What an account manager does
Your existing customers are usually your most valuable source of revenue, and the account manager is the person responsible for them. They act as the main point of contact after a sale, learn each client's business, resolve issues before they escalate and look for opportunities to sell additional products or services. In many companies they also manage renewals and contract terms. A good account manager makes clients feel looked after, which keeps them from listening to competitors.
Because account management sits between sales and customer service, the title means different things from one company to the next. Some roles carry a revenue target and a defined book of accounts, while others focus on service quality and retention. Finch clarifies what your role really involves before the search begins, then screens candidates for the right balance of relationship skills, commercial instinct and organization to match it.
Typical responsibilities
- Serve as the main contact for an assigned portfolio of client accounts
- Hold regular check-ins and business reviews to understand each client's goals
- Identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities and bring them to close
- Manage renewals, pricing discussions and contract updates
- Coordinate with operations, service and finance to resolve client issues
- Track account health, revenue and activity in the CRM
Qualifications and credentials
- Experience managing business client relationships, often in a similar industry
- A history of retaining and growing accounts, with examples they can explain
- Strong organization for handling many accounts and deadlines at once
- Confident communication with clients at every level, from buyers to senior leaders
- Proficiency with CRM software and standard office tools
Who hires an account manager
- Software and subscription-based businesses
- Marketing and advertising agencies
- Distributors and manufacturers with recurring business clients
- Logistics and transportation companies
- Commercial printing, packaging and facility services companies
Where we recruit account manager candidates
We fill account manager roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Size and type of the portfolio they managed, and how they prioritized accounts
- Retention and growth results they can describe with specifics
- How they handled an unhappy client or a service failure
- Whether they are comfortable carrying a sales target if your role includes one
Interview questions to ask
- Tell me about an account you saved after the client was ready to leave. What did you do?
- How do you decide which accounts get most of your attention in a busy month?
- Describe an upsell you identified that the client had not asked for. How did you raise it?