The strategic account manager plays the primary critical role in building and maintaining relationships with the company’s significant strategic customers. The primary objective is to achieve the organizational revenue and profit goals within the strategic account while ensuring customer satisfaction and a long term mutually beneficial relationship. Additionally, the strategic account manager is responsible for identifying new opportunities to increase sales within existing strategic accounts and by prospecting and developing new strategic account relationships.
As the strategic account manager, you will represent our company, the factory, and our products through close daily interaction with the strategic account and their team members at all levels within the organization. You are responsible for keeping both our company and all the assigned team members informed, engaged, and on task with meeting our commitments, expectations, and obligations to the customer. As the strategic account manager, you will perform necessary analytical account analysis in order to identify areas of success and areas of opportunity within the account. Additionally, you will strategically prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual sales forecast budgets as well as the overall strategic account business plan. Ultimately, you are responsible for driving and achieving the strategic account’s sales and target objectives.
This position is based from the company’s HQ in Tabor City, NC. The successful candidate must reside locally, this is NOT a remote based job.
General Responsibilities:
Manage the strategic account portfolio as assigned including existing accounts as well as potential new prospects.
Achieve the budgeted sales plan and strategic account targets and objectives for each strategic account under your responsibility
Adapt and deploy a positive can-do, what-ever-it takes, attitude and work style to ensure the strategic account’s needs are being addressed in a timely and complete manner.
Learn and use the sales and analytical tools the company has made available for the management of your strategic accounts, as well as introduce additional tools and methods as needed
Establish strong, long-term customer relationships at all levels and within all areas of the strategic account.
Maintain a level of professionalism and conduct yourself in a manner that is consistent with the core values and ethics of our company.
Understand the internal workings of the customer’s business and develop relationships with the key individuals responsible for the management of different disciplines within the company.
Know who we should be talking to and working with in order to achieve our account objectives. This position goes far beyond just the product manager/buyer relationship. It requires a full engagement at all levels within the account
Maintain consistent communication with all assigned strategic customers and prospects on a regular basis
Respond to specific request and inquiries in an expedited and timely manner
Handle complaints and or problems in a satisfactory and timely manner
Ensure timely communications and planning for new product introductions
Identify, prepare, and communicate customer reporting needs in a timely manner to the appropriate internal company resources
Act as the liaison between the strategic customer and the company.
Function as the team leader responsible for ensuring that the appropriate internal company team members are identified, assigned, trained, and achieving their responsibilities on the account team.
If an external sales representative is assigned on the account, the strategic account manager will function as their direct manager, responsible for assigning, overseeing and achieving the interactions and expectations of their value within the account. Their success and or failure is directly accountable to the strategic account manager.
Properly prepare for strategic account negotiations with a problem-solving approach that provides a win-win result
Prepare and maintain a strategic account business plan for each assigned customer that includes at the following
Defines the customers’ expectations and the company’s plans for achieving success within the account.
Monthly, quarterly, and annual sales, expense, and profit forecast and budgets.
Provide supporting information and explanations for variances, positive or negative
All marketing, promotions, sales events, and other expected support initiatives
Provide suggested solutions and or innovative ideas to exceed the customer’s expectations while expanding our business in the account.
Perform the necessary account specific analytical analysis in order to achieve the strategic goals and objectives as outlined within the account business plan
Monitor sales performance at the overall and at the product SKU level in order to identify emerging trends as well as deviations from the established metrics. Report regularly to management and the account team as to the overall performance including areas exceeding expectations and those underperforming.
Identity account NYA’s to assist with providing guidance to the product development efforts
Communicate critical product inventory gaps to the customer in a timely manner so that appropriate actions can be taken in order to best benefit the customer while minimizing potential penalties to the company
Make program modifications and adjustments as required to ensure the financial account objectives are being met
Provide the supply chain team with proactive and timely customer input required for inventory planning purposes
Provide management and the internal account team with regular reporting and account updates
Identify and approach new potential strategic customers as agreed
Qualifications:
Leadership – A SAM should be a visionary.
This person should help everyone in the company see and be excited by what’s possible with an account. Their customers and peers should respect them. They should be able to respectfully challenge and direct the customer in the customer’s best interest. This means they must have a degree of comfort with tension. Team members must have a high level of trust and respect for the SAM and be willing to go the extra mile for them.
Excellent Communication Skills (Verbal and Written) The SAM must be capable of keeping all stakeholders informed on all important issues. It is critical that the SAM is capable of delivering concise, clear, and convincing communications.
Advanced Analytical Analysis Skills – A SAM should be an advanced user of Microsoft Excel to include but not limited to Vlookup, data comparison, data links, and advanced formulas. Knowledge of Access or the willingness to learn, would be most helpful. A SAM should be capable of not only compiling data but preparing meaningful trend analysis that provides a recommendation for action.
Business Acumen – A SAM must be able to see the bigger business issues for the strategic account and help them manage their business. They must be able to understand the working elements of all aspects of a business. This is not a “deal doing” sales role. This role is to understand and manage from a broader business perspective. A SAM will also possess Business Curiosity, which is a passion for studying, understanding, and working within the cycle of business.
Relationship Savvy – Today’s SAM, must be able to read people and connect meaningfully with a variety of personalities. They should understand that all progress is made through relationship management. They should understand and possess the skills to lead the development of relationships at all levels within the account. This is only doable if the SAM is capable of earning the accounts trust and respect. It is a system of many-to-many relationships vs. that of a single few. The greater the relationships within an account, the higher the perceived costs to switch to a competitor. The SAM becomes a valued asset beyond just the product line they represent.
Results Oriented – A SAM must have laser focus on getting results for the company and the customer. They must be proactive and driven to get results. Allowing obstacles or their own complacency to keep them from achieving particular goals is not in their nature. They must have a “no excuses” mindset. A SAM has the ability to multi-task and coordinate multiple resources to achieve a decided upon outcome. A SAM will take the blame for failures and give credit to the team for successes because they are driven by outcomes and not personal ego or accreditation.
Adaptable Learner – A successful SAM recognizes the pace of change and is always looking to develop new skills and techniques for their development. They are consistently growing in their perspectives and abilities. A SAM is never set in their ways or convinced that they cannot adapt to new techniques. They not only are working to advance their skills, but also encouraging team members to do the same.
Working Environment Includes:
This position is based from the company’s HQ in Tabor City, NC. This is not a traveling sales job, nor does it require extended periods of time in the field. The successful candidate can expect 30% travel to include some international visits to our factories, escorting account representatives for quality reviews.
About DMA Sales, LLC
Founded in 2008 by John Treece and Steve Bertling, DMA Sales, LLC (DMA) has quickly grown to become a trusted supplier to the North American Automotive Parts Aftermarket, severing the OES, big box retail, wholesale, and e-retail sales channels. DMA’s growth can be attributed to its proven ability to deliver high quality, cost effective product lines that address identified customer market needs.
DMA serves as the North American sales and operating arm for overseas manufacturing facilities and is responsible for sales, marketing, customer service, logistics, and, product development. DMA is headquartered in Tabor City, North Carolina with East and West Coast distribution facilities.
As a company, DMA prides itself on employing the best talent available. Each team member brings a unique skill set to the table and collectively should have a track record of accomplishing the most challenging of goals. As a leader in the markets we serve, DMA is well positioned for further explosive growth. We offer a fast paced “can-do” culture embodied by an entrepreneurial work environment where leaders can put their skills to work.
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