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We present these categories in descending order of importance, although all of them fit within six-tenths of a point on a five-point scale:
Show understanding of customer processes and industry.
Develop and manage relationships.
Show leadership.
Use the consultative approach.
Demonstrate entrepreneurial/intrepreneurial behavior.
Show creative problem solving.
Demonstrate ability to develop personal excellence.
Demonstrate organizational skills.
Think and act strategically.
Execute the account management process.
Demonstrate knowledge of supplier's processes and industry.
To determine whether a strategic account manager prospect has the competencies in these two models, more and more companies start with such a model and then develop and use creative behavioral interviewing in the selection process. Behavioral questions can allow you to gain real insights not only about what a candidate knows, but what a candidate can do. Consider the following behavioral questions for interviewing potential SAMs:
Tell us about a time when you had to sell up an organizational hierarchy.
Tell us about a time when you pulled together a cross-functional or multilevel team to accomplish a task successfully.
Tell us about a time when you successfully sold an idea internally.
Tell us about a time when your knowledge of the customer's needs saved the day.
These sorts of questions are very powerful and can generate responses that significantly reduce hiring errors in such a critical position.
[4] S4 Consulting, Inc.
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