This two-day course teaches participants the full scope of the role and responsibilities of a strategic account manager as well as a repeatable framework for co-creating value with a customer. Participants will work with real-life case studies to better understand the progression of a typical customer engagement and the requisite skills and competencies: Customer co-discovery, fit and planning; value co-creation, monetization and negotiation; and value-tracking and delivery. This course uniquely combines technology and SAMA’s knowledge architecture to accelerate learning and application of KAM/ SAM best practices.
TOPICS COVERED:
Module 1: SAM competencies, skills and tools. During this module, attendees will absorb the value co-creation journey and the specific competencies required to carry it out. Instructors will present a case study that illustrates a well-executed customer journey as well as introducing SAM-enabling tools participants will leverage during the course. The focus is on the “how,” not the “what.”
Breakout: Participants will reflect on the specific competencies needed to successfully execute an end-to-end customer journey, how they relate to Module 1’s case study and their individual skill-development goals for the following two days. They will use this as a focal point for improvement throughout their entire SAMA training journey.
Module 2: Co-Discovery, fit and planning. The focus of this module is to get participants to think more strategically about their own customers. Each participant should walk away with a clear plan for having more strategic customer conversations that lead to concrete value-creation ideas. Key topics: Breakout: Participants will focus on their value story, the critical output that enables the strategic account manager to transition from having tactical conversations to have strategic ones that resonate with the customer’s C-level.
- About the Customer: Thinking strategically about the customer’s business situation
- Value Story: Develop the foundation for a customer conversation drawing on what that customer values today and uncovering target areas for value-creation efforts
- Feedback: How to gain valuable customer feedback on their value-creation ideas
Module 3: Co-creation, value monetization and negotiation. The focal point of this module is to use customer value-creation ideas to build business cases designed to garner internal and customer buy-in. Key topics: Breakout: Will focus on the quantifying business results for the customer.
- Review the top value-creation ideas, monetize them and prioritize which to focus on
- Develop planned outcomes for both the customer and supplier
- Build execution plans and review with customer and supplier to ensure alignment
Module 4: Value tracking and delivery. The final module focuses on creating an “execution rhythm, internally and at the customer, to complete and track outcomes. Key topics: Breakout: Work in this module will focus heavily on building a quantitative outcome tracker that can be used internally and with customers.
- Develop an approach to tracking quantified customer outcomes
- Establish value creation project scorecards that are used in the operating rhythm of the internal and customer organization
- Establish internal and customer accountability for execution
