Strategic Account Management Blog

Valuing Large Accounts at B2B Enterprises

Wednesday, December 21, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: Best Practices

How do you measure the value of large accounts versus small accounts? One company explored how they were valuing their accounts, with interesting results.

Presenting a Unified Voice to Your Global Customers

Monday, November 28, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: Best Practices , General

Let’s imagine a supplier that has a B2B product. Although the company sells globally, each geography sells a little differently. In this example, the European office sells value around the product, emphasizing specific features, and productivity benefits. However, the North American office, because it sells mainly to dealers, sells predominantly on price. Now, add a strategic customer that is pushing towards globalizing its suppliers. Instead of finding a supplier that is coherent and seamless at the regional level, the customer is faced with discrepancies in price, support and sales strategy. The supplier has no unified voice, and this is not a sustainable business practice.

Defining the Two Types of Value of a Strategic Account

Wednesday, November 16, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: Best Practices , SAM Theory

Part of determining what makes an account strategic is defining its value. There are two types of value to assess: the quantitative value and the relationship value.

Examining the Roots of SAM Initiative Failure

Friday, November 04, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: General , Best Practices

Initiative failure most often comes when customer expectations are poorly understood or poorly explained right at the start of the sales process. Customer needs and expectations have to be identified and quantified early in the SAM/KAM process. And it is only through true understanding of the customer’s needs and expectations that you can create the right strategic account plan.

Defining the Value of a Key Account- Q&A video

Monday, October 03, 2011  |  By: Matt Micou
Tags: General , SAM Theory

Bernard Quancard sits down with SAMA Director of Operations Katherine Gotsick to talk about how to define the value of a Key Account.

Strategic Account Managers Must Measure Twice, Cut Once.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: Best Practices , SAM Theory

Research on the “Super Sales Professionals,” the “uber” Strategic Account Managers (SAMs) has consistently led to one observation: super SAMs take considerable upfront time to prepare, prepare, prepare.

Welcome to SAMA's New Website: The Role of the Social Network in Strategic Accounts

Thursday, July 28, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard, President & CEO, SAMA
Tags: Announcements , Best Practices

SAMA CEO Bernard Quancard discusses the three key development stages in SAM, including the role of Web 3.0 and beyond. He also welcomes readers to SAMA's new website.

How Can SAMs Overcome the Challenges of Helping Their Strategic Customers Grow in China?

Thursday, April 21, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: SAM Theory

The Chinese market represents both some of the greatest opportunities and the greatest challenges for SAMs as they strive to help their strategic customers grow in China.

Guest Post: Overcome Team Dysfunction, by Patrick Lencioni

Friday, April 08, 2011  |  By: Matt Micou
Tags: Best Practices

Webinar: IBM Best Practice on ...

Friday, April 08, 2011  |  By: Matt Micou
Tags: SAM Theory , Best Practices

Coaching is Key

Thursday, March 17, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: Best Practices , SAM Theory

A Procurement Professional Responds to "The Purchasing Manager is Not Your Enemy"

Monday, February 28, 2011  |  By: Matt Micou
Tags: Procurement

The Purchasing Manager is Not Your Enemy

Friday, February 11, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: Procurement , Best Practices

The Fundamental Difference Between Sales, Strategic Selling and Strategic Account Management

Friday, January 14, 2011  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: General

When I talk to sales and SAM professionals, there still seems to be a lot of confusion as to the differences between traditional sales, strategic selling and strategic account management. I thought I would give a quick summary of the three, to illustrate their fundamental differences.

The Top Three Key Success Factors For a Winning SAM Organization

Friday, October 01, 2010  |  By: Bernard Quancard
Tags: Best Practices , SAM Theory

Whenever I am at SAMA events or visiting companies to discuss their SAM programs, I am asked about what makes a SAM program thrive. People want to know who has the best program, who has the top business results, or who is doing it “right.” The fact is, there is no one-fit solution for a successful SAM initiative.

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