Pitfalls to Avoid

Abstract

Account management is as much about doing some things as not doing a few others. The moral and ethical question in sales has always been a standard dilemma for many individuals and companies. Your company stands to be scrutinized and will perhaps lose if questionable practices are deployed. A good account management practice is an antidote to these instincts. We discuss the potential areas to avoid and steps to build in a morally acceptable sales habit. As customers develop sophisticated tools to evaluate vendors, companies need to ensure that they can finish well in such relative evaluations. We discuss the different dimensions of competition watch, its scope, sources of analysis and benefits. New competition is deliberately presented in this book as a new idea, distinct from ignoring or watching the regular competitors. The characteristics of new competitors are often different. We deliberate these, their entry strategies and the methods to be adopted to keep a tab on emerging competition, given their propensity for significant disruptive outcomes. Politics in organizations, inter-departmental rivalry are unspoken devils in many companies. This behavior is the antithesis of a successful account management program. We discuss the avenues for such conflicts and cultural and operational solutions for mitigating them.