BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//SAMA - Strategic Account Management Association - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:SAMA - Strategic Account Management Association X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://strategicaccounts.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for SAMA - Strategic Account Management Association REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20250309T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20251102T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20260308T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20261101T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20270314T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20271107T070000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260414T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260414T110000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20260128T222134Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T130122Z UID:10000194-1776160800-1776164400@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:Webcast: The Dangerous Comfort of Experience: Why strategic accounts drift unnoticed DESCRIPTION:Strategic accounts are funny things. They don’t tend to blow up in spectacular fashion. No dramatic fallout. No big “we’re leaving” moment. It’s usually much quieter than that. More of a slow easing off. \nWhat’s fascinating is that it often happens under the guidance of very experienced people. Experience is powerful. But it can also make you efficient in ways that dull curiosity. \nThat’s where adaptability comes in. Your adaptability quotient isn’t about being flexible in theory. It’s about whether you’re still recalibrating when the account shifts. Whether you notice when the ground moves slightly. Whether you’re still prepared to unsettle a comfortable relationship because growth requires it. \nIn this interactive conversation we’ll discuss: \n\nWhy accounts drift before anyone sees it in the numbers.\nWhy familiarity can quietly narrow thinking.\nWhy strong relationships sometimes remove the very tension that creates strategic value.\nWhat the best strategic account leaders do that keeps them commercially relevant — even when everything looks stable.\n\nThis webcast won’t be a model walk-through\, but a reflection on what’s happening in large organizations\, and why adaptability is often the invisible variable separating plateau from growth. \nExperience is an asset. But comfort? Comfort can be expensive! \nPresenter:  Martyn Poller\, Director / Managing Partner\, Axiomata URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/webcast-dangerous-comfort/ CATEGORIES:Webcast END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260415T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260416T123000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251022T181929Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251231T213917Z UID:10000155-1776240000-1776342600@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 2 – Co-creation and Quantification of Value DESCRIPTION:Higher-order value is created when companies collaborate to develop relevant\, differentiating solutions that impact what the customer – and customer’s customer – care most about. This “core” SAM program equips strategic account managers with leading practices; a proven\, pragmatic “operating system”; and tools to co-create value with the customer – tools that differentiates how you engage\, elevates relationships\, and accelerates mutual\, sustainable and profitable growth. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nThrough sharing “next-level practices\,” insights into “what the best do differently” and account-centric application of the co-creation framework\, principles and tools\, attendees will rapidly: \n\nDeepen customer and value-chain insights to understand business drivers\, validate needs and uncover opportunities\nAlign with key stakeholders (internal and customer) and prioritize “Big Fit” opportunities\, where you and the customer can collaborate to create the greatest mutual value\nCo-develop relevant\, differentiating solutions that leverage enterprise capabilities\, beyond core products and services\nQuantify and communicate compelling value propositions\, creating relevant\, quantified value stories in the customer’s currency and a “board-ready” business case that quantifies the “ripple effect” through the ecosystem\nDevelop a roadmap that accelerates execution and organization-wide change – to move the business forward faster towards a shared vision\, goals and outcomes\n\nIn summary\, this program is a high-impact\, pragmatic immersion that enables a replicable\, distinguishing approach to co-create and monetize value. URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-2-co-creation-and-quantification-of-value-2/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/hero_people3.png LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260421T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260422T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250205T180525Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T174319Z UID:10000062-1776760200-1776859200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:E12 – Strategic Thinking for SAM Success: Putting “strategic” back in “strategic account management" DESCRIPTION:Strategic account management success requires you to be seen as a trusted advisor to customers\, which usually involves engaging strategically with senior customer executives. This requires thinking more broadly\, creatively\, and deeply about business risks and their causes\, about opportunities for expansion and innovation\, and about the broad and complex business landscape in which your customers operate. This highly interactive workshop provides practical frameworks and tools to enhance strategic account managers’ abilities to think and operate strategically\, build credibility with executives\, and provide strategic insights to customers. \nTOPICS COVERED:\n\nUsing big-picture thinking to “connect the dots” and identify non-obvious risks and opportunities\nEmploying extended value-chain analysis to uncover new opportunities for and with customers\nImproving ability to frame problems in ways that yield new insights about how to solve them\nAvoiding reactive problem-solving\, especially in a highly kinetic environment\nImproving ability to consider all potential impacts of a course of action\nEnhancing ability to convert insight to action\n\nCompetencies Covered:\n\nCustomer orientation\nCompany knowledge\nIndustry knowledge\nCustomer knowledge\nStrategic thinking\nValue analysis & opportunity insight\nValue co-creation URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/strategic-thinking-for-sam-success-putting-strategic-back-in-strategic-account-management-e12-2/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/shutterstock_2491695137-_E12.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260429T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260430T123000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251016T200710Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251231T214236Z UID:10000147-1777451400-1777552200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:E4 – The Hero’s Journey: How to leverage storytelling to engage customers and drive innovation DESCRIPTION:Harnessing the power of storytelling can transform the way you engage with customers and drive successful outcomes. This full-day workshop is designed to provide strategic account managers (SAMs) with the tools and insights needed to effectively use the Hero’s Journey framework in strategic account management. Through practical exercises and engaging discussions\, participants will learn to create emotionally compelling value propositions and strategies that resonate deeply with customers. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of how to analyze industry forces\, assess customer situations\, and use storytelling to motivate and drive innovative solutions with key stakeholders. \n  URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/e4-the-heros-journey-how-to-leverage-storytelling-to-engage-customers-and-drive-innovation-2/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Individual-Competency-Assesments.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260429T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260429T113000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20260320T151951Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260325T210233Z UID:10000195-1777456800-1777462200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:From Stakeholder Voices to Strategic Action: Turning internal and external feedback into SAM metrics that drive outcomes DESCRIPTION:Many organizations collect valuable feedback from customers\, internal teams\, and strategic partners — but turning that input into meaningful metrics that guide action is where real impact happens. \nIn this interactive virtual session\, participants will explore how SAM leaders can translate stakeholder feedback into clear\, actionable metrics that strengthen relationships\, guide decision-making\, and improve organizational performance. Through a combination of expert insights and collaborative discussion\, we’ll examine how feedback-driven metrics can help optimize workflows\, enhance cross-functional alignment\, and support stronger outcomes across efficiency\, effectiveness\, market position\, risk management\, profitability\, and revenue. \nFollowing a short presentation\, participants will break into small groups to discuss curated questions focused on real-world challenges and opportunities in developing customer-centric metrics. These breakout discussions are designed to encourage peer learning\, idea sharing\, and practical problem-solving. \nParticipants will leave with: \n\nA clearer understanding of how stakeholder-driven metrics can elevate the impact of strategic account management programs.\nPractical insight into translating feedback from customers\, internal teams\, and industry partners into meaningful measures of success.\nNew ideas for using the right metrics to drive stronger relationships\, better decisions\, and greater organizational impact.\nA follow-up Summary Guide highlighting key learning points and shared best practices from the session. URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/from-stakeholder-voices-to-strategic-action-turning-internal-and-external-feedback-into-sam-metrics-that-drive-outcomes/ CATEGORIES:Training END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260518 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260521 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250430T144042Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T190247Z UID:10000119-1779062400-1779321599@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:2026 SAMA Annual Conference DESCRIPTION:CONFERENCE HOME   |   VENUE   |   PRICING   |  SESSIONS   |   BRING A TEAM   |   REGISTER NOW \nJoin us in Phoenix for the 2026 SAMA Annual Conference — the premier event for forward-thinking strategic account management professionals. This is where high-impact learning meets real-world relevance. Whether you’re leading a global SAM initiative or building a program from the ground up\, you’ll find the insights\, tools\, and community to help you deliver tangible results. \nHeld at the Arizona Biltmore — a luxurious desert oasis — SAMA’s flagship event will explore the frontiers of what’s possible\, as you engage with a curated network of experts\, practitioners\, and peers who understand the urgency of strategic growth and customer value creation. Through dynamic keynotes\, in-depth case studies\, and highly interactive sessions\, you’ll explore what’s next in strategic account management — from digital enablement and ecosystem partnerships to innovative collaboration models and customer co-creation. \nThe 2026 SAMA Annual Conference is  your launchpad for transformation and execution\, so you can lead with confidence\, adapt with agility\, and scale what works. \nDon’t just attend. Come ready to challenge assumptions\, rethink your approach\, and return with a roadmap to guide your path to success. \n \n REGISTER NOW\n \nPast attendees have included organizations such as:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \nConference Keynote​ Speakers\nMonday Keynote\n \nBeyond Grit: The art & science of collective resilience\nLiz Bohannon\n \n Entrepreneur\, author\, and leading workplace and community connection expert\n \n \n \n \n \nRead more\n \nTuesday Keynote\n \nHiovation\nRichelle Deveau\n \n Partner\, McKinsey & Company\n \n \n \n \n \nRead more \n \nWednesday Keynote\n \nHigh-Stakes Alignment: The missing link between strategic accounts and innovation\nAdrian Davis\n \n President\, Whetstone\n \n \n \n \n \n Read more\n \nWho should attend?\n– Strategic/Global/Key Account Managers– SAM Program Directors– Account Team Members– Field Sales Supporting Strategic Customers– Sales & Marketing Executives– Senior Management (Business Units & Geographies)– Sales Support & Operations– Sales Training & Development– Human Resources– Chief Sales Officers \nConference\nTracks\n\n \n \n\n – SAM Program Design\, Structure\, and Management\n \nThis track is designed for senior leaders responsible for the strategy\, governance\, and performance of strategic account management programs\, including Executives\, SAM Program Leaders\, Managers of SAMs\, and Learning & Development. Sessions focus on how to design\, scale\, and continuously evolve SAM programs that deliver measurable business impact — for customers and for the enterprise. \nProgram leaders will explore best practices and real-world lessons across the full SAM lifecycle\, including program architecture\, account selection and segmentation\, executive sponsorship models\, talent and role design\, enablement and certification\, metrics and ROI\, and cross-functional alignment. Emphasis is placed on moving beyond theory to execution — what works\, what doesn’t\, and how to course-correct as programs mature. \nThis track also addresses today’s most pressing challenges for SAM leaders: aligning SAM with corporate strategy\, gaining and sustaining executive support\, proving value through outcomes and results\, integrating digital and AI-enabled tools\, and building future-ready capabilities across global and complex organizations. \n\n – Critical Skills for Strategic Account Managers\n \nThis track is designed for Strategic/Global/Key Account Managers responsible for driving growth\, value creation\, and long-term partnerships with an organization’s most critical customers. Sessions focus on the skills\, tools\, and approaches SAMs need to succeed in complex\, multi-stakeholder enterprise environments. \nSessions in this track address financial skills\, executive presence\, leveraging AI\, collaborating cross-functionally\, engaging C-suite stakeholders\, navigating customer organizations\, uncovering growth opportunities\, co-creating value\, and shifting from seller to trusted advisor and business partner. Attendees will leave equipped to strengthen relationships\, accelerate growth\, protect revenue\, and elevate their strategic impact within customer organizations. \n\n – Trends in Strategic Account Management\n \nThis track is designed for all audiences interested in the emerging trends shaping the future of strategic account management. With the advances in AI\, strategic account management is changing fast\, and today’s most successful teams are adapting with smarter tools\, stronger customer alignment\, and more intentional account strategies. Attendees will leave with practical ideas and proven methods to strengthen key account relationships and drive long-term growth. \nAgenda at a Glance\n\n\n\n\nSunday\, May 17\n\n\n\n\n4:00pm – 7:30pm\nRegistration Open\n\n\n5:00pm – 6:00pm\nBonus Session\n\n\n6:00pm – 7:30pm\nSAMA Happy Hour\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMonday\, May 18\n\n\n\n\n7:30am – 8:30am\nBreakfast\n\n\n8:30am – 9:30am\nKeynote\n\n\n9:30am – 10:00am\nBreak\n\n\n10:00am – 11:15am\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n11:15am – 11:45am\nBreak\n\n\n11:45am – 1:00pm\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n1:00pm – 2:15pm\nLunch\n\n\n2:15pm – 3:30pm\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n3:30pm – 4:00pm\nBreak\n\n\n4:00pm – 5:15pm\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n6:30pm – 9:30pm\nReception & Dinner\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTuesday\, May 19\n\n \n\n\n7:30am – 8:30am\nBreakfast\n\n\n8:30am – 9:45am\nKeynote and Excellence Awards\n\n\n9:45am – 10:15am\nBreak\n\n\n10:15am – 11:30am\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n11:30am – 12:00pm\nBreak\n\n\n12:00pm – 1:15pm\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n1:15pm – 2:30pm\nLunch\n\n\n2:30pm – 3:45pm\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n3:45pm – 4:15pm\nBreak\n\n\n4:15pm – 5:30pm\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n6:30pm – 7:30pm\nReception\n\n\n\nWednesday\, May 20\n\n \n\n\n7:30am – 8:30am\nBreakfast\n\n\n8:30am – 9:30am\nKeynote\n\n\n9:30am – 10:00am\nBreak\n\n\n10:00am – 11:15am\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n11:15am – 11:45am\nBreak\n\n\n11:45am – 1:00pm\nConcurrent Sessions\n\n\n1:00pm\nConference Adjourns\n\n\n\n “Attending the SAMA Annual Conference was a meaningful and educational experience that elevated our strategic account management approach. The sessions offered actionable best practices that we’ve applied across our team\, and the opportunity to connect with other account managers was invaluable. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to grow professionally and strengthen their strategic partnerships.”\n – John MimnaughBoehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals\, Inc.\n “I’ve been working with SAMA since the mid 2000s. I got answers at my first annual conference. The rush\, the fire\, the adrenaline that you get from your first SAMA conference — I want my team to have that same experience. If you want your sales team to be viewed as the trusted advisor for your customers\, join us at the conference. See you there.”\n – Brian HussPresident\, Frenzelit\n “Some of the sessions really blew me off my feet…interesting and disruptive ideas you can only find here.”\n – Conference Attendee\n “For me the value lies in the ability to spend a few days sharpening my skills so that I am able to take new ideas back to my company so we can all as a team become better at managing our relationships with our key strategic accounts.”\n – Conference Attendee\n \n \n. \n \n \nConference Venue \nArizona Biltmore\nRooted in the visionary design principles of Frank Lloyd Wright\, the Arizona Biltmore blends timeless architecture with contemporary sophistication. Thoughtfully reimagined\, the resort offers refined experiences for those who value elevated comfort\, distinctive style\, and exceptional\, personalized service — all delivered with care and attention to detail. \nSAMA Rate:  $325.00 + 13.07% tax + $36.00 (Historical Preservation and Resort Fee) = $403.48 per night \nReservation Link:  SAMA / Arizona Biltmore Reservation Link\, OR call Central Reservations at +1 (800) 950-0086. \nVenue Address:  2400 E. Missouri Ave\, Phoenix\, AZ 85016www.arizonabiltmore.com \nConference Dates:  Monday\, May 18 to Wednesday\, May 20\, 2026 \nResort Fee/ Historical Preservation:  A discounted daily Resort Fee of $25\, Historical Preservation Fee $11 – will apply to your reservation. \nReservation Cut-off:  The cut-off for reservations is Sunday\, April 26\, 2026\, OR when the SAMA room block is FULL. \nHotel Cancellation Policy:  To confirm a sleeping room within the room block\, the sleeping room must be secured with a valid credit card. Cancellations made within 2 days prior to arrival will forfeit one night’s room and tax. \nAny Questions please contact:   registration@strategicaccounts.org \n2026 SAMA Annual Conference Pricing\n\n Full Price \n (after February 3\, 2026) \n\n\n \n Corporate Member = $2\,995\n \n\n \n Individual Member = $3\,295\n \n\n \n Non-Member = $3\,495\n \n\n \n REGISTER \nBring your team! \nSave $100 per person at every level when you register for groups of 8 or more paid attendees. \n \n REGISTER NOW\n \n \nCall for Proposals\nSAMA’s Annual Conference is our premiere event — an exhilarating educational experience\, with sessions offering breadth\, depth\, and a sharp focus on real-world challenges that cut across all industries. \nYou will be seen as a thought leader within your industry and become part of a global think tank of like-minded peers\, determined to grow profitably with your company’s most strategic customers. \nFor session submissions\, click here. For questions\, please contact SAMA’s Assistant Director of Knowledge & Training Dave Schweizer at schweizer@strategicaccounts.org and include a brief description and any supporting materials. \nSubmissions deadline for submissions is October 17\, 2025. \nThank you to our sponsors:\n                                  \nThank you to our sponsors:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \nFor information on sponsorship opportunities click here. URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/2026-sama-annual-conference/ CATEGORIES:Conference ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/hero_biltmore.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260527T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260722T130000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250205T181308Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T174318Z UID:10000166-1779876000-1784725200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:Critical Skills for Strategic Sales DESCRIPTION:Critical Skills for Strategic Sales\n\n\n\n\nA SAMA PARTNERSHIP \n\n\n\n\nSAMA welcomes you to “Critical Skills for Strategic Sales\,” a fully virtual\, blended training program that equips the new-to-role account manager and/or sales professional to: \n\nElevate engagement and grow business with important customers\nApply best-in-class\, pragmatic account management processes\, principles and tools.\n\n\n\n\n\nBuild front-line salespeople’s skillset and mindset to effectively engage large and/or important accounts with behaviors that have been proven to drive growth. Begin shifting mindsets from “product-based” to “customer-centric” while positioning your firm as a true value-add solution supplier and stop customers from seeing you as “just another vendor.” \n  \nLearn more URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/critical-skills-for-strategic-sales/ CATEGORIES:Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hero-banner-acctskills4sales.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260601T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260604T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250902T133847Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T133230Z UID:10000133-1780302600-1780574400@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 1 – Value Co-Discovery and Strategic Account Planning DESCRIPTION:How can effective co-discovery between you\, your account team and your customer put your account planning efforts on an accelerated trajectory to be successful? How do top performing account managers harness the power of value creation\, internal and external alignment and authentic customer relationships to drive greater collaboration and develop higher-impact account plans? How can you equip yourself with proven strategic account management (SAM) best practices to drive mutual growth and value creation with your most strategic customers? How can you implement an account planning process that will enable you and your customer to engage\, win and grow together? These questions and more will be answered in this high-energy workshop in which participants “try-on” contemporary SAM concepts and best practices proven within the SAMA community. Participants will select a strategic customer and “must-win” opportunity as part of their pre-work before the session\, and then apply workshop learnings to this customer and opportunity\, ensuring takeaways that can be put to use immediately. Whether your organization has adopted a specific account plan format or not\, workshop exercises\, group discussions and debriefs will provide takeaways in the form of SAM concepts\, skills\, tools and best practices that can be applied to the specific challenges facing you and your team today. \nTOPICS COVERED:\n\nInitiate the account planning process by understanding the current state of performance and relationship between the participant’s own organization and the customer.\nEngage effectively with customer team members to determine what matters most to them\, co-discovering customer external pressures and drivers\, business objectives and plans\, internal challenges and obstacles\, as well as their criteria for measurable success.\nLeverage historical value creation with the customer (past proven value) and relevant data to gain momentum and direction for co-discovery\, alignment of growth objectives and future value creation.\nDevelop and execute co-discovery strategies and activities that will enable the participant and the customer to explore possibilities for mutual value creation and co-creation\, and visualize mutual success together through elevated levels of collaboration.\nUnderstand the customer’s organization and business landscape for the purpose of aligning and mapping key customer stakeholders\, sponsors and supporters with the members of the participant’s account team for effective engagement and collaboration.\nDevelop and validate new opportunities that result from the participant’s discovery and co-discovery activities with the customer\, thus bringing the organizations into closer alignment around shared objectives\, priorities and new areas for value creation/co-creation.\nEffectively communicate opportunities for value creation and co-creation\, both internally and externally with the customer\, ensuring that short and long-term priorities are kept in proper balance and that both parties recognize the potential for mutual growth.\nFacilitate collaboration between the participant’s and customer’s teams resulting in the development and implementation of realistic strategies to grow customer relationships.\nBuild\, update and deploy the strategic account plan as a management tool for:\n\nCustomer value creation\, co-creation and realization\nEffective alignment (both internal with colleagues and cross-functional team members\, and externally with the customer’s team)\nExpansion of the customer relationship (including development of customer sponsors and supporters)\nMutual growth for both organizations. URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-1-value-co-discovery-and-strategic-account-planning-5/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/shutterstock_2351136011-_Core-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260608T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260611T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250929T152318Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T161403Z UID:10000138-1780907400-1781179200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 0 – SAM Playbook: Foundational skills for driving superior customer results DESCRIPTION: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. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nModule 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.”\nBreakout: 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. \nModule 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. \n\nAbout the Customer: Thinking strategically about the customer’s business situation\nValue Story: Develop  the foundation for a customer conversation drawing on what that customer values today and uncovering target areas for value-creation efforts\nFeedback: How to gain valuable customer feedback on their value-creation ideas\n\nModule 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. \n\nReview the top value-creation ideas\, monetize them and prioritize which to focus on\nDevelop planned outcomes for both the customer and supplier\nBuild execution plans and review with customer and supplier to ensure alignment\n\nModule 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. \n\nDevelop an approach to tracking quantified customer outcomes\nEstablish value creation project scorecards that are used in the operating rhythm of the internal and customer organization\nEstablish internal and customer accountability for execution URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-0-sam-playbook-foundational-skills-for-driving-superior-customer-results/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_core-0.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260616T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260617T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251014T135838Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T133434Z UID:10000143-1781598600-1781697600@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 3 – Leading and Influencing Your Strategic Account DESCRIPTION:vTOPICS COVERED:\nAs a successful strategic account manager\, you operate as the conduit between your own and your customer’s organization\, relying on your ability to influence stakeholders in both while managing significant complexity. Doing so requires you to not only be seen as a trusted advisor to your customer but also as a leader within your own organization. Those who have developed their personal account leadership brand will maximize their ability to influence outcomes across both organizations – which is more critical than ever given the complex\, decentralized\, and often virtual sales environment SAMs operate in today. \nThis highly interactive workshop provides practical frameworks and tools to enhance SAMs’ ability to demonstrate credible account leadership\, engage in strategic influence conversations with both the customer and internal team members\, and provide an opportunity to develop cohesive account strategies that will broaden and deepen relationships while driving account revenue. \nTopics covered: \n\nCreating long-term influence and engagement strategies to drive revenue with your customer\nUnderstanding customer resistance and effectively influencing customer counterparts for optimal outcomes\nBuilding an account leadership brand to develop and lead high-performing teams in today’s virtual selling environment\nPresenting yourself and your ideas in a clear and authoritative manner from the C-suite down\nAligning your multifunctional team for seamless implementation of account strategies and delivery URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-3-leading-and-influencing-your-strategic-account-2/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_core-3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260623T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260624T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251020T212557Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251020T212557Z UID:10000153-1782203400-1782302400@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:E10 – Coaching to the Behaviors that Drive Effective SAM Execution DESCRIPTION:It’s generally agreed that growth and business results are key indicators of a successful SAM/KAM program. Yet based on experience with numerous organizations within the SAMA community of practice\, there exists an imbalance between coaching to the results (i.e.\, “the numbers”) and coaching to the behaviors that drive these results (i.e.\, SAM best practices). And while measuring revenue growth is certainly an important indicator of SAM performance\, experience suggests that when emphasis is placed on the best practices that lead to revenue growth (i.e.\, leading indicators)\, not only will the results follow\, but SAM performance and development will accelerate. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nTo be most effective as SAM/KAM coaches requires a framework of what “good” SAM looks like (the “what”) that is supported by a practical coaching model (the “how”) and can be applied to the SAM process and best practices. This one-day session focuses on the behaviors that lead to effective SAM execution (including co-discovery and co-creation of value) and equips participants with proven approaches to coaching these behaviors to drive SAM performance and effectiveness within their organizations. \nAs a result of this session\, participants will be able to: \n\nBenchmark against a proven approach to co-discovering and co-creating customer value developed within the SAMA community\nUnderstand the SAM/KAM behaviors that drive effective co-discovery and co-creation of customer value\nImplement a set of proven coaching questions organized around the behaviors that lead to effective SAM/KAM execution and account growth\nLeverage the SAM coaching process to engage more collaboratively with SAMs/KAMs and bring value to their account planning\, account management\, and value-selling efforts\nPractice and experience coaching SAM execution using a proven coaching model and approach that can be deployed immediately\nIdentify personal SAM coaching strengths as well as coaching skills to develop over the next 6 to 12 months URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/e10-coaching-to-the-behaviors-that-drive-effective-sam-execution/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_E10.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260625T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260625T110000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20260325T210732Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T130020Z UID:10000196-1782381600-1782385200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:Webcast: From Insight to Alignment: How strategic account teams turn customer understanding into coordinated action DESCRIPTION:Strategic accounts succeed or fail based on alignment. Not just with the customer\, but across internal cross functional teams. In the closing keynote at the SAMA conference\, we explored the concept of High Stakes Alignment\, the discipline of aligning deeply with the strategic priorities of your key account and then aligning your own organization to deliver innovation.\n\nMany account teams face the same challenge. They gather great insights from the customer yet struggle to mobilize their own organization around them.\n\nThis webcast focuses on the operational side of High Stakes Alignment. We’ll introduce a practical model of the four alignments required to create meaningful impact in strategic accounts.\n\nCustomer strategic alignment\nExecutive alignment\nInternal cross functional alignment\nExecution alignment\n\nThis webcast will include practical tools and examples that help account managers move from “knowing the customer well” to mobilizing their organization to deliver meaningful innovation. Participants will learn how leading account teams diagnose misalignment early\, strengthen collaboration across functions\, and create the conditions for innovation with their most important customers\n\nHosted by: SAMA and Adrian Davis\, President\, Whetstone\n\nDate: Thursday\, Jun 25\, 2026 – 10:00 AM CT / 11:00 AM ET\n\nRegister URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/webcast-from-insight-to-alignment-how-strategic-account-teams-turn-customer-understanding-into-coordinated-action/ CATEGORIES:Webcast LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260630T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260701T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251016T203848Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251016T204121Z UID:10000152-1782808200-1782907200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 4 – Managing the Customer Relationship and Value Journey DESCRIPTION:Participate in an exciting\, informative\, interactive and metric-oriented workshop. During this session participants will take a journey into the future…or is it now? They will experience methods\, practices and tools that will help them optimize relationships with their strategic customers. Participants will experience both sides of the relationship: from the perspective of both the strategic customer as well as the strategic supplier. Participants will operate in collaborative teams\, with group discussion and activity outcome sharing will be part of each content area. Thinking\, innovating and challenging are integral parts of this workshop. \n  \nTOPICS COVERED:\nAssuming the role of a Trusted Advisor. It’s more than a deal manager. \n\nDefine behaviors and practices of an effective Trusted Advisor\, one who builds strategic\, C-Level relationships and enables the creation of shared value\n\nImplementing and utilizing a metric-based customer scorecard \n\nShare key metrics that influence success in relationship management and the value journey using a dashboard approach\, i.e.\, measuring so we can improve together\n\nMeasuring & strengthening relationships \n\nPresent and establish methodology\, process\, practices and tools for mapping\, measuring and strengthening relationships\n\nExpanding share of wallet within a designated addressable market segment and building on/from a metric-based scorecard and voice-of-customer data \n\nDemonstrate how to turn knowledge\, relationships and metrics into mutually beneficial outcomes/monetized value – through a value journey URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-4-managing-the-customer-relationship-and-value-journey-2/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_core-4-1.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260811T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260811T110000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20260128T221513Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T125927Z UID:10000193-1786442400-1786446000@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:Webcast: Using AI as Your True Business Partner DESCRIPTION:You’ve worked hard to develop outstanding customer relationships by being the real personal value proposition for your company’s brand. AI has emerged as a tempting short cut for various aspects of your account management work. This highly interactive breakout session based on MIT AI certification research will help you take the guesswork out of using AI and develop practical\, repeatable approaches for making AI a true business partner. \nLearning Objectives / Key Takeaways. By the end of this breakout\, SAMs will be able to: \n\nStrengthen their personal brand by building and maintaining professional relationships that create a competitive edge.\nIdentify when to use AI tools versus human judgment (the eye test) to make more effective business decisions.Use AI effectively in day-to-day work to:\n\n\n\n\nAddress and overcome objections.\nSupport successful negotiations.\nDemonstrate ROI with data.\nCraft clear\, persuasive messaging.\nStreamline research and preparation.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCreate a simple\, actionable AI plan to apply new skills immediately in their role.\n\nPresenter: Ed Wallace\, Managing Director\, AchieveNEXT URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/webcast-using-ai-as-your-true-business-partner/ CATEGORIES:Webcast LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260915T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260916T123000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251111T173322Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251112T154121Z UID:10000163-1789461000-1789561800@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:E17 – Why Now: Create urgency with business decision-makers and drive them to decide now\, not later DESCRIPTION:Not advised for those who have previously attended “Buyer’s perspective: Create\, communicate and quantify value for CxO impact – E2”. This is a 1 Training Unit portion of the E2 workshop. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nStalled proposals and deals ending in “no decision” are arguably a value communication problem—the result of an inability to create enough urgency\, and show enough business impact\, to get executive-level prospects to act. \nSo how do you create a business case for the “why now” moment—when you’re dealing with buyers who might not care how your products and services work\, but want to know how you can help them drive business value? \nHow this affects you \n\nSalespeople are not able to express the business change their solution can bring\nExecutives see some value in the solution but do not prioritize it among their other initiatives\nSalespeople can’t establish credibility in an executive conversation\n\nWhat if you could… \n\nProvide insights to uncover business needs the executive had not considered?\nQuantify their business return on their investment in your offering?\nDiscuss strategic initiatives to drive investment urgency in executive decision-makers?\n\nTOPICS COVERED: \n\nCreate Executive Urgency – Create urgency for executive decision-makers to act now\, not later.\nUnderstand Executive Decision-Making – Compose messages that demonstrate what decision-makers stand to lose via their status quo in addition to gain by switching to you.\nLeverage Unconsidered Needs – Identify issues that prospects don’t know about or don’t think are urgent to disrupt their status quo and get them ready to change.\nIdentify Performance Metrics – Quantify your solution’s value using metrics meaningful to your customer.\nUse ROI and Economic Justification – Work with customers to jointly model compelling Return on Investment scenarios.\nMatch Conversations with Roles – Position your solution’s value throughout your customer’s organization to engage in the right conversation with the right person.\n\nCompetencies Covered:\n\nFinancial/business acumen\nValue analysis & opportunity insight\nCommunication & influence skills\nInterpersonal relationship skills\nAccountability for business outcomes URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/e17-why-now-create-urgency-with-business-decision-makers-and-drive-them-to-decide-now-not-later/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_E17.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260915T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260918T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250902T134458Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T133217Z UID:10000134-1789461000-1789732800@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 1 – Value Co-Discovery and Strategic Account Planning DESCRIPTION:How can effective co-discovery between you\, your account team and your customer put your account planning efforts on an accelerated trajectory to be successful? How do top performing account managers harness the power of value creation\, internal and external alignment and authentic customer relationships to drive greater collaboration and develop higher-impact account plans? How can you equip yourself with proven strategic account management (SAM) best practices to drive mutual growth and value creation with your most strategic customers? How can you implement an account planning process that will enable you and your customer to engage\, win and grow together? These questions and more will be answered in this high-energy workshop in which participants “try-on” contemporary SAM concepts and best practices proven within the SAMA community. Participants will select a strategic customer and “must-win” opportunity as part of their pre-work before the session\, and then apply workshop learnings to this customer and opportunity\, ensuring takeaways that can be put to use immediately. Whether your organization has adopted a specific account plan format or not\, workshop exercises\, group discussions and debriefs will provide takeaways in the form of SAM concepts\, skills\, tools and best practices that can be applied to the specific challenges facing you and your team today. \nTOPICS COVERED:\n\nInitiate the account planning process by understanding the current state of performance and relationship between the participant’s own organization and the customer.\nEngage effectively with customer team members to determine what matters most to them\, co-discovering customer external pressures and drivers\, business objectives and plans\, internal challenges and obstacles\, as well as their criteria for measurable success.\nLeverage historical value creation with the customer (past proven value) and relevant data to gain momentum and direction for co-discovery\, alignment of growth objectives and future value creation.\nDevelop and execute co-discovery strategies and activities that will enable the participant and the customer to explore possibilities for mutual value creation and co-creation\, and visualize mutual success together through elevated levels of collaboration.\nUnderstand the customer’s organization and business landscape for the purpose of aligning and mapping key customer stakeholders\, sponsors and supporters with the members of the participant’s account team for effective engagement and collaboration.\nDevelop and validate new opportunities that result from the participant’s discovery and co-discovery activities with the customer\, thus bringing the organizations into closer alignment around shared objectives\, priorities and new areas for value creation/co-creation.\nEffectively communicate opportunities for value creation and co-creation\, both internally and externally with the customer\, ensuring that short and long-term priorities are kept in proper balance and that both parties recognize the potential for mutual growth.\nFacilitate collaboration between the participant’s and customer’s teams resulting in the development and implementation of realistic strategies to grow customer relationships.\nBuild\, update and deploy the strategic account plan as a management tool for:\n\nCustomer value creation\, co-creation and realization\nEffective alignment (both internal with colleagues and cross-functional team members\, and externally with the customer’s team)\nExpansion of the customer relationship (including development of customer sponsors and supporters)\nMutual growth for both organizations. URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-1-value-co-discovery-and-strategic-account-planning-6/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/shutterstock_2351136011-_Core-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260922T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260923T123000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251022T182459Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251231T214052Z UID:10000156-1790064000-1790166600@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 2 – Co-creation and Quantification of Value DESCRIPTION:Higher-order value is created when companies collaborate to develop relevant\, differentiating solutions that impact what the customer – and customer’s customer – care most about. This “core” SAM program equips strategic account managers with leading practices; a proven\, pragmatic “operating system”; and tools to co-create value with the customer – tools that differentiates how you engage\, elevates relationships\, and accelerates mutual\, sustainable and profitable growth. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nThrough sharing “next-level practices\,” insights into “what the best do differently” and account-centric application of the co-creation framework\, principles and tools\, attendees will rapidly: \n\nDeepen customer and value-chain insights to understand business drivers\, validate needs and uncover opportunities\nAlign with key stakeholders (internal and customer) and prioritize “Big Fit” opportunities\, where you and the customer can collaborate to create the greatest mutual value\nCo-develop relevant\, differentiating solutions that leverage enterprise capabilities\, beyond core products and services\nQuantify and communicate compelling value propositions\, creating relevant\, quantified value stories in the customer’s currency and a “board-ready” business case that quantifies the “ripple effect” through the ecosystem\nDevelop a roadmap that accelerates execution and organization-wide change – to move the business forward faster towards a shared vision\, goals and outcomes\n\nIn summary\, this program is a high-impact\, pragmatic immersion that enables a replicable\, distinguishing approach to co-create and monetize value. URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-2-co-creation-and-quantification-of-value-3/ CATEGORIES:Training,Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/hero_people3.png LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260929T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260930T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251016T201646Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251231T214211Z UID:10000148-1790670600-1790769600@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:E5 – Strategic Negotiation: Changing the conversation from price to solutions DESCRIPTION:The strategic account manager is uniquely positioned to undertake negotiations that will result in not just a good deal but a great deal. In this session you will bring an account negotiation with you and learn how to diagnose the underlying structure or “blueprint” of a negotiation so you can consistently start turning in great deals. This course shows strategic account managers how to use their relationships\, access to information\, teams\, and analytical abilities to forge blockbuster deals with customers. Course Requirements: Bring an account negotiation with you that we will work on and apply concepts to during the session. \nTOPICS COVERED:\n\nHow to audit and improve your personal negotiation skills for:\n\nDetermining and acquiring power in high-level\, complex negotiations\nDeveloping strategies for dealing with irrational competitive offers\nFinding ways to create measurable business value by taking pressure off price\nDeveloping effective ways to negotiate solutions vs. price\n\n\nA structured approach to complex business negotiation\nHow to integrate this common language and process within your strategic account organization and account team URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/e5-strategic-negotiation-changing-the-conversation-from-price-to-solutions/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_E5.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261005T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261008T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250929T154235Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T161329Z UID:10000140-1791189000-1791460800@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 0 – SAM Playbook: Foundational skills for driving superior customer results DESCRIPTION: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. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nModule 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.”\nBreakout: 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. \nModule 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. \n\nAbout the Customer: Thinking strategically about the customer’s business situation\nValue Story: Develop  the foundation for a customer conversation drawing on what that customer values today and uncovering target areas for value-creation efforts\nFeedback: How to gain valuable customer feedback on their value-creation ideas\n\nModule 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. \n\nReview the top value-creation ideas\, monetize them and prioritize which to focus on\nDevelop planned outcomes for both the customer and supplier\nBuild execution plans and review with customer and supplier to ensure alignment\n\nModule 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. \n\nDevelop an approach to tracking quantified customer outcomes\nEstablish value creation project scorecards that are used in the operating rhythm of the internal and customer organization\nEstablish internal and customer accountability for execution URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-0-sam-playbook-foundational-skills-for-driving-superior-customer-results-3/ CATEGORIES:Training,Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_core-0.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261007T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261008T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251111T172348Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T172349Z UID:10000162-1791361800-1791460800@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:E16 – Monetization of Value DESCRIPTION:Strategic account managers are responsible for monetizing the investments their companies have made to build the products and services they offer – and to prevent them from being commoditized. A product or service will become commoditized if it does not have differentiated value that can be quantified and monetized\, and so it is the SAM’s responsibility to convert this value into cash. This course equips strategic account managers with leading practices\, frameworks\, and tools to quantify and monetize the value they bring to their customer and to differentiate how they engage with them. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nThrough sharing “next-level” practices\, insights into what the best do differently\, and account-centric application of the monetization framework\, principles\, and tools\, attendees will learn to: \n\nCreate a monetization strategy and apply principles to identify your value enablers\, creating a model to quantify and monetize your differentiated value\nExpand customer insights through a deeper understanding of market and business drivers of your customer\, validating assumptions and uncovering opportunities to expand the value of your relationship\nUnderstand different methods of monetization and how to decide which method is appropriate for your customers\nEngage key stakeholders (internal and at the customer) to identify opportunities for incremental value – and then monetize it\nQuantify and communicate compelling value propositions by creating relevant\, quantified value stories in the customer’s currency\, plus a “board-ready” business case that quantifies the “ripple effect” through the ecosystem\nDevelop a plan that enables organization-wide change\, both internally and at the customer\, to realize the monetizable value of your strategic relationship\n\nCompetencies Covered:\n\nFinancial/business acumen\nValue analysis & opportunity insight\nValue co-creation URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/e16-monetization-of-value-2/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_E16.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261013T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261014T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251120T130841Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251120T130841Z UID:10000164-1791880200-1791979200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 4 – Managing the Customer Relationship and Value Journey DESCRIPTION:Participate in an exciting\, informative\, interactive and metric-oriented workshop. During this session participants will take a journey into the future…or is it now? They will experience methods\, practices and tools that will help them optimize relationships with their strategic customers. Participants will experience both sides of the relationship: from the perspective of both the strategic customer as well as the strategic supplier. Participants will operate in collaborative teams\, with group discussion and activity outcome sharing will be part of each content area. Thinking\, innovating and challenging are integral parts of this workshop. \n  \nTOPICS COVERED:\nAssuming the role of a Trusted Advisor. It’s more than a deal manager. \n\nDefine behaviors and practices of an effective Trusted Advisor\, one who builds strategic\, C-Level relationships and enables the creation of shared value\n\nImplementing and utilizing a metric-based customer scorecard \n\nShare key metrics that influence success in relationship management and the value journey using a dashboard approach\, i.e.\, measuring so we can improve together\n\nMeasuring & strengthening relationships \n\nPresent and establish methodology\, process\, practices and tools for mapping\, measuring and strengthening relationships\n\nExpanding share of wallet within a designated addressable market segment and building on/from a metric-based scorecard and voice-of-customer data \n\nDemonstrate how to turn knowledge\, relationships and metrics into mutually beneficial outcomes/monetized value – through a value journey URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-4-managing-the-customer-relationship-and-value-journey-3/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_core-4-1.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261103T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261104T123000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251016T202228Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251231T214401Z UID:10000150-1793692800-1793795400@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:E14 – Winning with Internal Stakeholders: How to manage internal stakeholders to successfully advance creative customer solutions DESCRIPTION:Most SAMs readily acknowledge that winning the approval of their internal stakeholders is often a greater challenge than winning with customers. In this workshop\, we will explore the keys to successfully manage internal stakeholder relationships. You’ll learn the different types of internal stakeholders and the expectations of each\, and we’ll explore the differences between internal and external stakeholder management. You’ll walk away with greater emotional intelligence and practical tips to effectively gain internal support for your ideas in order to accelerate required approvals. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nThis session equips participants with practical approaches to align internal stakeholders with their important customer initiatives. \nAs a result of attending this workshop\, participants will be able to: \n\nCreate an internal stakeholder register\nIdentify and map important internal stakeholders\nAccurately assess the levels of influence and interest of key stakeholders\nEffectively categorize different types of internal stakeholders\nUnderstand how to align their initiatives with the emotional drives of key stakeholders\nSuccessfully leverage internal politics · Proactively address the concerns of internal stakeholders\nDevelop appropriate communication plans for different stakeholders\n\nCompetencies Covered:\n\nCustomer orientation\nCompany knowledge\nCommunication and influence skills\nInterpersonal relationship skills\nResponsibility for corporate customer relationship\nAccountability for business outcomes URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/e14-winning-with-internal-stakeholders-how-to-manage-internal-stakeholders-to-successfully-advance-creative-customer-solutions/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_E14.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261110T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261111T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251014T140606Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T133411Z UID:10000144-1794299400-1794398400@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 3 – Leading and Influencing Your Strategic Account DESCRIPTION:vTOPICS COVERED:\nAs a successful strategic account manager\, you operate as the conduit between your own and your customer’s organization\, relying on your ability to influence stakeholders in both while managing significant complexity. Doing so requires you to not only be seen as a trusted advisor to your customer but also as a leader within your own organization. Those who have developed their personal account leadership brand will maximize their ability to influence outcomes across both organizations – which is more critical than ever given the complex\, decentralized\, and often virtual sales environment SAMs operate in today. \nThis highly interactive workshop provides practical frameworks and tools to enhance SAMs’ ability to demonstrate credible account leadership\, engage in strategic influence conversations with both the customer and internal team members\, and provide an opportunity to develop cohesive account strategies that will broaden and deepen relationships while driving account revenue. \nTopics covered: \n\nCreating long-term influence and engagement strategies to drive revenue with your customer\nUnderstanding customer resistance and effectively influencing customer counterparts for optimal outcomes\nBuilding an account leadership brand to develop and lead high-performing teams in today’s virtual selling environment\nPresenting yourself and your ideas in a clear and authoritative manner from the C-suite down\nAligning your multifunctional team for seamless implementation of account strategies and delivery URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-3-leading-and-influencing-your-strategic-account-3/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_core-3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261117T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261118T123000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20251022T182935Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251231T214008Z UID:10000157-1794902400-1795005000@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 2 – Co-creation and Quantification of Value DESCRIPTION:Higher-order value is created when companies collaborate to develop relevant\, differentiating solutions that impact what the customer – and customer’s customer – care most about. This “core” SAM program equips strategic account managers with leading practices; a proven\, pragmatic “operating system”; and tools to co-create value with the customer – tools that differentiates how you engage\, elevates relationships\, and accelerates mutual\, sustainable and profitable growth. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nThrough sharing “next-level practices\,” insights into “what the best do differently” and account-centric application of the co-creation framework\, principles and tools\, attendees will rapidly: \n\nDeepen customer and value-chain insights to understand business drivers\, validate needs and uncover opportunities\nAlign with key stakeholders (internal and customer) and prioritize “Big Fit” opportunities\, where you and the customer can collaborate to create the greatest mutual value\nCo-develop relevant\, differentiating solutions that leverage enterprise capabilities\, beyond core products and services\nQuantify and communicate compelling value propositions\, creating relevant\, quantified value stories in the customer’s currency and a “board-ready” business case that quantifies the “ripple effect” through the ecosystem\nDevelop a roadmap that accelerates execution and organization-wide change – to move the business forward faster towards a shared vision\, goals and outcomes\n\nIn summary\, this program is a high-impact\, pragmatic immersion that enables a replicable\, distinguishing approach to co-create and monetize value. URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-2-co-creation-and-quantification-of-value-4/ CATEGORIES:Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement,Training ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/hero_people3.png LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261130T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261203T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250902T135302Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T133157Z UID:10000135-1796027400-1796299200@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 1 – Value Co-Discovery and Strategic Account Planning DESCRIPTION:How can effective co-discovery between you\, your account team and your customer put your account planning efforts on an accelerated trajectory to be successful? How do top performing account managers harness the power of value creation\, internal and external alignment and authentic customer relationships to drive greater collaboration and develop higher-impact account plans? How can you equip yourself with proven strategic account management (SAM) best practices to drive mutual growth and value creation with your most strategic customers? How can you implement an account planning process that will enable you and your customer to engage\, win and grow together? These questions and more will be answered in this high-energy workshop in which participants “try-on” contemporary SAM concepts and best practices proven within the SAMA community. Participants will select a strategic customer and “must-win” opportunity as part of their pre-work before the session\, and then apply workshop learnings to this customer and opportunity\, ensuring takeaways that can be put to use immediately. Whether your organization has adopted a specific account plan format or not\, workshop exercises\, group discussions and debriefs will provide takeaways in the form of SAM concepts\, skills\, tools and best practices that can be applied to the specific challenges facing you and your team today. \nTOPICS COVERED:\n\nInitiate the account planning process by understanding the current state of performance and relationship between the participant’s own organization and the customer.\nEngage effectively with customer team members to determine what matters most to them\, co-discovering customer external pressures and drivers\, business objectives and plans\, internal challenges and obstacles\, as well as their criteria for measurable success.\nLeverage historical value creation with the customer (past proven value) and relevant data to gain momentum and direction for co-discovery\, alignment of growth objectives and future value creation.\nDevelop and execute co-discovery strategies and activities that will enable the participant and the customer to explore possibilities for mutual value creation and co-creation\, and visualize mutual success together through elevated levels of collaboration.\nUnderstand the customer’s organization and business landscape for the purpose of aligning and mapping key customer stakeholders\, sponsors and supporters with the members of the participant’s account team for effective engagement and collaboration.\nDevelop and validate new opportunities that result from the participant’s discovery and co-discovery activities with the customer\, thus bringing the organizations into closer alignment around shared objectives\, priorities and new areas for value creation/co-creation.\nEffectively communicate opportunities for value creation and co-creation\, both internally and externally with the customer\, ensuring that short and long-term priorities are kept in proper balance and that both parties recognize the potential for mutual growth.\nFacilitate collaboration between the participant’s and customer’s teams resulting in the development and implementation of realistic strategies to grow customer relationships.\nBuild\, update and deploy the strategic account plan as a management tool for:\n\nCustomer value creation\, co-creation and realization\nEffective alignment (both internal with colleagues and cross-functional team members\, and externally with the customer’s team)\nExpansion of the customer relationship (including development of customer sponsors and supporters)\nMutual growth for both organizations. URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-1-value-co-discovery-and-strategic-account-planning-7/ CATEGORIES:Training,Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/shutterstock_2351136011-_Core-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261214T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261217T120000 DTSTAMP:20260405T075658 CREATED:20250929T154744Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T161250Z UID:10000141-1797237000-1797508800@strategicaccounts.org SUMMARY:CORE 0 – SAM Playbook: Foundational skills for driving superior customer results DESCRIPTION: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. \nTOPICS COVERED:\nModule 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.”\nBreakout: 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. \nModule 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. \n\nAbout the Customer: Thinking strategically about the customer’s business situation\nValue Story: Develop  the foundation for a customer conversation drawing on what that customer values today and uncovering target areas for value-creation efforts\nFeedback: How to gain valuable customer feedback on their value-creation ideas\n\nModule 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. \n\nReview the top value-creation ideas\, monetize them and prioritize which to focus on\nDevelop planned outcomes for both the customer and supplier\nBuild execution plans and review with customer and supplier to ensure alignment\n\nModule 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. \n\nDevelop an approach to tracking quantified customer outcomes\nEstablish value creation project scorecards that are used in the operating rhythm of the internal and customer organization\nEstablish internal and customer accountability for execution URL:https://strategicaccounts.org/event/core-0-sam-playbook-foundational-skills-for-driving-superior-customer-results-4/ CATEGORIES:Training,Workshops,SAMA Academy,CSAM Requirement ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://strategicaccounts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SAMA-wkshphero_core-0.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR