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What is a client relationship manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Jerri Lynn Kyle
introduction image

Client relationship managers build and maintain good relationships with clients by addressing their complaints and concerns. They create sales plans to generate revenue and advise clients on creating profitable processes. They also schedule regular meetings with customers to ensure they are satisfied, earning an average sum of $83,000 annually or $40 per hour.

Client relationship managers primarily attend to customers' needs and ensure that they are satisfied with the services they render. They help to safeguard revenue and retain the customers by setting sales and revenue targets and working diligently to meeting them. They also collaborate with internal teams, including sales, engineers, and senior management, to address customers' needs.

Client relationship managers mostly hold a bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, or a related field. They have proven experience as a client relations manager or relationship manager with a background in customer service. An excellent client relationship manager has the ability to work well with a team and is proficient in MS Office.

What general advice would you give to a client relationship manager?

Jerri Lynn KyleJerri Lynn Kyle LinkedIn profile

Senior Instructor, Internship Coordinator, Missouri State University

1.Don't be discouraged! Jobs are out there but you might not get your dream job starting out. It's a journey, so try to make the most of every stop.
2.Start building your professional credibility, both with how you perform your job, and how you interact with your coworkers.
3.Finally, be confident, but at the same time be teachable and coachable. Your degree doesn't make you an expert. Sometimes you realize you don't even know what you don't know, and that's okay. You aren't going to know everything and that's why you need to be coachable.
ScoreClient Relationship ManagerUS Average
Salary
7.0

Avg. Salary $89,226

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 4.07%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.82%

Unknown 4.41%

White 78.23%

Gender

female 52.78%

male 47.22%

Age - 46
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 - 46
Stress level
6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Client relationship manager career paths

Key steps to become a client relationship manager

  1. Explore client relationship manager education requirements

    Most common client relationship manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    77.1 %

    Master's

    11.1 %

    Associate

    8.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific client relationship manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service12.79%
    Client Service5.89%
    Client Satisfaction5.64%
    Client Facing5.20%
    Product Knowledge4.66%
  3. Complete relevant client relationship manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New client relationship managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a client relationship manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real client relationship manager resumes.
  4. Research client relationship manager duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the delivery of OLA's and SLA's performance standards and client KPI measurements for the midrange team.
    • Facilitate client relationship with healthcare entities including hospitals, manage care organizations and payers.
    • Manage large-scale CRM implementations that utilize an 803.11b wireless infrastructure and a handheld computing platform.
    • Exceed commercial loan and swap origination goals while simultaneously managing rehabilitation strategies for criticize bank assets.
  5. Prepare your client relationship manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your client relationship manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a client relationship manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable client relationship manager resume templates

    Build a professional client relationship manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your client relationship manager resume.
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    Client Relationship Manager Resume
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    Client Relationship Manager Resume
    Client Relationship Manager Resume
    Client Relationship Manager Resume
    Client Relationship Manager Resume
    Client Relationship Manager Resume
    Client Relationship Manager Resume
  6. Apply for client relationship manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a client relationship manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

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

How did you land your first client relationship manager job

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Average client relationship manager salary

The average client relationship manager salary in the United States is $89,226 per year or $43 per hour. Client relationship manager salaries range between $57,000 and $139,000 per year.

Average client relationship manager salary
$89,226 Yearly
$42.90 hourly

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Client relationship manager reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Cons

None, I really enjoy it


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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