Post job

What is a strategic accounts manager and how to become one

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

A strategic accounts manager maintains relationships with key clients to ensure their long-term satisfaction and retention. They act as the primary point of contact for clients and work with various departments to deliver solutions that align with their clients' needs. A strategic accounts manager develops and executes account plans, identifies new business opportunities, negotiates contracts, and manages the overall account performance. They must have excellent communication, negotiation, and project management skills.

What general advice would you give to a strategic accounts 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.
ScoreStrategic Accounts ManagerUS Average
Salary
6.5

Avg. Salary $83,574

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 31.75%

male 68.25%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a strategic accounts manager?

Pros

  • Often involves travel and networking opportunities

  • Often allows for flexibility in scheduling and working remotely

  • Provides exposure to various industries and markets

  • Offers room for growth and advancement within the company

  • Can be a challenging and rewarding career path

Cons

  • Involves significant amounts of paperwork, reports, and documentation

  • Requires long hours and occasional weekend or evening work to accommodate client needs

  • Often involves frequent travel, which can be exhausting and disruptive to personal life

  • Can be competitive among colleagues for top accounts and commissions

  • Can be emotionally taxing if clients are dissatisfied or relationships do not succeed

Strategic accounts manager career paths

Key steps to become a strategic accounts manager

  1. Explore strategic accounts manager education requirements

    Most common strategic accounts manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    78.7 %

    Master's

    11.8 %

    Associate

    6.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific strategic accounts manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Account Management8.99%
    Healthcare7.02%
    Customer Service6.24%
    Salesforce5.45%
    CRM4.99%
  3. Complete relevant strategic accounts manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New strategic accounts 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 strategic accounts manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real strategic accounts manager resumes.
  4. Research strategic accounts manager duties and responsibilities

    • Manage a daily, weekly, and monthly sales funnels and pipelines to track accounts from initial call to close.
    • Employ sales processes using SalesForce CRM tool.
    • Maintain client schedules and records within SalesForce to keep campaigns on track.
    • Increase ACR revenues by cross-selling products and services and ensuring client retention.
  5. Prepare your strategic accounts manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your strategic accounts 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 strategic accounts 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 strategic accounts manager resume templates

    Build a professional strategic accounts 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 strategic accounts manager resume.
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
    Strategic Accounts Manager Resume
  6. Apply for strategic accounts manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a strategic accounts 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 strategic accounts manager job

Zippi

Are you a strategic accounts manager?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average strategic accounts manager salary

The average strategic accounts manager salary in the United States is $83,574 per year or $40 per hour. Strategic accounts manager salaries range between $51,000 and $135,000 per year.

Average strategic accounts manager salary
$83,574 Yearly
$40.18 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do strategic accounts managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Strategic accounts manager reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

Semi-flexible work hours. You have a sales goal and customers to call on in order to achieve said goal, so you have some flexibility of your schedule.

Cons

The amount of travel required takes you away from home frequently. If you have a family, being away starts taking a toll on them and work/life balance suffers.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020
Pros

The Strategic approach used to uncover new sales opportunities excites me the most working as an Enterprise Account Executive.

Cons

This is a great career.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Pros

Strategic Planning to develop and capture new business opportunities, building strong customer/partner relationships and analyzing the financial performance of customers to help improve their financial and operational performance. Negotiations

Cons

Being away from family because of excessive travel


Working as a strategic accounts manager? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Strategic accounts manager FAQs

Search for strategic accounts manager jobs

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.

Browse executive management jobs