In this issue: Editor''s Corner Quick Takes Data Watch In a multi-divisional environment, how do you preserve appropriate margins on high-growth products while combining them with mature-market... read more

In this issue: Editor''s Corner Quick Takes Data Watch In a multi-divisional environment, how do you preserve appropriate margins on high-growth products while combining them with mature-market products? The strategic imperative: what strategic account management programs can teach us A framework for developing global account management strategies Event Calendar The keys to effective strategic account planning: Key 1--Define "What is a strategic account?" and assess the ongoing fit The keys to effective strategic account planning: Key 2--Discover what the customer values most and validate it Two negotiating elements: avoiding old China''s risks and seizing new China''s opportunities Do you have the right people handling your key accounts? Pricing approaches at industrial companies: cost- versus value-based pricing CoDestiny: Overcome Your Growth Challenges by Helping Your Customers Overcome Theirs, by Atlee Valentine Pope and George F. Brown Jr. (Book Review by John F. Gardner) read less

If you are a global strategic account manager, executive in charge of strategic accounts, educator in strategic account management or business leader looking for growth strategies, then a must-read... read more

If you are a global strategic account manager, executive in charge of strategic accounts, educator in strategic account management or business leader looking for growth strategies, then a must-read is "CoDestiny: Overcome Your Growth Challenges by Helping Your Customers Overcome Theirs" (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2010). Written by the co-founders of the consultancy Blue Canyon Partners Inc., George F. Brown Jr. and Atlee Valentine Pope, this strategy book is filled with case studies, compelling concepts and a strong set of tools to help you find ways to bring value to your customer and maximize your return at the same time. read less

This article is designed to challenge your thinking about two key principles and look at the many ways you can more effectively negotiate with strategic customers in a fast-paced global setting. A ... read more

This article is designed to challenge your thinking about two key principles and look at the many ways you can more effectively negotiate with strategic customers in a fast-paced global setting. A case study at the end will bring together these elements in a "live deal." read less

When a large and/or strategic customer wants to be approached as one company, it should have the opportunity to be treated that way. However, ensure that you select only the large/strategic custome... read more

When a large and/or strategic customer wants to be approached as one company, it should have the opportunity to be treated that way. However, ensure that you select only the large/strategic customers and leave the small/non-strategic customers out of this approach. read less

In this issue: Editor''s Corner The fitness center phenomenon: three similarities between gyms and account management programs (Strategic Reflections) Key warning signals of commoditization in y... read more

In this issue: Editor''s Corner The fitness center phenomenon: three similarities between gyms and account management programs (Strategic Reflections) Key warning signals of commoditization in your business (Article Excerpts) Ten rules of engagement (Article Excerpts) Quick Takes Data Watch The top three key success factors for a winning strategic account management organization Sustainability in strategic customer relationships at Siemens Optimize deal value with "menu-driven negotiations" Supplier management programs: cost-saving partnerships, not cost-cutting adversaries--assessing supplier performance The value road map: Part 3--capturing and delivering value Event Calendar "CoDestiny" relationships with channel partners Strategic account planning in a global team environment at Analog Devices read less

Philosophical consideration should be given to the benefits and components necessary to transform the success of supply chain organizations by looking at suppliers as cost-saving partners rather th... read more

Philosophical consideration should be given to the benefits and components necessary to transform the success of supply chain organizations by looking at suppliers as cost-saving partners rather than adversaries, says Kimberly Smokey. She has taken an in-depth look at three of the components that constitute a successful, comprehensive supplier management program: risk management, financial viability assessment and metrics management. read less

Bernard Quancard says that there are three key factors any company or initiative must have in place to be successful in strategic account management. In his opinion no SAM program would thrive with... read more

Bernard Quancard says that there are three key factors any company or initiative must have in place to be successful in strategic account management. In his opinion no SAM program would thrive without these critical elements. read less

Sustainability -- in customer relations and otherwise -- is not just a buzzword for Siemens AG but a governing principle for all areas of the customer relationship, say Hajo Rapp and Martin Flursch... read more

Sustainability -- in customer relations and otherwise -- is not just a buzzword for Siemens AG but a governing principle for all areas of the customer relationship, say Hajo Rapp and Martin Flurschuetz. This benefits both Siemens and its customers. read less

The journey continues along the seven-step value road map for Philip Styrlund, Shakeel Bharmal and James Robertson. The three writers discuss steps 5 and 6: how organizations capture and deliver bu... read more

The journey continues along the seven-step value road map for Philip Styrlund, Shakeel Bharmal and James Robertson. The three writers discuss steps 5 and 6: how organizations capture and deliver business value. read less

Scott Kraynak says strategic account managers can avoid negotiation errors by following a Menu-Driven Negotiation© approach, which represents a radical departure from traditional negotiation. Menu-... read more

Scott Kraynak says strategic account managers can avoid negotiation errors by following a Menu-Driven Negotiation© approach, which represents a radical departure from traditional negotiation. Menu-driven negotiation enables sellers of goods and services to shift the customer''s negotiation agenda away from concentrating on price and toward trading value and risks. read less

Buyers often use delaying tactics to undermine the confidence of strategic account managers and senior managers, says Founder Reed K. Holden of Holden Advisors. In an excerpt from a Focus: Account ... read more

Buyers often use delaying tactics to undermine the confidence of strategic account managers and senior managers, says Founder Reed K. Holden of Holden Advisors. In an excerpt from a Focus: Account Manager story, he tells his 10 rules to possessing selling confidence. read less

While the signals of commoditization remain the same regardless of industry, we often see companies caught off-guard, says Julie M. LaNasa, founder and managing director of Collaborative Consulting... read more

While the signals of commoditization remain the same regardless of industry, we often see companies caught off-guard, says Julie M. LaNasa, founder and managing director of Collaborative Consulting LLC. In an excerpt from an earlier Velocity feature, she communicates key warning signals that your business may be commoditized or on its way to being commoditized. read less

Customers now need SAMs who get "all A''s." To create maximum customer loyalty and become the vaunted business resource, the SAM must: act. align, anticipate, analyze and adjust. read more

Customers now need SAMs who get "all A''s." To create maximum customer loyalty and become the vaunted business resource, the SAM must: act. align, anticipate, analyze and adjust. read less

In this issue: Editor''s Corner Getting naked: client service redefined (Strategic Reflections) Quick Takes Data Watch SAMA''s 46th Annual Conference highlights Cisco: enabling the next-gener... read more

In this issue: Editor''s Corner Getting naked: client service redefined (Strategic Reflections) Quick Takes Data Watch SAMA''s 46th Annual Conference highlights Cisco: enabling the next-generation customer experience--an interview with Grover Smith, vice president of the global accounts program Moving from price to value: building business-to-business trust Ensuring account loyalty through an installed-based audit: StarCite uses its base''s decision-makers to define value Managing alliances in a global recession: practical advice for challenging times Hilton Worldwide: transforming and positioning for global growth--an interview with Chris Nassetta, president and chief executive officer Event Calendar Strategic calling to uncover hidden opportunities at your key accounts Strategic account managers must get all A''s How to compensate a strategic account manager: It''s all about the role DHL''s Global Customer Solutions organization: an interview with Rob Siegers, chief operating officer of GCS From deal breaker to deal maker: how to research correctly Cisco''s executive sponsorship program Marketing Technology as a Service: Proven Techniques That Create Value, by Laurie Young & Bev Burgess (Book Review by Anne Stokes) read less

If you want to be optimally positioned to sell your value, launch yourself from a vendor to business resource and impress decision-makers, you''ve got to do your research. If you enter the C-suite ... read more

If you want to be optimally positioned to sell your value, launch yourself from a vendor to business resource and impress decision-makers, you''ve got to do your research. If you enter the C-suite knowing what the executive cares about most and how to intelligently address it in a captivating way, you have a good chance of creating impressive competitive differentiation on the spot and consequently winning the deal. read less

It is the trust level that individuals within organizations build between themselves that matters in a business-to-business relationship. Trust is so critical because it is the lever that moves per... read more

It is the trust level that individuals within organizations build between themselves that matters in a business-to-business relationship. Trust is so critical because it is the lever that moves personal and by extension organizational relationships to new levels. read less

For Cisco''s best-in-class GAM efforts, the Strategic Account Management Association named the company the recipient of the 2010 SAMA Program of the Year Award, with Grover Smith, vice president of... read more

For Cisco''s best-in-class GAM efforts, the Strategic Account Management Association named the company the recipient of the 2010 SAMA Program of the Year Award, with Grover Smith, vice president of the global accounts program, accepting the award on Cisco''s behalf April 27 in Chicago at SAMA''s 46th Annual Conference. Afterward he spoke to Bernard Quancard, SAMA president and chief executive officer, for this interview. read less

In this environment of scarce resources, alliances play an essential role by enabling companies to achieve goals without making expensive acquisitions or internal investments. Nevertheless alliance... read more

In this environment of scarce resources, alliances play an essential role by enabling companies to achieve goals without making expensive acquisitions or internal investments. Nevertheless alliance professionals should expect the executive suite''s scrutiny and prepare to take action based on asking and answering three categories of questions aimed at helping the professionals'' companies cut costs, enhance performance and find creative ways to thrive in a contracted, increasingly competitive global economy. read less

A strategic account management team can benefit greatly from conducting an installed-base audit, an investigation designed to identify the exact reasons why the company''s accounts of all sizes con... read more

A strategic account management team can benefit greatly from conducting an installed-base audit, an investigation designed to identify the exact reasons why the company''s accounts of all sizes continue to value and pay for solutions. We recently had the opportunity to see the strength of this process in action by conducting an installed-base audit at StarCite Inc. read less

The Strategic Account Management Association named DHL the recipient of the 2009 SAMA Program of the Year Award last year in Hollywood, Fla., at SAMA''s 45th Annual Conference. Bernard Quancard, SA... read more

The Strategic Account Management Association named DHL the recipient of the 2009 SAMA Program of the Year Award last year in Hollywood, Fla., at SAMA''s 45th Annual Conference. Bernard Quancard, SAMA president and chief executive officer, recently spoke with Rob Siegers, chief operating officer of GCS, for this interview. read less