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We’re told that the customer is always right, but are we to believe this every single time? To extend this analogy we could assume that we need to pay an equal amount of the utmost attention to every client, all the time? This would surely lead us to the conclusion that every account that we process is “key” and should lead us to implement our best and most comprehensive set of resources to the process of servicing each account. The reality is that not all accounts are created equal – and assessed individually, they mean different things to the organisation. We could go so far as to say that some accounts are not really critical to the survival of the business, but that others are fundamentally so. This leaves us with the problem of determining how we should position ourselves according to a client in question? How is it possible to accurately determine and consequently service, allocating resources correctly and effectively? Enter the subject of key account management and also, the stark realisation that many organisations do not possess the resources, education or skills necessary to determine and subsequently look after such clients.

There are many definitions of key account management but fundamentally it is the process of handling significant accounts by offering them a consistent package of products or services that are entirely tailored to their requirements. This sounds rather simplistic and in truth is dependent on many rather complex and interrelated factors. Company executives often find it difficult, if not impossible to establish a set of criteria to determine how they should handle and manage appropriately. In many cases, significant customers will be looking for enhanced value through selection of preferred suppliers. They may well be looking for strategic information, the joint development of certain projects or special methods of financing. Ultimately, they may also be looking to find suppliers who are as equally sophisticated as they are and who may be able to engage operational, delivery, sales and accounting methodology according to their demand.

No two key accounts will be the same when it comes to the way that they are structured, the expectations or the behaviour and we can expect to see unusual demands which might be very difficult for the pharmaceutical company to deal with, stretching and straining its resources. Expect to come across complex demands, ensuring that sophisticated techniques must be initialised before the client can be classified as satisfied. At the end of the day, does the client consider that it is the pharmaceutical company’s “most important” account, as this may be the goal to strive for?

The pharmaceutical sales training company will discuss and deploy a number of sophisticated techniques during key account management training, and while many of these techniques may be confidential to the company, the end result of this planning and deployment will be an increase in reputation for the company. As it becomes clear to outside interested parties that the relationship is an ongoing and successful one, purposeful deployment of key account management should in turn result in the attraction and retention of entirely new key accounts. Not surprisingly, pharmaceutical sales training always has many different perspectives and potential goals.

Alan Gillies is the CEO of L2L Consulting, a cutting-edge pharma consultancy firm which specialises in optimising productivity and performance within international companies by applying tailored organisational strategies.

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