How to become an Account Manager
Account Manager
An account manager looks after a company’s customers. They work with a business’s clients on an individual basis to ensure that the company is consistently meeting their needs and goals; while at the same time looking for relevant sales opportunities.
Being an account manager is customer-centric. These employees will have long-term business relationships with their clients, and will know each individual client’s needs and goals very well. They will act as the ‘face’ of the business for customers, being their first point of contact. The aim for account managers is to keep clients with their company for as long as possible; reselling and upselling when possible.
Depending on the size of the company and the level of customer interaction, account managers could look after one to hundreds of clients simultaneously. While there is some crossover with sales, it is actually a post-sales role; although account managers do often have sales targets for upsells or resells, and are often rewarded with commission for sales.
Typical account manager tasks include working with clients’ needs and goals and constantly demonstrating how the company can help them meet these, recording client transactions and budgeting and making presentations and pitches with the sales and marketing team.
The best account manager skills are being great at socialising and having the ability to listen to their client’s needs. They must know their company inside out and keep on track with the latest trends, so they can keep their clients updated with any relevant news about the company and match them to suitable campaigns. It’s also important for account managers to be flexible; they need to be available when the customer needs them so could often find themselves working evenings and weekends.
Tertiary education is essential for most people who are becoming an account manager. Public relations, advertising, marketing or communications are ideal degrees – however most vacancies will accept graduates with relevant experience. After graduating, many people will take an internship to get started with this role, or build up marketing and sales experience. Creating a personal portfolio can also help with landing account manager jobs; this could be a website or a strong social media account.
What degree is most commonly held by an Account Manager?
- BA of Marketing
- MBA
- BA of International Business
- BA of Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
- BA of Psychology
- BA of Business
- BA of History
- BA of Computer Science
- BA of Management
- BA of Business Management
- BA of Communication and Media Studies
- BA of Business/Commerce, General
- BA of Business Studies
Career Transportability across Countries
What is the Salary of an Account Manager?
Experience | Average salary | year | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
AU$ | UK£ | US$ | ||
Account Executive | 1-2 Years | $85,000 | £45,135 | $82,500 |
Account Manager | 3-5 Years | $120,000 | £49,238 | $90,000 |
Account Director | 5+ Years | $185,000 | £79,328 | $145,000 |
What skills are needed to become an Account Manager?
- Management
- Sales
- Account Management
- Sales Management
- Business Development
- Customer Service
- Marketing
- Team Leadership
- Microsoft Office
- Social Media
- Microsoft Excel
- Marketing Strategy
- New Business Development
- Project Management
- CRM
- Negotiation
- Salesforce.com
- Business Strategy
- Digital Marketing
- Microsoft Word
- Solution Selling
- Time Management
- Public Speaking
- Strategic Planning
- PowerPoint
Account Manager Courses
- Introduction to Financial Accounting
Refresh your knowledge of basic accounting processes and discover recent changes in International Financial Reporting Standards
- Mergers and Acquisitions: Accounting Principles
Understand how to apply accounting and tax principles with this final course in a program about mergers and acquisitions
- Bookkeeping for Personal and Business Accounting
Learn how to balance your books and develop the skills to manage finances in personal and business environments
Account Manager Credentials
- Customer Experience Management with Salesforce Training
Learn how to implement CX frameworks using Salesforce CRM technology and become a more effective customer success manager