The 3 pillars that take your account management to the next level

Effective account management is not a straight path. It requires adaptability, insight and perseverance. At Xenos Business Excellence, we know that successful account management (and customer success management) rests on three essential pillars: managing expectations, nurturing relationships and operational quality. But how does that work in practice? And how do you ensure that your organisation does the right things within those pillars?

1. Understand and manage customer expectations

Many organisations think they manage expectations well, but how often are they really asked what customers expect? A commercial director once stated that his organization 'does a lot of expectation management'. When the question was asked about what the three most important expectations of their largest customer were, there was silence. Eventually, an answer was given, but the director in question admitted that the answer was mainly based on assumptions rather than facts.

The danger of this? If you don’t know the customer’s expectations in detail, you’re working on goals that may not even be relevant to your customer. The solution? Have a conversation and literally ask: “What do you expect us to achieve next year?” and “How will you measure our progress?” These questions make expectations specific and measurable and ensure that you can take responsibility for achieving the goal together as partners. That’s more effective and efficient than working hard in the hope that that’s what the customer expected of you.

2. Nurture professional relationships

With large customers, multiple decision makers are often involved. They decide together on the collaboration and its continuation. Often, the collaboration between organizations is based on just a few contact persons and sometimes even on just one. Take the situation in which the entire collaboration depends on the relationship with the operational director of a customer. If he or she leaves and someone else comes, you are completely dependent on the unknown person with whom no trust has yet been built, whose expectations are unknown and who (unexpectedly) may well be a big fan of the competitor. Immediate uncertainty. This shows how vulnerable a customer relationship can be without a broader basis. To be clear, this is a description of a practical situation that we regularly encounter.

At Xenos Business Excellence, we use the Web of Influence® to map relationships within client organisations. This process helps identify risks and build a broader network of relationships. The result? A robust network of business relationships that is not dependent on a few individuals. Relationships are secured.

3. Be of relevant value

Even the best relationships and expectations fall apart if your substantive performance is not in order. An organisation discovered this when a customer indicated that there were basic problems that had not been resolved for months. Reports were incorrect, operational processes were failing, and even small things, such as incorrect equipment, caused frustration. The result? Because the basics were not in order, there was no room for strategic discussions about innovation or growth.

The lesson here? First, make sure your basic service provision is in order. Only then will you qualify yourself to talk to customers about broader collaborations, such as innovation projects or strategic plans. This requires consistency, regular evaluations and a proactive attitude.

The pillars as a foundation for success

At Xenos Business Excellence, we believe that successful account management starts with these three pillars. By clarifying expectations, strengthening relationships and maintaining basic service levels, you lay a solid foundation for a long-term partnership. This is not a one-time effort, but a daily commitment from your entire organisation.

Which pillar appeals to you the most? And which mistakes in account management would you like to avoid? Share your experiences and insights with us - together, we make account management better.