The KAM Club Podcast - Real Talk for Key Account Managers

If you've worked with any client ever, you know they often have very clear ideas of what they want. But what they want, isn't always what's best for them. This can be a challenge for any key account manager, but it also presents an opportunity. Disagreements can be a catalyst to improve collaboration and produce outstanding work. 

So let's talk about how to disagree with your client, the right way.

Telling our clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear, is our responsibility as key account managers. That can sometimes cause conflict. But that's how pearls are created; an oyster is irritated by a little piece of sand, and a beautiful creation is the result.

Disagreements may be uncomfortable, but don't put off the hard conversations. They won't get any easier and it'll just lead to communication breakdowns and harms your ability to collaborate. Decisions get delayed, and you could miss out on big opportunities for your business.

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It's easy to lose sight of the big picture in the day-to-day grind. Sit down, take stock and say these four words to your clients to understand what they need from you right now.

It's Q4 and the end of the year is in sight, so everyone is busy. Many of our clients are measured on annual targets and have a short few months to catch up and get the kind of results that delivers a bonus and a pay raise.

Listen to the episode to hear the magic four words you need to ask your client now to get everyone across the finish line.

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Is your inbox taking over your life? 

A McKinsey study found that we're distracted from work every 10 minutes (56 times a day) and it takes about 25 minutes to get back into the zone again and focus on the task.

So about 2 hours a day is spent just recovering your concentration.

And email is one of the main culprits. 

In this episode I share 12 email management hacks to tame your inbox, stop it from getting out of control and give you time back in your day.

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We all have favourites. Those clients we absolutely adore! In fact if work wasn't in the way we'd probably be besties. But as a key account manager, finding friends isn't your number one priority. And being too close to your clients can cause problems. And in this episode we talk about them all:

📍You neglect your other clients.

Remember, with clients you should be friendly, not friends.

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If there's one thing I can guarantee in you career as a key account manager, you will someday work with a client who doesn't like you (and often the feeling is mutual). It can make working with them unbearable, so ignoring the situation is not an option. So in this episode we're going to talk about how to turn them around and establish a professional, productive business relationship.

6 ways to turnaround an unfriendly client

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The client is not always right! In fact they are quite regularly wrong! And when they are wrong, as a key account manager you are in the awkward position of choosing to defend your position or take it on the chin and apologize anyway - even when it's not your fault.

And for the sake of peace and customer retention, we say sorry!

Well not today. In this episode I'm sharing 5 times you should never say sorry. 

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More and more companies expect their key account managers to be thought leaders. If you’re smart, you’ll start building your personal brand now. In this episode:

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It's important to stand out from the crowd if you want to attract and retain clients. But how do do you differentiate from competitors when everyone is the same?

"You're too expensive" or "I can get more, for less, somewhere else"

Ever heard that before?

That's because most businesses blend in, not stick out. Even when they do deliver something innovative, it's not for long. Competitors catch up fast.

So, it's up to you to figure out how to differentiate your solutions in this market of sameness. Give your client a reason to choose you over everyone else.

In this episode you'll learn to  customize your value proposition and apply a variety of differentiation best practices so your client won’t even think about your competitors.

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Chrome extensions are a fantastic way to customise the functionality and behaviour of your browser to do just about anything.

In this episode I share 16 of my personal favourites, guaranteed to massively improve your workflow (and life).

Click here to get 30% off Keeper Password Manager

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As a key account manager, you not only need to keep your clients, you need to keep them profitable. To do that, you need sales negotiation skills to convince them to buy more and, when the time comes, to renew. 

So here's my best advice.

The most straightforward sales negotiation tactic I know is to make the first move.

Psychological research suggests making the first offer gives you a bargaining advantage.

When you start the sales negotiation, you control one end of the negotiating spectrum — either the high or the low price.

And that's what we're discussing in this episode of The KAM Club podcast.

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