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JOB DESCRIPTION

Key Account Manager

Role overview

A Key Account Manager (KAM) is a sales and commercial management professional. He or she is responsible for developing, managing and maintaining good relations with the company's most important customers, known as key accounts. These are strategic customers who account for a significant proportion of the organisation's sales. To do this, they must build loyalty and maintain the relationship with their customers over the long term.

The role of the Key Account Manager is to understand the needs and expectations of key customers in order to develop appropriate offers. To do this, they need to build strategic partnerships across the full range of products and services on offer. In this way, they ensure that sales and marketing plans are implemented in line with their customers' expectations and their company's strategy.

To ensure customer satisfaction and achieve the sales targets set by the company, they work closely with the various internal teams (marketing, customer service, logistics, etc.). Key Account Managers are also responsible for reporting on sales activities to their superiors, and in particular to the Sales Director.

 

Alternative Job Titles

  • Key Account Director
  • Key Account Development Manager
  • Global Account Manager
  • International Key Account Manager

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Main Responsibilities

As the person responsible for marketing the company's offers and products to key accounts, the Key Account Manager carries out prospecting and loyalty-building activities. To do this, they draw up quotations, conduct sales negotiations in collaboration with in-house teams, and manage complaints and any problems that may arise. The Key Account Manager also ensures the quality of technical briefs, costings, contract negotiations and the management of orders and deliveries.

As the main point of contact for customers, they ensure the coordination and cooperation of the various members of their team, thereby guaranteeing quality of service. To do this, they need to be able to build a personalised and unique relationship with each key account by frequently visiting their site. They analyse their customers' needs, taking note of every request to resolve any complaints or problems.

Key Account Managers must also be able to identify business development opportunities by regularly analysing the market for their customer portfolios and monitoring the competition in their sector. To develop their key account portfolio, they take part in events and conferences. They draw up campaign reports, monitor customer data in IT systems, set sales targets and analyse variances. They then transcribe all this into the account business plan. They are also responsible for analysing sales performance and implementing action plans to achieve their company's objectives.

Competencies & Skills

 

  • Mastery of commercial prospecting and sales techniques: the Key Account Manager needs to know how to identify new customers and convince them to buy the company's products and services.
  • Knowledge of merchandising: the KAM must know how to showcase the company's products and how to present them attractively to customers.
  • IT skills: KAMs must be comfortable using office tools such as Excel, customer data management tools and know how to use the company's various software applications.
  • Fluency in foreign languages: a good level of English. Knowledge of other languages used in international trade is a plus.
  • Project organisation skills: as a manager, you need to have project organisation and communication skills.
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Education & Training

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in business, marketing or project management
  • Business or engineering school specialising in key account management or partnership development
  • Significant experience in the field, selling and managing key accounts, is a plus
  • You can follow a sandwich course, taking classes at a training establishment and joining a company for an internship or a job related to the KAM profession.

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