How to hire a relationship account manager

How to hire a relationship account manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step relationship account manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a relationship account manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new relationship account manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a relationship account manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The relationship account manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A relationship account manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, relationship account managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of relationship account manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Relationship Account Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Relationship Account Manager	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$22-43
   Account Development Manager	An account development manager's responsibilities revolve around securing and reaching sales targets, creating business plans, developing strategies, and building positive relationships with clients. They must also reach out to clients through calls and correspondence, offer products and services, and address any issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently... Show more	$20-57
   Account Services Manager	An account services manager is in charge of overseeing account procedures and building positive relationships with clients. They typically reach out to clients by performing calls and correspondence to offer products and services, discuss product specifications, perform follow-up calls, and resolve issues promptly and professionally... Show more	$22-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Account Management
   • CRM
   • Business Development
   • Client Relationships
   • Sales Goal
   • Client Issues
   • Customer Relationships
   • Customer Service
   • Revenue Growth
   • Technical Support
   • Account Relationship
   • Outbound Calls
   • Client Satisfaction
   • Payroll

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Negotiate all pricing and promotional offerings while managing to yield and ROI goals.
   • Utilize CRM system to manage, facilitate and document projects and tasks in technology planning efforts.
   • Manage a national merchant retail portfolio.
   • Perform cost-benefit and ROI analyses and prepare lead retrieval systems to ensure proper collection and aid management in future implementation decisions.
   • Grow existing customer base by upselling and cross-selling additional products and services, negotiating service agreement renewals, and controlling inventory.

   More relationship account manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your relationship account manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A relationship account manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, relationship account managers' average salary in oklahoma is 39% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level relationship account managers 49% less than senior-level relationship account managers.
   • Certifications. A relationship account manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a relationship account manager's salary.

   Average relationship account manager salary

   $65,213yearly

   $31.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level relationship account manager salary

   $46,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average relationship account manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$88,224	$42
   2	New York	$80,861	$39
   3	District of Columbia	$76,504	$37
   4	Michigan	$74,006	$36
   5	Illinois	$71,591	$34
   6	Massachusetts	$67,497	$32
   7	Washington	$67,378	$32
   8	Ohio	$66,813	$32
   9	Indiana	$66,414	$32
   10	Connecticut	$65,192	$31
   11	Texas	$63,179	$30
   12	Wisconsin	$61,867	$30
   13	Pennsylvania	$59,552	$29
   14	Minnesota	$58,173	$28
   15	Georgia	$55,031	$26
   16	Missouri	$53,992	$26
   17	Utah	$53,423	$26
   18	Florida	$52,897	$25
   19	Colorado	$51,172	$25

   Average relationship account manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Adobe	$109,899	$52.84	18
   2	Palo Alto Networks	$107,136	$51.51	111
   3	Standard Chartered	$89,825	$43.19	50
   4	Alteryx	$87,251	$41.95	3
   5	Grainger	$77,360	$37.19	35
   6	Weedmaps	$72,236	$34.73
   7	Lt Engineering	$71,070	$34.17
   8	Wintrust Financial	$69,954	$33.63	36
   9	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$69,685	$33.50	71
   10	Zeta Global	$68,792	$33.07	15
   11	Goodwin Recruiting	$66,406	$31.93
   12	Jackson National Life Distributors LLC	$65,147	$31.32
   13	U.S. Bank	$64,714	$31.11	142
   14	Paragus Strategic I.T.	$63,957	$30.75
   15	Bank of America	$63,612	$30.58	635
   16	Jackson	$62,743	$30.16	1
   17	FIS	$60,866	$29.26	7

4. Writing a relationship account manager job description

   A job description for a relationship account manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a relationship account manager job description:

   Relationship account manager job description example

   At U.S. Bank, we're passionate about helping customers and the communities where we live and work. The fifth-largest bank in the United States, we're one of the country's most respected, innovative and successful financial institutions. U.S. Bank is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse workforce. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status, among other factors.
   Job Description
   
   Manages all relationship management activities for clients in the assigned business segment and/or geographical region. Reviews and recommends objectives and procedures; administers policies as they affect the operational/product area. Identifies business opportunities and solicits referrals. Coordinates the business development programs and call schedules. Manages client negotiations; pricing of the product within the target rate of return; proper documentation and closing the transaction; and compliance and conformance with company policy and regulatory requirements. Monitors and analyzes relationship plan results and account activities. Develops solutions for problem accounts.
   
   Basic Qualifications
   
   * Bachelor's degree, or equivalent work experience
   * Six to eight years of sales experience in the financial services industry
   * Ability to travel
   
   Preferred Skills/Experience
   
   * Strong understanding of all products and services applicable to target client segment
   * Advanced knowledge of applicable policies and procedures
   * Thorough knowledge of all organization products and operations
   * Demonstrated sales and marketing skills and abilities
   * Strong organizational and managerial skills
   * Ability to work independently and in teams
   * Ability to develop and administer budgets
   * Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
   
   If there's anything we can do to accommodate a disability during any portion of the application or hiring process, please refer to our disability accommodations for applicants.
   
   Benefits:
   
   Take care of yourself and your family with U.S. Bank employee benefits. We know that healthy employees are happy employees, and we believe that work/life balance should be easy to achieve. That's why we share the cost of benefits and offer a variety of programs, resources and support you need to bring your full self to work and stay present and committed to the people who matter most - your family.
   
   Learn all about U.S. Bank employee benefits, including tuition reimbursement, retirement plans and more, by visiting careers.usbank.com.
   
   EEO is the Law
   
   Applicants can learn more about the company's status as an equal opportunity employer by viewing the federal EEO is the Law poster.
   
   E-Verify
   
   U.S. Bank participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program in all facilities located in the United States and certain U.S. territories. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program.
   
   Salary range reflected is an estimate of base pay and is for the primary location. Base pay range may vary if an offer is made for work in a different location. Pay Range: $84,065.00 - $98,900.00 - $108,790.00
   
   Due to legal requirements, U.S. Bank requires that the successful candidate hired for some positions be fully-vaccinated for COVID-19, absent being granted an accommodation due to a medical condition, pregnancy, or sincerely held religious belief or other legally required exemption. For these positions, as part of the conditional offer of employment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide proof of vaccination or approval for an accommodation or exemption upon hire.
   
   U.S. Bank will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right relationship account manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with relationship account managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit relationship account managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your relationship account manager job on Zippia to find and recruit relationship account manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit relationship account managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new relationship account manager

   Once you've selected the best relationship account manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a relationship account manager?