The S4 Consulting Strategic Account Manager Competency Model 4 Categories

The S4 Consulting Strategic Account Manager Competency Model ^[4] Categories

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.