When I talk to professionals in sales and strategic account management, I find that there is a lot of confusion as to the differences among traditional sales, strategic selling and SAM. Here is a q... read more

When I talk to professionals in sales and strategic account management, I find that there is a lot of confusion as to the differences among traditional sales, strategic selling and SAM. Here is a quick summary of the three to illustrate their fundamental differences. read less

In the first study of its kind, Huthwaite International partnered with the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management to benchmark the negotiation maturity of 124 Global 2000 ... read more

In the first study of its kind, Huthwaite International partnered with the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management to benchmark the negotiation maturity of 124 Global 2000 organizations, including BP PLC, Computer Sciences Corp., General Motors Co., Hewlett-Packard Co., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., Siemens AG and Xerox Corp. Successful companies do many things differently but share a common trait: They have fundamentally restructured their approach to negotiation. read less

How do strategic account managers answer the call to manage costs, increase services and enhance delivery while simultaneously investing in clients'' futures? In this article, Cushman & Wakefie... read more

How do strategic account managers answer the call to manage costs, increase services and enhance delivery while simultaneously investing in clients'' futures? In this article, Cushman & Wakefield Inc., a global real-estate services firm, will examine some of these transformational drivers and offer a perspective for SAMs. read less

While the why of strategic account management programs is clear, the how has been frequently far more perplexing. For this reason, we sought high-performing programs'' leaders to ask how they do it. read more

While the why of strategic account management programs is clear, the how has been frequently far more perplexing. For this reason, we sought high-performing programs'' leaders to ask how they do it. read less

In this issue: Editor''s Corner; Quick Takes; Data Watch; SAMA''s Annual Conference experience: Knowledge sharing is the key to personal and business development (Strategic Reflections); Event Cale... read more

In this issue: Editor''s Corner; Quick Takes; Data Watch; SAMA''s Annual Conference experience: Knowledge sharing is the key to personal and business development (Strategic Reflections); Event Calendar; The fundamental differences among sales, strategic selling and strategic account management; The strategic account manager as a change agent: Converging forces are transforming how SAMs should structure, manage, communicate and lead in a new model of service delivery; Improving performance in corporate negotiation: a benchmarking study of the world''s largest organizations; The value road map: Part 4--creating sustainable value; How the best get better: seven transformative questions for strategic account management--Part 1; When your product is a service: making strategic account management possible in the service sector read less

The objective of every effective account planning program should be to grow the relationships the organization has with its most strategic customers, and effective account planning programs should ... read more

The objective of every effective account planning program should be to grow the relationships the organization has with its most strategic customers, and effective account planning programs should equip and enable account teams to position and differentiate their value with their most important customers. read less

The objective of every effective account planning program should be to grow the relationships the organization has with its most strategic customers, and effective account planning programs should ... read more

The objective of every effective account planning program should be to grow the relationships the organization has with its most strategic customers, and effective account planning programs should equip and enable account teams to position and differentiate their value with their most important customers. read less

How do you structure a successful strategic account management program that does not sell directly to end-users but rather to and through original equipment manufacturers and distributor partners? ... read more

How do you structure a successful strategic account management program that does not sell directly to end-users but rather to and through original equipment manufacturers and distributor partners? An article that grew out of an initial post on LinkedIn by John Canterberry of Hypertherm Inc. discusses the question. read less

In this issue: Editor''s Corner; Quick Takes; Data Watch; Managing your top customers for retention, growth and profitability (Strategic Reflections); Event Calendar; The purchasing manager is not ... read more

In this issue: Editor''s Corner; Quick Takes; Data Watch; Managing your top customers for retention, growth and profitability (Strategic Reflections); Event Calendar; The purchasing manager is not your enemy; My customer''s competitor is my... ; Launching an executive sponsor program: three critical success factors; The keys to effective strategic account planning: Key 3--assess and strengthen the account''s most strategic relationships; The keys to effective strategic account planning: Key 4--position and differentiate the supplier''s unique value with the customer; Channeling strategic account management; Nalco: return on investment in negotiation read less

A strategic customer relationship has three key development stages: customer intimacy, globalization and co-creating productivity solutions for the customer. It all comes down to this: Uncover cust... read more

A strategic customer relationship has three key development stages: customer intimacy, globalization and co-creating productivity solutions for the customer. It all comes down to this: Uncover customer pain, and align unique solutions and offerings to solve that pain. read less

SAMA and ZS Associates Inc. have created the 2011 Report on Strategic Account Management Compensation Practices to provide insight into how leading organizations pay their strategic account manager... read more

SAMA and ZS Associates Inc. have created the 2011 Report on Strategic Account Management Compensation Practices to provide insight into how leading organizations pay their strategic account managers. Companies are proactively managing uncertainty and planning for growth while job satisfaction is down. read less

Siemens AG won SAMA''s award for 2011 Program of the Year. Peter Loscher, Siemens'' president and chief executive officer, spoke to Velocity and SAMA''s Bernard Quancard about customer centricity. read more

Siemens AG won SAMA''s award for 2011 Program of the Year. Peter Loscher, Siemens'' president and chief executive officer, spoke to Velocity and SAMA''s Bernard Quancard about customer centricity. read less

Cam Hyde, senior vice president of global account operations at Xerox Corp., participated in a talent management panel discussion at SAMA''s 46th Annual Conference. He was later interviewed by SAMA... read more

Cam Hyde, senior vice president of global account operations at Xerox Corp., participated in a talent management panel discussion at SAMA''s 46th Annual Conference. He was later interviewed by SAMA''s Bernard Quancard about career paths and global account management at Xerox. read less

Fred Bell, vice president of distribution at Molex Inc., participated in a panel discussion about organizational structure at SAMA''s 46th Annual Conference. He was later interviewed by SAMA''s Ber... read more

Fred Bell, vice president of distribution at Molex Inc., participated in a panel discussion about organizational structure at SAMA''s 46th Annual Conference. He was later interviewed by SAMA''s Bernard Quancard about being globally seamless in serving customers for Molex. read less

Is the strategic account manager really a single point of contact? An article that grew out of an initial post on LinkedIn by Edmund Bradford of Market2win Ltd. and Malcolm McDonald Marketing Ltd. ... read more

Is the strategic account manager really a single point of contact? An article that grew out of an initial post on LinkedIn by Edmund Bradford of Market2win Ltd. and Malcolm McDonald Marketing Ltd. discusses the question and provides merely a snippet of the kind of peer-to-peer discussion routinely occurring there (and at SAMA events). read less

The most effective account managers and teams discover how their customers define value, then engage and execute accordingly. They recognize that when account management efforts focus on the custom... read more

The most effective account managers and teams discover how their customers define value, then engage and execute accordingly. They recognize that when account management efforts focus on the customer''s value expectations, the relationships that develop are deeper and longer and can be better leveraged. read less

Our work with clients has taught us much about the importance of defining strategic/key accounts and communicating this effectively both internally and with the selected customers. Experience shows... read more

Our work with clients has taught us much about the importance of defining strategic/key accounts and communicating this effectively both internally and with the selected customers. Experience shows that the account selection process is typically ongoing and a critical component of any successful strategic account management program. read less

I believe that firms of all sizes -- from conglomerates to small professional practices -- can learn from studying successful strategic account management programs. This is a valuable investment of... read more

I believe that firms of all sizes -- from conglomerates to small professional practices -- can learn from studying successful strategic account management programs. This is a valuable investment of time, as business leaders can capture essential new strategies and ways of thinking and resurface and polish old ones needed to compete and win in today''s distressed, evolving markets. read less