Create Firmwide Relationships

How can you ensure that your organization is creating firmwide relationships? Ideally, your strategic account manager will:

1. Identify the critical players in the appropriate account buying-influence group(s).

2. Determine the role that each player fills, including:

   • his top three needs;

   • his degree of influence;

   • his preferred communications mode;

   • his desired frequency of contact;

   • his primary supplier contact; and

   • how to deepen the relationship.

3. Use the relationship map checklist to identify gaps in knowledge as well as resources required.

4. Either manage a given buyer-influence relationship or orchestrate another supplier employee's management of the relationship.

5. Set up performance-measurement systems that track back to the goals of the buying influences.

6. Monitor those measurement systems for early warning signs of the customer-loss cycle.

7. Manage the opportunities that then arise.