How successful account managers make their customers look good

In the revenue team, the account management role is pivotal in ensuring the smooth delivery of services. But all too often, the role of an account manager morphs into something quite generic and underwhelming, providing little value to the customer. The average account manager works the account, attends the QBRs, makes friends in all the right places, saves the renewal, and maybe even grows the account a little. An exceptional account manager does all this, but they also takes customer service, empathy and strategy to another level.

Exceptional account managers make their customers look good to their peers and to their management, often leveraging the Charles Green Trust Equation at any opportunity. This aspect of the account manager role is often overlooked, but is crucial for building long-term relationships and ensuring continued business. When the stakeholders you work with look competent and effective in front of their teams and leaders, your value as a trusted partner increases significantly.

Account managers should always aim make their customers look good. Here are 12 strategies you can use to achieve hero status for any customer:

1. Understand the customer’s internal goals and KPIs

Before you can make your customer look good, you need to understand what "good" means in their context. This involves delving into their internal goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and the metrics that matter to their management. Are they focused on cost savings, improving efficiency, or driving innovation? Once you have a clear understanding of these goals, you can tailor your services and interactions to support these objectives. Regularly discuss these targets with your customer to ensure alignment and adjust your approach as needed.

2. Proactively provide insights and recommendations

Don’t wait for your customer to ask for advice or solutions—be proactive in providing insights that can help them achieve their goals. This could include identifying areas where they could save money, improve efficiency, or adopt new technologies. When you come to them with well-researched recommendations, you not only demonstrate your expertise but you also show them you are invested in their success. This positions them as forward-thinking leaders who have a firm grip on the strategy, which is exactly how they want to be perceived by their peers and superiors.

3. Streamline communication and reporting

The easier you make it for your customer to report their success internally, the better they’ll look. Provide them with clear, concise, and visually appealing reports that they can easily share with their team and upper management. These reports should highlight key achievements, project milestones, and any metrics that align with their KPIs. Consider creating dashboards or executive summaries that make it easy for your customer to extract the information they need at a glance. This not only saves them time but also helps them present data confidently. Be transparent, even when the message to be delivered is difficult.

4. Facilitate wins through strategic planning

Strategic planning sessions can be incredibly valuable in helping your customer plan for the future and set the stage for ongoing success. By co-hosting these sessions and providing valuable input, you can help your customer develop a roadmap that aligns with their goals and showcases their leadership abilities. This collaborative approach ensures that your customer is seen as a strategic thinker who is actively working to advance the company’s capabilities.

5. Offer tailored training and development

If your customer’s team lacks certain skills or knowledge, it can reflect poorly on them. By offering tailored training sessions or resources, you can help them close these gaps and empower their team to perform at a higher level. Whether it’s training on new software, updates on industry trends, or best practices for their role, your support can make your customer look like a proactive leader who is committed to continuous learning.

6. Celebrate successes publicly

When your customer achieves a significant milestone or success, make sure it’s recognised not only internally but also within their organisation. This could be through case studies, success stories, LinkedIn acknowledgement or even press releases, depending on the scale of the achievement. By publicly celebrating these wins, you help your customer gain recognition from their peers and higher-ups, which can significantly boost their reputation within the company.

7. Provide backup for risky decisions

Sometimes, your customer might need to make decisions that carry a certain level of risk. In these situations, offering your expertise as a form of backup can be incredibly valuable. If they’re pushing for a new initiative that requires buy-in from upper management, your support can help alleviate concerns and provide the necessary justification. Whether it’s through detailed risk assessments, ROI analyses, or pilot programs, your input can give them the confidence to make bold moves while minimising potential backlash.

8. Be their advocate in your organisation

Acting as your customer’s advocate within your own organisation is another way to help them succeed. This might involve pushing for additional resources, product updates, faster responses to issues, or even negotiating better terms on their behalf. When your customer knows that you’re fighting in their corner, it strengthens the trust between you and positions them as an important and influential client in your organisation’s eyes. This dual advocacy can lead to better outcomes for both parties.

9. Enable networking and introductions

Introduce your customer to other key customers within your network who could help them achieve their goals. Whether it’s connecting them with other clients who have faced similar challenges, or industry experts who can offer advice, these introductions can be incredibly valuable. By facilitating these connections, you help your customer build their network, gain knowledge, and potentially discover new opportunities for their organisation. This makes them look resourceful and well-connected, both of which are valuable traits in any corporate setting.

10. Ensure seamless issue resolution

Nothing damages a customer’s internal reputation faster than unresolved issues or service disruptions. As an account manager, it’s your responsibility to ensure that any problems are addressed quickly and effectively. Go above and beyond to resolve issues before they escalate, and keep your customer informed throughout the process. A proactive approach to problem-solving not only keeps the customer’s operations running smoothly but also reassures their management that they are in capable hands. This is not the time to ghost your customer.

11. Regularly showcase value

Regularly showcasing the value that your services bring to the table is key to making your customer look good. This could involve periodic reviews of the cost savings you’ve helped them achieve, the efficiency improvements you’ve facilitated, or the strategic advantages gained through your partnership. By consistently demonstrating the ROI of your services, you help your customer justify their decisions and highlight their role in driving the organisation's success. This typically happens in QBRs or at renewal points but in reality, they should be happening far earlier in the cycle.

12. Run an event they’ll never forget

Take your customer’s goals and craft a tailored experiential event for them (like an ideathon, skills hack or hackathon) that puts your product/service at the centre with all their relevant stakeholders and executives involved. This type of event, where participants are collaboratively solving real challenges or coming up with fresh ideas, can be a catalyst for deeping your partnership. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate your value beyond traditional account management, proving that you’re not just a vendor, but a strategic partner invested in their success. To pull off a seamless event like this (especially if it's your first time), consider partnering with a company like Suru Labs to manage the entire event. They do all the hard work while you (and your customer) look like the heroes - the perfect win-win.

Exceptional account managers make their customers feel like heroes

As an account manager, your role extends far beyond the day-to-day management of services. By focusing on making your customer look good to their peers and management, you not only strengthen your relationship but also pave the way for long-term success.. Although it can take a village sometimes to win a deal, often the account manager has sole responsibility for renewal numbers and attrition. It can be a lonely place when the engagement is wrong, adoption is down and your customer is losing faith in you. Use some (or all) of these strategies to take the leap from average to exceptional account management.