In order to be able to take the position of a key account specialist, you first need to study as a regular manager and acquire the required skills, which were given earlier in this article. The further action plan can be formed based on the following recommendations.
Find a mentor
Try to contact a full-time key account manager who has the necessary qualifications. Find out if he or she is willing to provide you with training, at least on a casual basis, allowing you to visit his or her office periodically during business hours and thereby improve your understanding of the specifics of the profession. If you mint database are unable to find such a specialist or obtain his or her consent, directly notify your boss of your intention to pursue professional growth in the area of key account relations. Chances are that your boss will find an experienced mentor for you or at least give you advice on what steps to take to implement your plans.
How to Become a Key Account Manager
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After meeting your mentor, immediately clarify:
How did his career in key account management begin?
What advice does he have for those seeking this position?
What is the main difficulty of his profession?
What is it about this type of work that particularly attracts him?
What skills does he think are most needed and how can they be mastered?
What were the most difficult, unusual or business-impacting situations he encountered? Try to find out all the details.
Close attention should be paid not only to the manner in which the mentor communicates with key clients, but also to his actions when he is not busy with conversations. Consider in more detail the mechanisms by which the manager solves the assigned tasks.
Improve your qualifications and develop individual skills in relevant h3 courses
Of course, you won’t have all the skills you need for this job anyway. You can develop them while you gain experience in the workplace, but you can achieve better results in less time through training. There are now a variety of online courses that can help you quickly gain the necessary qualifications. Remember that there are many experienced managers applying for each position, which means that in order to successfully pass the interview, you should prepare thoroughly and work on developing your competencies.
To more accurately identify the skills you lack, you can analyze your career achievements or simply describe your positive and negative qualities. Focus your efforts on developing your strengths and eliminating your weaknesses. Also, assess the compliance of your existing skills with those listed above and draw a conclusion on how you should organize your training and further professional growth.