Exploring the Role of Account Managers as Business Consultants: New Learning Implications in Global Services (Dissertation Sample)

Exploring the Role of Account Managers as Business Consultants: New Learning
Implications in Global Services
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................9 1.1 Background...………………………………………………….....................................9
1.2 Aims and Objectives………………………………………………............................10
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................12
2.1 Introduction……………………………………………..............................................12
2.2 Account Management Defined ..................................................….............................12
2.3 Changing forces in the market environment are causing companies to
respond with different levels of Strategic Account Managers…...........…................13
2.4 Account Planning Skills – from the Perspective of the Customer, not the
Supplier.......................................................................................................................23
2.4.1 Listening Skills………………………………………………..…...............24
2.4.2 Thought Leadership………………………………......................................24
2.4.3 Value Selling Skills…………………………………………………..........26
2.4.4 Internal Selling/ Coordination Skills...…………………….........................27
2.4.5 Use of Diagnostic/ Assessment Tools and Methodologies…......................28
2.4.6 Negotiating………………………………...................................................29
2.5 Results of Consulting-Oriented Sales Force Programs……………………...............29
2.6 The Contribution of this Dissertation to the Body of Literature………....................30
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.......................................…………….….........31
3.1 Introduction............................................................................................……............31
3.2 Instrument Development............................................................................…...........31
3.3 Questionnaire Design.............................................................................................32
Sampling, Participants Recruitment and Data Collection......................…...........34
Data Analysis Method…………………………………………………………...35
Scale Creation and Reliability Analysis…………………………………35
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)………………………………………...36
Scatterplots……………………………………………………………....36
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS …………………………………………………………………...37
4.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………...37
4.2 Participant Data Collection……………………………………………………...37
4.2.1 Skills to be an Effective Account Manager……………………………….39
4.2.2 Descriptive Statistics for Consulting Skills….............................................45
4.2.3 Scale Creation and Reliability Analysis…………………………………..47
4.2.4 Correlation Analysis………………………………………………………47
4.2.5 Scatter Plot………………………………………………………………..48
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION………………………………………………………………52
5.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………….52
5.2 Summary of Results……………………………………………….…………...52
5.2.1 Implications and Recommendations for the Sales Industry – a New Focus on Implementation Process and Methodologies……………......58
5.2.2 Implications and Recommendations for Corporate Talent Management/Learning Leaders...............................................................…......59
5.2.3 Implications and Recommendations……………………………………60
5.2.4 Implications and Recommendations for Account Managers……….…...60
5.2.5 Limitations of this Study………………………………………………..63
5.2.6 Suggestions for Future Research…………………………………….….66
5.2.7 Concluding Remarks........................................................................…....67
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES.....................................................................…....70
APPENDIX
A Interview Question: Account Manager – GE Finance...........................….....71
B Interview Question: Business Owner – Bevan Marketing……………….….74
C Interview Question: Business Relationship Manager – Ongas………….......75
D Interview Question: National Account Manager – BOC………………........77
E Interview Question: Business Owner – Group One…..…………………......79
F Survey Instrument…………………………………………...…………….....82
G Analysis of Variance in Importance of 15 Consulting Skills ………......…...90
H Analysis of Variance in Amount of Training Provided to AMs ....…......…...91
I Analysis of Variance in Consulting Skill Levels to AMs…...…….….......…..92
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: The 15 Consulting Skills and 3 Questions asked for each of 15 Skills….............33
Table 2: Descriptive Statistics For Consulting Skills……………………………………..45
Table 3: Suggestions for Developing and Demonstrating Nine Consulting
Skill Areas without Formal Training………………………………....................61
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Future Sales Training Needs (Kerr & Buryzynski 1998)…………………….…16
Figure 2: The Range of Marketing Relationships (Lambe and Spekman 1997)………….20
Figure 3: Gender Information of Participants……………………………………………..37
Figure 4: Number of Months/Years Work Experiences of Participants…………………..37
Figure 5: Having a Deep Understanding of the Customers Industry……………………..39
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