Key Account Management: Build Relationships Across the Account

Successful key account management rarely depends on one relationship.

Major purchasing decisions usually involve a network of people with different priorities, concerns and levels of influence. One person may control the budget, another may assess the technical detail, while others will use the product or service, or have the ability to block the decision.

Yet account managers often build their strategy around the people they know, find easiest to contact or simply get on with the best.

That is understandable, but risky.

To grow a major account, you need to understand the wider organisation: who matters, what they care about and how they influence the decision.

Look beyond your main contact

A strong relationship with one customer contact is valuable. But it can also create a false sense of security.

Your contact may support your proposal but lack the authority to approve it. They may underestimate the concerns of another department, be unable to persuade colleagues, change roles or leave the organisation.

The more important the purchase, the more likely the customer is to involve several people in the decision.

Effective account managers therefore build a network of relationships rather than relying on a single route into the account. In today’s sales language, this is often called multi-threading: developing relationships with several relevant stakeholders across the same account.

Map the real decision network

An organisation chart is a useful starting point, but it rarely shows how decisions are really made.

The most senior person is not always the most influential. A technical specialist may be able to reject a solution. A long-serving manager may have the ear of senior management. A trusted external adviser may help define the requirements.

At LDL, account mapping is a central part of our Key Account Management approach. Today, it also provides the foundation for effective multi-threading: identifying where relationships need to be developed, rather than simply adding more contacts.

For every important account or opportunity, ask:

• Who controls or approves the budget?
• Who will use or manage the solution?
• Who will be asked for advice?
• Who supports the proposed change?
• Who may resist it?
• Where are our important relationship gaps?

The aim is not simply to collect names. It is to understand the part each person plays.

Understand the financial buyer

The financial or economic buyer is the person with the authority to approve the expenditure.

This role can move up or down the organisation depending on the size and perceived risk of the purchase. A routine departmental decision may be approved by a functional manager. A larger or more strategic investment may require approval from senior management, finance or the board.

Traditional sales advice sometimes encourages salespeople to go directly to the most senior decision-maker.

That can be useful, but only when you are ready.

Senior leaders are unlikely to be persuaded by general claims about excellent service or a market-leading solution. They want to understand the business impact.

What problem will this solve? What will improve? What are the financial implications? How will it reduce risk or support an important objective?

Make sure you have a relevant business case before seeking senior-level access.

Remember the other influencers

The financial buyer is only one part of the picture.

Depending on the account, you may also need to understand the influence of users, technical specialists, internal advisers, procurement, external consultants and other stakeholders.

One of LDL’s longstanding Key Account Management stories illustrates the danger of overlooking these people.

We once attempted to sell a sales development programme to a major brewery. We spoke to the sales director, identified his requirements and presented a solution that appeared to be very well received.

But we did not win the business.

Only later did we realise that nobody had involved the brewery’s training manager. He felt that his expertise and responsibilities had been overlooked.

The lesson was clear: even when you have the support of an apparent decision-maker, ask who they will turn to internally for advice.

That person may be just as important to the outcome.

The same applies to champions, external advisers and potential blockers. A genuine champion supports your proposal when you are not in the room, but a sceptical stakeholder may expose a concern that could derail the sale if left unresolved.

The important thing is to identify these people early and understand what matters to each of them.

Assess the strength of your relationships

Having somebody’s name on an account plan does not mean you have a meaningful relationship with them.

For each important stakeholder, consider:

• What role do they play?
• How much influence do they have?
• What matters to them?
• Are they supportive, neutral or opposed?
• How strong is our relationship?
• What should we do next?

You may have excellent relationships with users but no access to the budget holder. You may have senior support while an influential technical adviser remains unconvinced. Or the whole opportunity may depend too heavily on one friendly contact.

Making these relationships visible helps you see where you are well positioned and where you remain vulnerable.

The important question is not simply, “Who do we know?”

It is: “How well do we understand the people who will shape this decision?”

Turn account insight into action

An account map has little value if it is completed once and filed away.

Its purpose is to help you decide how to strengthen your position and develop the right relationships.

That might mean asking a trusted contact for an introduction, involving users more closely, exploring the concerns of a sceptical stakeholder, strengthening the business case for senior management or understanding procurement requirements earlier.

Accounts also change. People move roles, priorities shift and new influencers emerge.

Effective key account managers continue to refine their understanding of the account rather than treating it as fixed.

Choose one important account and ask: “Have we identified the people who will shape the decision?”

Successful multi-threading is not about collecting contacts. It is about understanding how the organisation really works and building the relationships needed to move the account forward.

In other words: cover all the bases.

Develop your key account management skills

LDL’s Key Account Management programme helps account managers understand decision-making networks, strengthen important relationships and develop practical strategies for profitable account growth.

Participants use the LDL Account Mapping Guide to analyse their own accounts, identify gaps in their relationship coverage and translate insight into clear action.

Learn more about LDL Sales Training.

Learn more about the LDL Key Account Management programme.