Contents:

Preface • Practical experiences with the St. Gallen KAM concept • Success with key accounts • The development of key account management • KAM since the 1960s • Professionalization of national KAM programs since the 1980s • International and global KAM since the 1990s • Specializing and perfecting KAM in the present • The St. Gallen key account management concept • The key and lock analogy • Tasks for the key account manager and management • Situational key account management • The vertical stage of supplier and customer • Supplier and customer sectors: business-to-business and business-to-consumer • Success for customers and suppliers • Number of customers and number of suppliers • Customer values and supplier values, including the status of the cooperation • Customer procurement strategies and processes, and supplier marketing strategies and processes • Size of the organization and resources • Organization of the customer and the supplier • Type of service and service complexity, including form and status of cooperation • Internationalization of customer and supplier • Overview of different KAM situations • Key account management analysis • Analyze key accounts • Analyze services and returns • Analyze competencies • Analyze structures and responsibilities • Identify criteria and thresholds • Strategy, vision, and objectives in cooperation with a key account • Strategies with a key account • Formulate visions for long-term cooperation with key accounts • Objectives make the strategy comprehensible • Services for key accounts • Targeting the requirements of key accounts • Customer advantage as the core criterion for key-account-specific services • Strategy tailored to customers determines the design of the service package • The political service playground for KAM • Compilation of key-account-specific service packages • Securing return services from key accounts • Processes and activities in key account management • Activities to fulfill customer requirements • Process management as a conceptual aid • A process-oriented approach for KAM • Three steps in KAM • Identification of the precise process for KAM • The key account management team • Teams: an outdated topic in management theory? • The composition of the KAM team • Responsibilities in the team configuration • Team configuration for new key accounts • Coordination tools for KAM teams • The role of the key account manager as team coordinator • Measuring success in key account management • KAM requires an extensive system for measuring success • The balanced scorecard as the basis for a multidimensional check in KAM • Approaches for developing a KAM-specific balanced scorecard • The key account plan • The essence of planning in KAM • The structure of a key account plan • Fine-tuning of the key account plan • Creation of the key account plan • Application of the key account plan • Success factors in key account planning • Strategy in organizational KAM • Definition and selection of key accounts • KAM as a component of the company strategy • Solutions in organizational KAM • Key-account-specific services in the service portfolio of a company • Basic prerequisites for successful key account services • Skills in organizational KAM • Personal development for the employees in KAM • KAM focus on human resource strategy • Structures in organizational KAM • Implementation of KAM structures • KAM focus on corporate structure and culture • The scorecard for organizational KAM • Learning and knowledge management • KAM focus on the corporate internal control and reporting system • Conclusion and outlook: coherent systems for key account management • Risks in KAM • Challenging aspects of KAM • Future development perspectives • Bibliography • Figures • Index • About the authors • The seminar on the book

Key account management is constructed upon the realization that win-win partnerships are developed systematically and administered personally. The St. Gallen KAM concept is a total, systematic model, whose logic and practicality cannot be ignored by any company.”
— Jens Alder, CEO, TDC Group

“The St. Gallen KAM concept is very well designed to implement KAM systematically and in full, and to derive increased benefits for customers.”
— Peter Schmid, Director and Head of Marketing & Communications, UBS AG

“A marvellous combination of practice and highly effective concepts, which have led to an increase in turnover in a short time with key customers in the telecommunications industry.”
— Alexander Ertl, Sales Manager Enhancements, Austria/Switzerland, Nokia

“Excellence in Key Account Management pertains to practice and is written for practical purposes. This book is my source of ideas in order to achieve constant further development with my key accounts.”
— Hans Walser, Key Account Manager, Schindler Aufzüge AG

Key account management is one of the most important tasks in today’s dynamic business environment. For key accounts, innovative service is needed, personal relationships are important, specific requirements for international key accounts have to be met, and the customer perspective must be included. What is important is not just the product or service, but the ability to work with customers in a better way.

Establishing a key account management concept within an organization presents both a challenge and a great opportunity. The St. Gallen KAM concept is a tried and tested formula for highly effective and successful customer relations.