.webp)
An account manager manages and develops a customer portfolio to retain as many customers as possible and meet their requests and needs. In start-ups, this is the role often occupied by an Account Manager
Often associated with the banking sector, the role of the account manager is however not limited only to managing bank customers. The account manager multiplies contacts, takes care of current customers, and establishes a relationship of trust with them. It is a pillar of The sales team, which ensures the good management of the already existing customer portfolio!
It can then become Business Developer in a tech startup.
Account manager: the definition
What is a customer manager?
An account manager is a professional who takes care of a clientele of individuals or professionals from a given company. He is mainly in charge of Loyalty And of after-sales service. It must respect the commercial policy And the marketing strategy having been defined by his company.
He is often responsible for a geographic sector. The latter may be required to manage the accounts of artisans, traders, SMEs...
In practice, he works most of the time in agencies or at the headquarters of large companies. Generally, a “corporate” account manager is more experienced than a “private” account manager.
What is the role of a customer manager?
As for Sales jobs, missions vary according to the size and structure of the company. As a general rule:
It expands the customer portfolio (10%)
To expand his client portfolio, the account manager will carry out prospecting And market studies to better target its prospects. It also executes the commercial and marketing strategy. He works collaboratively with other members of the company to achieve these goals.
He participates in the sale of products and services with the Sales team (25%)
In order to help the Sales team achieve sales goals, the account manager can carry out a sales pitch. The latter is a guideline for persuading buyers.
When he participates in sales, he must also use his negotiation skills.
It drives the customer portfolio (50%)
Animating the customer portfolio involves various actions: the Loyalty of its customers, the updating customer files, a role of guidance in respect of them, and also offer customers services adapted to its projects.
He will identify financial risks and take care of complaints and requests. If he detects an incident (such as an overdraft for a bank account manager), he contacts his customer directly to find out and guide him.
For example, he will put together loan application files, guide them in the investments to be made...
He carries out back office missions (15%)
In addition to participating in sales, it is essential that he follow the evolution of regulatory constraints, legal and Fiscal specific to its field to support customers.
The account manager also identifies the financial risks of customers: reliability, fraud... And competition with market studies.
Other back office missions are characterized by the writing of activity reports to the management: commercial director, agency director...
Why choose the job of account manager?
There are many advantages to choosing the job of account manager. First of all, we find numerous prospects for development. La Remuneration is attractive since there is a variable part of his salary depending on the results.
As mentioned earlier, the missions are varied and combine both office work and field work. It is an ideal job for people who love human contact.
This position is necessary in all types of companies and sectors of activity: agri-food, automotive, cosmetics...
A customer manager can also specialize in insurance, banking or real estate.
.jpg)
What are the qualities of a good account manager?
In order to fulfill the various missions for which he is responsible, it is essential that an account manager has these qualities:
- Solid negotiation skills, legal and fiscal concepts
La negotiation is at the heart of the job, it is therefore essential that he knows all the sales techniques And of negotiation to retain and attract prospects. The account manager is also responsible for contracts, so he must have legal and fiscal knowledge to avoid making mistakes.
- Good organization
A good mastery of management tools will allow customer accounts to be managed perfectly. Indeed, the account manager juggles between physical appointments or Telephones, theaccount analysis and the preparation of its commercial arguments. It must be perfectly organized to best meet all the requests made to it.
- Know how to be
In constant contact with his customers, a good account manager must demonstrate pedagogy and must keep a professional relationship and Cordial. He must have the ability to listen and have interpersonal skills.
What is the profile of a good account manager?
A good account manager is first and foremost a good salesperson. To excel as an account manager, the latter must not only have technical skills but also many soft skills to deal with interlocutors who all have different profiles.
The ideal profile of an account manager is someone who vibrant, persevering and standalone. He should not be afraid of responsibilities.
.jpg)
How to be a good account manager?
- Stress management
An account manager can face difficult exchanges: prospects refusing offers or being closed to discussion. These situations can be a source of stress and frustration. A good account manager should also know working under pressure Since there are objectives to be respected or even exceed while manipulating the numbers.
- Taste of the challenge
One of the qualities of a good account manager is a taste for a challenge. Indeed, he is always looking for new customers. Having an assertive personality can make it easier because he needs to be heard and persuasive.
- Relational ease
In addition to having a taste for a challenge, this job requires a certain Relational ease. Being in contact with his employees within his company but also with external customers, the account manager must have commercial qualities developed. He must
communicate as best as possible with customers to understand their expectations and needs.
How do you become a good account manager?
This job requires first of all good human skills before commercial skills.
In practice, it must Show yourself to listen of its customers in order to reassure them and answer their objections, questions and problems. He must know his interlocutor to Adapt your speech and sell its products or services as best as possible.
In addition, it manages the portfolios of its clients. So, a good organization is important as well as an analytical and synthetic spirit in order to carry out assessments.
Overall, a customer manager is expected to have various skills:
- Sense of initiative
- Rigor and organization
- Analytical capabilities
- Know how to work in a team
- Know how to manage conflicts and risks
- Knowledge in commercial negotiation
- Mastering the different characteristics of products and services
.jpg)
What are the courses to become an account manager? Trainings & diplomas.
In general, a Bac +2 minimum is required to perform this job. It can be a BTS training specialized in insurance and banking, customer advisor or even MCO (operational commercial management) or NRDC (negotiation and digitalization of customer relationships). A DUT in management or a professional license in insurance, banking, finance are also valid.
However, most account managers have a bac + 5 with specialized masters in banking and finance at business school or IAE. To best learn the job, it is recommended to do internships or work-study programs during your studies. There are obviously other courses that give access to this profession..
Adapted conversion profiles
A person with experience as a salesperson or customer relationship in a company can apply for the position of account manager. The most important thing is the experience gained and the goals achieved. If you have similar experiences, you are eligible for this job.
This position is very oriented soft-skills, it is possible to make in-house training to retrain to a position of account manager.
What career developments are there for this position?
Career development varies depending on the field in which an account manager works. He can hold commercial positions such as account manager, business unit manager, or administrative functions within management. It is also possible to become a team manager.
If he works in the banking or insurance world, his career prospects will differ and will be oriented towards the professions of wealth management or credit analysis advisor, insurance advisor, commercial inspector...
With the digitalization of our world, the profession may also have to evolve. For example in terms of digital skills or greater expertise in a specific field. Many account managers have decided to join start-ups in Account Manager or Key Account Manager positions to continue working in the Tech world with a team that is often more dynamic and young.
The opportunities are numerous and depend on the field you like!
.jpg)
What is the salary for an account manager?
The Salary of an account manager is composed of a fixed part and a variable part that depend on its results. However, the market and the sector of activity can greatly vary the salary. Depending on the composition of his client portfolio, he can hope to increase his remuneration.
Junior account manager salary
The gross monthly salary of a young entry-level graduate is on average between €23,000 and €28,000 per month.
Senior account manager salary
After 5 years of work, a senior account manager will have more experience. His salary can then go up to €50K per month.
The different jobs of account manager
The titles you need to know
- Account Manager/Account Executive
- Key Account Manager
- Bank customer advisor
- Customer relationship manager
- Customer manager
- Sales assistant
- Sales engineer
- etc.
Becoming a bank account manager
A bank customer advisor works for a banking company in a branch or at the head office. This position remains essentially the same as a traditional customer advisor. He may have more specific missions such as negotiating in the event of a dispute, defining overdraft authorizations, arranging contracts, presenting the offer of products and services, etc.
Working for a major banking group offers numerous advantages and offers a certain job security. However, this type of position requires composure and a certain ability to deal with pressure.
In banking, the account manager takes care of, among other things:
- customer account management
- The opening
- credit applications etc.
On the other hand, a professional account manager has more technical knowledge like the management of financial documents and takes care of traders, artisans, liberal professions...
A corporate account manager specializes in Thefinancial analysis Societies that he manages. He generally works in banks specialized in the service of businesses.
In the banking sector, employees can sometimes be paid better than traditional sectors. A Senior bank account manager can receive up to €50K per month.
.jpg)
What is a customer manager?
A customer manager is in charge of consumer service. It ensures that individuals are satisfied with both products and services. It will retain customers but also develop a customer portfolio.
He can work in call centers, or in an agency in the sales department with the marketing team.
What is a customer relationship manager?
Customer relationship manager is another term to define account manager. It offers commercial actions and follows up with customers in dealing with their complaints. Its aim is to attract and retain them by offering quality services. For example, it redirects individuals or professionals to the appropriate services at their request. It acts on the entire phase of the commercial relationship and is therefore essential for the customer relationship strategy.
As you will have understood, the account manager, the customer relationship manager and the customer manager have the same missions. Only the job title is changing! Depending on the sector of activity, companies will more or less use one of these three job titles.
.jpg)
Our tips for finding a job as an account manager
Many businesses are looking for this type of profile. It is sometimes difficult to sort through and find the one that suits you the most.
First of all, start with yourself Enquire about the company :
- Business sector
- Corporate culture (team buildings, vision and values, advantages, etc.)
- Personal support: internal training, onboarding...
As far as the position itself is concerned, make sure that The responsibilities, the wage, The missions and tools used be described.
Thanks to this various information, you will be able to know if the position and the company correspond to your values and skills.
Do not hesitate to apply even if you are missing elements in relation to the offer. Your motivation can make a difference and the company can agree to train you internally if you have the ideal profile.
.jpg)
How do you recruit the right account manager?
Recruiting the right account manager is a real challenge, this position forms the skeleton of your commercial strategy.
You can delegate recruitment to a specialized office or do it yourself. Make sure that his application corresponds to the job description that you would have completed beforehand.
During the interview, be sure to see if the candidate knows the sector of activity of your business and your business. What relationship does he have with your company: a fan, already a customer, appreciates your products or services, etc. The more the person is convinced by your offer, the more they will be able to transmit their taste for your products.
It is possible to find out about its past experiences : number of customers in its portfolio to its credit, whether its commercial objectives had been achieved, satisfaction of its employees and ability to work in a group...
You will also be able to Challenging the candidate with negotiation simulations or a business game to see if he is able to manage the challenges. These practical cases make it possible to test the candidate with real problems.
Another way to see if the candidate matches well with the team is to organize a moment of Team building with them to get a glimpse of his personality.
.webp)
.webp)