What is a Commercial Account Manager?

Account managers are in charge of managing sales, while also maintaining relationships with certain customers. As an account manager, you'll want to turn on the charm to get your customers to buy more of your product or service.

Your main goal as an account manager is to ensure existing clients continue to come back for more, while enticing new clients to give the product or service a whirl. In a way, you act as a liasion between the clients and company.

Sometimes your day will revolve around your clients. Typically you'll work an 8-5 schedule but some clients may need to meet around those hours, especially if they live in a different time zone. As an account manager, you need to be prepared for whatever is thrown your way.

Sales account managers are responsible for managing accounts and building fruitful relationships with clients. They generate sales activities, report on transactions, and set company goals.

If there is one item on the list of requirements for this job that you really need to take seriously, it is customer service skills. You will have a portfolio of accounts to manage, and your long-term success will depend on how well you get along with the clients the accounts belong to. You will be the point of contact to handle their needs. And the new business you generate will depend on your existing network of clients.

This is not an entry-level position, as is the case with most managerial roles. You need years of hands-on sales experience to get this one down pat. Apart from knowing how to delight your clients, you need to be familiar with appropriate software used for specific processes, understand how sales metrics work, and you can't crack under pressure.

National account managers function as the primary link between a business and its customers. They may be employed by various industries and their main responsibility is to tend to accounts by building and sustaining strong, personal yet professional relationships with key clients. By managing their portfolios, they serve as the main point of contact in case of any issue and mediate between clients and internal departments of the company.

National account managers supervise the work of regional account managers, setting and monitoring their sales targets. They negotiate contracts and assure the consistency of the brand. They stay on top of business trends by analyzing data, always one step ahead of customers' needs, and constantly develop new ways to increase business revenues.

This position is not the place for you to try your hand at sales and customer service. In order to be successful, you already need to have obtained solid experience in these areas, as well as an in-depth understanding of sales metrics and familiarity with CRM software. If you do have what it takes, you will be doing a lot of traveling while mastering your art holding a lucrative and esteemed position.