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If you’re interested in making new connections and ensuring customer satisfaction, an account manager position might be perfect for you.
An account manager is someone responsible for the day-to-day management of a customer’s account within a business. It will vary from organization to organization, but account managers may own one single large client or multiple accounts across the business.
These individuals are the business representatives who interact directly with the client and ensure satisfaction across the account.
Companies hire account managers to make sure customers are properly taken care of, that their questions are being answered, and that their specific needs are being met. Individuals who are hired as account managers typically have a business or financial background and some sales experience.
Account managers oversee the daily tasks involved for any specific customer to meet their needs, concerns, and help to maintain the account activities. Account managers can have a variety of different tasks and may need to adjust their focus based on the individual client and their needs.
Sometimes certain accounts might need more focus than others, forcing account managers to prioritize accordingly. Account managers can take on the role of salesperson, customer service representative, technical specialist, trainer, and financial advisor.
When applying for an account manager position, you want to make sure you showcase your wide range of skills and how they can specifically lend themselves to the role of account manager.
Just as you might with a sales position, an account manager’s cover letter and resume should stick out from the crowd and above anything else, show that they can effortlessly connect with any client, whether they be difficult or not.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to write an effective cover letter when applying for a position as an account manager.
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As an account manager, you’ll want to be sure you focus on your ability to work a variety of different jobs and showcase your personality and networking skills.
There are a few different parts of an account manager cover letter that you’ll want to be aware of to ensure the letter is effective when it’s in front of the hiring manager. Here’s what you should consider including on a cover letter for an account manager position:
Contact information. At the top of your cover letter, you’ll want to include your contact information just under your name. Your header should reflect your resume, so be sure it’s the same font type and size.
For account managers, it’s a good idea to include as many personal details as possible including a link to your LinkedIn profile. Make sure your link is customized and easy to remember and ensure it’s as up-to-date as possible before you send your resume.
LinkedIn’s digital presence is more important now than ever, especially for individuals working in sales.
Salutation. For those in account management, you’ll want to work to avoid the generic “To Whom It May Concern” salutation. Do your research on the hiring manager either through LinkedIn or on the company’s website.
Typically, most account managers report up into sales leadership. Most sales leaders have very public profiles for networking purposes, so their names and details should be easily accessible.
Cover letter opening. Your cover letter opening is the thing that should capture the hiring manager's attention immediately.
Since you’re working towards a role in account management, your hiring manager is probably interested in your accomplishments and how you’ve brought value to previous positions. This is a great way to be memorable and capture attention from the first line on.
Cover letter body. The body of your cover letter should be the place where you showcase your personality and additional accomplishments that help to articulate your specific transferable skills to this position.
For sales jobs, in particular, hiring managers appreciate specifics, including metrics. This presents your value in an easily consumable way and shows that you have been successful in account management at your previous positions.
Closing. The closing doesn’t have to be just a formal closing, like “Sincerely” or “Best Regards,” especially for an account manager. Here, it’s a good idea to include a call to action, just like you would do if you were trying to close a sale. Put a solid line just before your formal closing for an extra punch to your cover letter.
Signature. If you are sending your cover letter through mail or handing it to the potential employer during a screening interview, it’s a great idea to add a handwritten signature as an extra touch. If you are submitting your cover letter via email, typing your name is acceptable.
As we mentioned above, the opening should be the draw into the rest of your letter. You want to capture the reader’s attention in seconds, simply by crafting a compelling first line. To do this, you’ll want to focus on these two things:
An impressive achievement. You might consider including an accomplishment that you are proud of, perhaps with a specific statistic that might help you stand out among other candidates. This showcases not only that you understand this sales position, but that you have had past success at previous companies.
Communicate your value. Additionally, you’ll want to be sure you mention what your value is upfront. Tie this to your specific achievement to make it clear what your most impressive skills are and how they might translate to the job for which you’re applying.
When the vice president of sales at my most recent company requested we aim for a goal of improving our customer satisfaction rate to 85%, I thought the goal was unachievable. We relied on legacy technology that was slow and cumbersome for our clients to use. However, by using training skills and partnering with an incredible team of IT professionals, we were able to boost our customer satisfaction rate to 90%. My team management, delegation, organization, and problem-solving skills made it possible to achieve this goal.
If you don’t feel like you have an impressive statistic to share with your hiring manager, consider writing about non-account manager jobs, your time in school, internships or volunteer work, personal passions, or certifications you may have received.
Additionally, you can discuss what draws you to the company or start with a fact that shows how passionate you are about the company, the industry, or the job at hand.
Next, you’ll dive into the biggest part of your cover letter, the body. The body should only enhance what you’ve written so far and show that you are not only excited about the idea of becoming an account manager, but you’re excited about becoming an account manager for the specific company you’re applying to.
Sales jobs bring a certain kind of loyalty to them, so it’s important, even at first impression, to show that you are both passionate and loyal to the company. To write an effective body, focus on these three things:
Why you’re passionate about account management. This doesn’t need to be overdone, but you need to be sure your excitement and passion for a sales position shine throughout the body of this letter. It can be one line or sprinkled throughout, but make sure it’s there.
Your experience. Including information about your experience in your cover letter is very important, even if you don’t specifically have account management skills. If you have retail experience or sales experience of any kind, you should include it.
Additionally, if you worked a completely unrelated job before, consider including skills that you feel are transferable to this position.
Your proven success. Additionally, you’ll want to add in any specific accomplishments you’ve made during your time at previous companies. Depending on the number of achievements you have you may want to organize them by type.
Whatever the case, remember that your specific accomplishments don’t necessarily have to come from a previous account management position as there are many transferable achievements in this area.
That’s why I was so thrilled to see the account management position opening at Sample Company. I have twelve years of sales experience managing a variety of accounts where I was responsible for monthly customer satisfaction metrics, requirements gathering, all customer communications, negotiating contracts, and facilitating training for my clients. For the account management position at Sample Company, I feel confident that my skills fit this position, such as:
Customer Satisfaction Metrics. Every month, I worked closely with customer satisfaction teams and my clients to provide surveys on their overall product and service satisfaction. Then, based on feedback, provided any necessary adjustments to the account moving forward.
Requirements Gathering. Worked across teams to raise customer satisfaction by improving our requirements gathering procedure. Instead of full-day meetings for this process, we reached out to the customer to provide initial feedback, then met in person to discuss any requirements that needed a follow-up.
Facilitating Training. For all clients, implementing and conducting training classes at their location of choice. This included presentation preparation, working closely with clients to discuss what topics were most important, and running the training.
Your close is not something to be overlooked, especially for an account manager. Your strategy should always be sound and you should never let the letter end before you’ve thrown in one last punch. Focus on these two things in your close:
Summarize your enthusiasm and value. Although this might sound like a lot, you should be able to wrap this up in a single sentence. Show your excitement and skills in one single sentence for an effective last line.
Call to action. Give your reader one last reason to remember you. This can be a statistic or a witty postscript on your cover letter. Whatever the case, be sure it’s relevant to the position and that it stands out in a good way.
I look forward to speaking with you about how I can use my skills in customer satisfaction, organization, and prioritization, and problem-solving to meet or exceed Sample Company’s revenue goals. Thank you for this opportunity to apply. I hope in our next conversation, I can share how I helped my current company achieve a 23% revenue gain in nine months.
Best regards,
Roger Leeds
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Roger Leeds
425 Lively Lane
Trenton, New Jersey 08540
roger.leeds@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/rogerleedssalesDear Karen Gurney,
When the vice president of sales at my most recent company requested we aim for a goal of improving our customer satisfaction rate to 85%, I thought the goal was unachievable. We relied on legacy technology that was slow and cumbersome for our clients to use. However, by using training skills and partnering with an incredible team of IT professionals, we were able to boost our customer satisfaction rate to 90%. My team management, delegation, organization, and problem-solving skills made it possible to achieve this goal.
That’s why I was so thrilled to see the account management position opening at Sample Company. I have twelve years of sales experience managing a variety of accounts where I was responsible for monthly customer satisfaction metrics, requirements gathering, all customer communications, negotiating contracts, and facilitating training for my clients. For the account management position at Sample Company, I feel confident that my skills fit this position, such as:
Customer Satisfaction Metrics. Every month, I worked closely with customer satisfaction teams and my clients to provide surveys on their overall product and service satisfaction. Then, based on feedback, provided any necessary adjustments to the account moving forward.
Requirements Gathering. Worked across teams to raise customer satisfaction by improving our requirements gathering procedure. Instead of full-day meetings for this process, we reached out to the customer to provide initial feedback, then met in person to discuss any requirements that needed a follow-up.
Facilitating Training. For all clients, implementing and conducting training classes at their location of choice. This included presentation preparation, working closely with clients to discuss what topics were most important, and running the training.
I look forward to speaking with you about how I can use my skills in customer satisfaction, organization and prioritization, and problem-solving to meet or exceed Sample Company’s revenue goals. Thank you for this opportunity to apply. I hope in our next conversation, I can share how I helped my current company achieve a 23% revenue gain in nine months.
Best regards,
Roger Leeds