You have sales. You have customer service. And then you have the account manager (AM), with one foot in each department. AMs act as the liaison between a company and its clients, and it's their responsibility to see that those clients are maximizing the value of the products and services provided. But there's a large sales component to their job as well. It's the AMs' duty to maintain, retain, and usually upsell to their portfolio of clients or accounts.
AMs work closely with clients to determine the clients' needs. Then they make sure their company develops products or services to meet those needs. They also communicate clients' agendas to their staff and management, and communicate the concerns and capabilities of their company to the client.
Frequently, AMs also identify and solicit new customers, so sales is a part of the job as well. Still, the difference between a salesperson and an account manager is that instead of selling the account and then handing it off to customer service, the AM maintains an active role in the post-sale follow-up.
AMs need to be detail-oriented. Organization is a key part of the job. You will be expected to keep on top of every aspect of a project. Good communication skills are also necessary. AMs interact with clients on the one hand and internal staff and management on the other.
Promises made to customers must be kept. You can't offer more than your company can deliver. You need to know exactly what services you can provide and how quickly a project can be completed.
You'll need to learn as much as you can about your clients. Only if you have a strong understanding of a client's business strategy will you be able to understand and communicate how your company's products and services can help the client's strategic goals.
You'll also need to know all about the industries in which your clients compete. The more industry insight you bring to the table, the better. Read up on changing business trends and strategies. That knowledge will attract new accounts and keep the ones you already have.
Unfortunately, not all projects go as planned. Sometimes a client won't like the work that has been done. It's up to the account manager to fix the problem. He or she will talk to the client, find out what's wrong, and try to come up with a solution.
Some clients will be harder to work with than others, so AMs need to be able to handle stress well. They also need to be creative, in order to figure out work-around solutions when something goes wrong. At times, you may need to hold a client's hand as you walk him through a project.
