strategies, as he tackles these questions and wrestles with current supply chain issues. Moore brings more than three decades of experience working for an international company that facilitates in more than 80 countries and has sales locations in more than 130. We hope this session will be full of crowd-sourced information sharing of best practices through our personal experiences. read less

In many industries, digital solutions have become a core part of the innovation, as subscription models are now essential for revenue stability. As companies shift to mainstream these new digital o... read more

In many industries, digital solutions have become a core part of the innovation, as subscription models are now essential for revenue stability. As companies shift to mainstream these new digital offers, customer-facing executives and their accounts face significant changes in how they choose to monetize these innovations. John Pineda has spent the last 10 years helping decision makers in sales, product, and pricing navigate the transition to new digital offers and pricing models. In this talk, he will cover some of the pitfalls and success factors of this shift and how that effects the value prop for customers. read less

Rising inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, a looming risk of recession, and delivery challenges due to ongoing supply-chain disruptions. Today’s landscape is a pressure cooker guaranteed to create... read more

Rising inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, a looming risk of recession, and delivery challenges due to ongoing supply-chain disruptions. Today’s landscape is a pressure cooker guaranteed to create difficult conversations with many customers. During this session, we will explore how to handle tough conversations in a constructive and collaborative way — without giving in to pressure tactics. Topics will include how to: Initiate challenging conversations with customers, versus waiting for them to do so. Combine empathy with assertiveness when confronted with unreasonable customer demands Best to negotiate price increases Use difficult conversations to strengthen relationships read less

The simple fact that buyers don’t engage with sellers until well into their buying journey is now well accepted, but the disconnect runs far deeper. In this session we will share the latest Market-... read more

The simple fact that buyers don’t engage with sellers until well into their buying journey is now well accepted, but the disconnect runs far deeper. In this session we will share the latest Market-Partners’ research into how customers buy. We will examine what has changed in the buying journey, including issues related to the pandemic. Based on that understanding, we will then contrast how so many traditional selling approaches are out of step with today’s buyer. We will then share a series of best practices that essentially modernize selling to harmonize with how today’s buyer is buying. read less

Strategic account management organizations face a multitude of challenges, many of which can spring from missteps in the creation and evolution of the program itself. AVI-SPL has created and sustai... read more

Strategic account management organizations face a multitude of challenges, many of which can spring from missteps in the creation and evolution of the program itself. AVI-SPL has created and sustained a successful SAM program with the goal of driving long-term value with their most important customers. In this session, you will get an inside look at how to design, build, and operate a SAM program that yields award-winning results, including SAMA’s Outstanding Mature Program of the Year. Key areas of focus include: DESIGN: Create your vision: What is your North Star? Craft your center of excellence: What you can learn from product management BUILD: Building the infrastructure (people, process & tools) How to translate infrastructure to client-facing features OPERATE Finding the right metrics Keeping it alive with a product management lifecycle read less

Coherent Inc. is a global provider of lasers and laser-based technology serving demanding commercial markets like automotive and semiconductor manufacturing. These markets are heavily skewed to pos... read more

Coherent Inc. is a global provider of lasers and laser-based technology serving demanding commercial markets like automotive and semiconductor manufacturing. These markets are heavily skewed to post-sale activity with respect to customer satisfaction and company revenue. To meet this need, we created the global service account manager (GSAM) role that, while similar to a traditional GAM role, requires a special understanding of manufacturing, service, logistics and quality. The Global Service Account Management’s role and engagement early in the product or market life cycle is critical. In this webinar, we will discuss our experience introducing the GSAM role into the automotive manufacturing market. In addition, we’ll cover: Why timing matters How to establish relationships, create partnerships and align expectations How to tailor your solution’s value across the customer organization How to identify key stakeholders (internal and customer) and prioritize activities How to leverage enterprise capabilities to differentiate yourself from competitors read less

In a world that is moving increasingly towards commoditization, how do you, as a SAM, stand out and how do you get your company to stand out in the sea of competitors? Join SAMA board member, Ron D... read more

In a world that is moving increasingly towards commoditization, how do you, as a SAM, stand out and how do you get your company to stand out in the sea of competitors? Join SAMA board member, Ron Davis as he and a panel of SAMs from Zurich Insurance discuss how to deepen your customer relationships. Key takeaways will include: Engaging with Customer Advisory Boards can inspire new ideas and improved propositions Partnering on thought leadership and innovation with outside organizations Finding creative ways to involve Executive Sponsors and other executives And more! read less

The uncertainty we all face in the years to come requires us to reset and reinvent how we engage with each other. This is especially true for the relationship between the SAM and his or her key cus... read more

The uncertainty we all face in the years to come requires us to reset and reinvent how we engage with each other. This is especially true for the relationship between the SAM and his or her key customers. In this webinar, we will draw from the profession of executive coaching to share immediately applicable practices and questions that will enable you to truly differentiate yourself in the eyes of your customers. You will learn how to give power to the relationship between you and your client; how to establish a verbal contract to give energy to the value they seek; and how to use thought-provoking questions developed by the most seasoned executive coaches to engage, enlighten and empower your clients to excel. The outcome will be a deeper level of trust and endurance that will enable the alliance to thrive in the face of adversity. read less

Description: Let’s be honest: Most account plans don’t actually drive the value we had hoped for them to drive. Most of the time, they are a time-consuming exercise on ""what we’ve done,"" with nev... read more

Description: Let’s be honest: Most account plans don’t actually drive the value we had hoped for them to drive. Most of the time, they are a time-consuming exercise on ""what we’ve done,"" with never enough about ""what we’re going to do.” Join Greg Callahan of Bain & Company and Coro Account Planning, as he shares how he helps clients drive 20%-40% increase in booking through better account planning. Key topics for the Q&A: · Why does Bain care about account planning? (Answer: It drives results.) · What does Bain recommend that account managers do differently? (Answer: focus on account plays vs. opportunities) · What are the components of the Bain account plan? (I'll share our sample account plan.) · The plan is cool, but how do you make it a living document and keep you team aligned and on track? (Attend the session to find out.) read less

For corporations operating in the global arena, success with global accounts is critical for corporate success. Yet addressing global accounts is a complex, difficult challenge. In this session, we... read more

For corporations operating in the global arena, success with global accounts is critical for corporate success. Yet addressing global accounts is a complex, difficult challenge. In this session, we present a tested approach to managing global accounts that enhances your chances of success. read less