Too many account managers are stuck in reactive mode—waiting on problems, answering tickets, and playing support—while the real opportunity sits untapped: driving strategic growth.

In this episode, Alex Raymond is joined by author and sales strategist Anthony Iannarino to unpack what’s broken in post-sales and what needs to change. Their conversation challenges the status quo of account management and lays out a new path, one where AMs act less like order takers and more like strategic guides who know how to lead.

Anthony introduces the concept of being “one-up”, bringing enough experience and insight to teach clients how to make better decisions. He explains why the age of AI will punish passivity and reward value creation, and why account managers who stay stuck in the admin zone are putting themselves at risk.

Whether you're managing a $10M portfolio or just trying to prove your value internally, this episode will push you to rethink how you show up. Because in 2025, the winning account managers won’t be the ones who play it safe, they’ll be the ones who lead.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

01:30 Why Post-Sales Is Broken

05:14 AI Will Punish Passive Account Managers

08:05 What It Means to Be “One-Up”

09:20 Raising the Floor for Real Growth

11:22 What Creating Value Actually Looks Like

15:23 Why Relationships Still Drive Revenue

20:18 The AI Impact on Account Management Teams

22:29 The Missed Opportunity in Post-Sales Investment

27:23 How Sales and Buying Committees Have Changed

33:23 Final Advice: Elevate or Get Replaced

Links

Connect with Anthony Iannarino:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/

Website: https://www.thesalesblog.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm