How To Become An Account Manager/Consultant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an account manager/consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an account manager/consultant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $45.26 an hour? That's $94,138 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 23,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an account manager/consultant?

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

Associate Dean, Central Connecticut State University

I have spent almost two decades in the higher education industry and about a decade in administration. I often advised students, and it is astonishing to see how many of these students do not plan for their future. A good plan is a starting point to lead a good and successful career and life. Hence, by all means, it is worth noting that developing a future-oriented focus is important, so taking time to streamline the plan should be an important exercise for every graduate before they begin to do anything.

ScoreAccount Manager/ConsultantUS Average

Salary

7.4

Avg. Salary $94,138

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 5.51%

Black or African American 6.61%

Hispanic or Latino 15.88%

Unknown 4.04%

White 67.58%

Gender

female 43.04%

male 56.96%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an account manager/consultant

Explore account manager/consultant education requirements

Most common account manager/consultant degrees

Bachelor's

73.3 %

Associate

11.6 %

Master's

10.9 %

Start to develop specific account manager/consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
Product Knowledge	17.76%
Account Management	14.74%
Client Relationships	7.73%
Business Relationships	6.02%
Customer Relationships	5.70%

Research account manager/consultant duties and responsibilities

Manage accounts while providing excellent customer service, help build financial relationships, redirecting calls in upselling credit per customer needs
Develop responses to RFP's, questionnaires
Track marketing initiatives and indentify ROI of current efforts.
Assist clients with SEO and web site design project decisions.

Apply for account manager/consultant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an account manager/consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do account managers/consultant rate their job?

-/5

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Account manager/consultant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Cons

It needs more patience to apply the true solution and satisfy your client

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Pros

Working and meeting new people. Helping customers with their purchases. Helping employees better themselves and their sales processes.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019