If you’re an account manager then you’re not a sales person. You are a consultant. This is a very important distinction – you’re not there to sell somebody on something, you’re there to consult them on what you can do for them.  No one likes the feeling of being “sold”.  If you have the client’s best interest at heart and you know that your product can help them then it is not a feeling of being sold – it is a feeling of collaboration.

This collaboration is the foundation for a long term successful relationship.

As afraid as we are of negative feedback it’s important to hear the negatives in order to turn them into positives. Draw them out of customers or potential customers by asking the hard questions such as:

How are we doing? What could we be doing better?

Keeping the lines of communication open and drawing out any negatives early will make for a positive long term relationship!

One of the skills that I am continually working on is the ability to be a good listener.  There is greater pressure on the client if you spend too much time “pitching.”

Throughout my career, I’ve found that business owners in general like to talk about their business.  You can gain important insights while listening.  Ask a few general questions to start and then dig a little deeper once you have a good overview of their needs.  The owner will appreciate your ability to absorb information and I’ve found that I have a greater amount of knowledge to work with after the meeting when I’m a listener as opposed to a talker.

Branding yourself includes placing your logo anywhere you can that makes sense. Siesta Key Village Associate has done a great job of re-branding themselves using the logo that we produced for them.

Don’t be afraid to give a few things away for free. Consider it an investment in your talents that will pay off with customer retention!  While I’ve seen plenty of people merely show up for the goods, there are even more that realize the quality of the business and become repeat customers.

A big mistake that I’ve made in the past is not educating myself enough before meeting with a potential client.  It goes without saying that you should know your industry, competitors, and what makes your business unique.  But it’s just as, if not more, important to study up on the other person’s business as well.  Check out their website, their competitors, their industry, etc.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much easier this makes the conversation.  You are establishing yourself as a well-informed consultant and this goes back to the trust factor that I discussed in my first account manager tip.