How To Become A Major Account Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a major account manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

As a Major Account Manager, you'll be responsible for driving continuous improvement from the business to the customer across designated accounts. You'll deliver business tools and processes to support enhanced sales performance. You'll develop and implement strategies for sustained management and success of the business and oversee the use of resources to achieve set goals. Also, you'll study industry trends, technical developments, and government regulations to identify how they affect target markets. Additionally, you'll maintain a record of accounts and organizational charts for all accounts for review by management.

To become a major account manager, you need a bachelor's degree with at least four years of related work experience. You must possess presentation, management, problem-solving, negotiation, forecasting, and communication skills. You must be conversant with customer relationship management tools. The salary range for this role is between $49,000 and $127,000, with an average gross salary of $78,842.

What general advice would you give to a major account manager?

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.

ScoreMajor Account ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $98,287

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 28.97%

male 71.03%

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

Key steps to become a major account manager

Explore major account manager education requirements

Most common major account manager degrees

Bachelor's

79.5 %

Associate

9.1 %

Master's

7.3 %

Start to develop specific major account manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Digital Marketing	15.74%
Customer Service	8.13%
Cloud	8.02%
Customer Satisfaction	5.98%
Account Management	5.45%

Complete relevant major account manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New major account 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 major account manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real major account manager resumes.

Research major account manager duties and responsibilities

Coach sales team on processes allowing them to work through obstacles and generate new business opportunities within the IDN's manage.
Develop strategic competitive financial options, ROI analysis, and productivity comparisons for clients.
Represent and sell over 150 leading manufacturers' products to distributors within the channel.
Increase POS in core Playskool, license preschool, and boy s pre-cool brands.

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