Job Description - Key Account Executive

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To fulfill their mission, the Key Account Executives support priority leads lasting Until the closing. Among the Sales & Business Development jobs, this role is almost identical to Account Executives. This process should bring satisfaction and scores beneficial to both parties.

Key Account Executive - Definition

The Key Account Executive has the complex task of negotiate and convince big accounts that many covet. He must demonstrate creativity And of determination to succeed in anchor them to the company, in the long run even more so.

Meaning of the word and translation

An Executive Key Account (or Key Account Manager) is a salesperson specialized in prospecting new customers particularly important. That is to say, they are prospects representing a Outcome challenge in terms of sales and popularity. They are often giants which, once engaged, could represent a significant portion of sales and a real springboard for the reputation of the company. The challenge is to Convert them into customers in order to establish contracts And a successful business relationship.

The Key Account Executive is often confused with the position of Key Account Manager (KAM). However, the Key Account Executive is responsible for the acquisition of new accounts and not for the managerial of the latter after the sale. The KAM then takes over for the global monitoring of these key accounts after the action of the KAE.

What is the role of a Key Account Executive?

Contrary to theAccount Executive (AE) which is in charge of prospecting all types of customers, the Key Account Executive focuses on key accounts. Some responsibilities and skills are similar in both positions but the roles are quite distinct.

The Key Account Executive has the heavy responsibility ofidentify and contact important customers. To do this, he must make efforts toorganizing, ofargumentation And of personalizing in its approach to make each unique and convincing interaction.

For many of these key accounts, their weight and importance make them particularly important. demanding and challenging. The Key Account Executive should take on the role of counselor And of partner to show the lead the mutual benefit that such collaboration could allow.

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What are the missions of a Key Account Executive?

• Identify consumers corresponding to the given market segment

The Key Account Executive seeks to integrate into the market. The quickest and most effective way, but not the easiest, is to successfully work with a major player already present. Its aim is tomeet sales goals And of satisfy needs customers. If he succeeds in convincing the prospect to join their customer base, the company will be able to benefit from a profitable contract And of a recognition in the field.

• Understand and solve the problems encountered

For this, the Key Account Executive applies active listening with his lead for identify and understand to the best of his expectations. This is what will allow him to personalize your approach and to bring the best possible solution. It maintains a link with its portfolio of new and existing customers for encourage lasting and loyal relationships.

• Negotiate and close contracts

This mission represents the main challenge of its action: Convincing the prospect to join their offer. For this, the Key Account Executive builds a personalized pitch presenting the offer and the advantages it allows. The aim is toaccompany the key account until he agrees to sign a contract. It may also be required to oversee the flow of information and the internal team work who is working with him on these files.

• Follow market developments and customer feedback throughout the sales cycle

The company needs to be formulated returns upon Its product or His service as well as on Its teams. Any comment can be major for Market analysis And the development of its offer. The Key Account Executive may be required to make regular balance sheets on the evolution of sales and on the progress of negotiations. This is what will allow him to develop your sales strategies And ofanticipating potential problems.

• Building a professional relationship with your prospects

In order to promote a relationship of trust immediate and to maintain it in the long term, the Key Account Executive encourages communication and is available. Its mission is tosupport your prospects throughout the conversion funnel. Having good communication and listening skills is essential. It is these aspects of the job that are the trigger for a fruitful collaboration. The customer feels understood and satisfied through the interventions and solutions of the Key Account Executive.

• To be the company's customer representative

This profession represents the main point of contact of the company. The status of these accounts encourages a special attention to make the relationship solid, reliable and long-lasting. They can potentially represent a very high percentage of future earnings of the company.

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What are the qualities of a good Key Account Executive?

Being a good Key Account Manager requires excellent skills commercial but also interpersonal. This position represents a major point of contact between his customers and his company.

Why become a Key Account Executive?

For businesses, the challenge is to take more and more market shares. To do this, they use Key Account Executives. These positions have an increasingly important role to play in strategy of vending And of development businesses. Their work of identification, prospecting and conversion allows a payoff important in terms of results and recognition.

To be a Key Account Executive is to be a expert of his domain. It's a challenging job that sometimes requires managing profiles. complexes In their substructure And their expectations. It is a key element of sales cycle. He is the one who will find new customers for feeding the company's portfolio And its commercial relationships.

What are the qualities of a good Key Account Executive?

• Show good negotiation and communication skills

The mission of the Key Account Executive is to negotiating contracts with new customers, which are particularly important here. It is therefore necessary for him to master The art of negotiation as well as verbal and written communication for its numerous interactions. The quality of correspondence is essential in order to maintain and develop its customer relationships. He Adapted each communication and each contact to its interlocutor.

• Be an expert in your field and your customers

Being a Key Account Executive is a position that requires a oddity natural. To inspire trust and professionalism, he must embody theexpertise of his company on the market. He seeks forever learn and understand more its customers, their needs, its offer, its business and its market. All this knowledge allows him to offer personalized offers With a real added value.

• Demonstrate organization and project management

The Key Account Executive takes care of simultaneously Of the conversion of multiple customer accounts. Each profile he is responsible for requires time and energy. He should know Get organized by mastering the tools useful for task tracking such as the CRM or others automation process.

• Know how to analyze market trends

A good Key Account Executive knows analyze and interpret The Datas of its sector of activity. He uses these results and his observations to set up a adapted sales strategy. Its aim is to maintain strategic relationships with major accounts. He must then show up communicative and trusting on the solutions proposed.

• Show empathy

The Key Account Executive aims to maximizing revenue of the company while guaranteeing the customer satisfaction. To do this, he must be understanding and motivated to contribute The correct diagnosis of the situation of the prospect. Take the time tolisten The expectations of the lead maximizes the chances of find the right solution to their needs and create a solid relationship.

• Be a problem-solver

Throughout the negotiation, the Key Account Executive may face Unexpected Or misgivings on the part of the prospect. He must then make every effort to Keep your cool And of reacting quickly and effectively to the objection for maintaining sales momentum. He seeks to simplify the lives of his leads by taking initiatives.

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How do I become a Key Account Executive?

Recruiting for the position of Key Account Executive requires good commercial skills for negotiation and loyalty. The exercise of these functions also require certain management skills. It is a profession requiring but which remains accessible with motivation And of theexperiment.

Skills required

• To listen;
• Have a good sense of relationships;
• Mastering sales techniques;
• Mastering the art of negotiation;
• Be an expert in your market, its offer and its customers;
• Know how to organize your time and work;
• Be fluent in English (these big customers are often international structures);
• Be able to adapt to situations.

Training, studies and experiences required

Key Account Executives profiles generally come from a background bac +3 or bac +5 in Business school. It may happen that some individuals leaveengineering schools, of BTS Or of DUT.

These courses allow candidates to learn The fundamentals of businesss, negotiation and marketing. They generally start their career with short internships in order to specialise in a certain branch of commerce. They first occupy the top positions in companies before climbing the ranks in the hierarchy.

It is also a possible position after a few years of experience in another role. Expectations and the experience required depend on the size and structure of the business.

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Adapted conversion profiles

Key Account Executive profiles have generally had experience as Project manager, Account Executive or consultant. These courses allowed them to acquire good foundations in negotiation, organization and commercial strategy.

Likewise, having held positions in The event Or in marketing can bring a good knowledge of CRM tools (Salesforce, HubSpot...). Also, it is a course that allows the individual to already have Apprehended the codes needed for working with large customer accounts.

What career developments are there for this position?

After a few years of experience, the Key Account Executive may want to move up the hierarchy and take on new responsibilities.

His expertise at manage specific profiles And its commercial capabilities allow him to apply for various positions:

• It can continue its evolution in management jobs such as the post of Head of Sales or else of sales manager ;
• He also has the option of specializing in Account Management by becoming Key Account Manager.

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What is the salary for a Key Account Executive?

Working as a Key Account Executive is a challenging mission. These results can vary greatly depending on the prospects he is able to capture and convert into customers. The remuneration he will receive will depend directly on it.

How much does a Key Account Executive earn?

As with many startup positions, Key Account Executives salaries take the form of a package system.

The latter consists of a fixed part (distributed in all cases) and a Variable portion (which varies according to the results obtained).

The variable salary is calculated by the sales manager depending on the performance individuals. It can reach 30% or even up to 50% of the total salary.

In France, the average gross remuneration of a Key Account Executive Is around 46 K€ per year. It can even reach 114 M€ per year.

In general, remuneration takes into account several factors.

Key Account Executive Junior Salary

For Junior Key Account Executives, at the beginning of their career, the annual gross remuneration revolves around €40K.

Senior Key Account Executive Salary

For more experienced Senior Key Account Executives, the average annual gross package is in a range between 70 €K and €110K.

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Different related commercial jobs

The title Key Account Executive is often mistook with other professions involved in Account Management and Executive. It is a profession that is rarely observed because it is its Manager counterpart that is most often recognized. However, there is one left major role in sales strategy of a company that wants to gain representation on the market.

The titles you need to know

• Account Executive;
• Business Developer;
• Account manager;
• Key Account Manager.

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