No matter what the industry the holiday season makes some kind of impact. There is a huge increase of orders and delivery companies brave bad weather and icy roads to fulfill them. It’s a stressful time for everyone, and it puts additional strain throughout all facets of business, from IT support to power companies. Therefore your key accounts will need you more than ever once the holiday rush gets underway. As the days get colder and nights get longer, now is the time to begin preparing a plan to face the increased demand with your team.
Assess the immediate needs of your key accounts.
Instead of calling all of your key accounts right now, take a moment to think about who should take top priority in order of how directly the holidays will affect their business. If they sell something, they will face high orders meaning their primary concern will be keeping items in stock and getting purchases shipped and delivered on time. Consider what kind of help and support you can provide to prepare them, and once you have some ideas put together a proposal. Call the accounts in order regarding high demand during the holidays.
Build up your holiday plan.
Prepare your list of offers ahead of time as starting off point for the conversation about holiday plans with your key accounts. Your clients will appreciate your proactive approach to coordinating efforts, and possibly have a few ideas about how they can work with you and other companies to collaborate in everyone’s best interest. Create a shared holiday plan that will encourage these accounts to work with one another that both can benefit from.
Consider offering joint promotions.
Holiday promotions are an important tradition for many businesses, but they can also be a costly investment during a time when competition is high for sales. This is a perfect opportunity to suggest that marketing teams join forces to create a collaborative promotional campaign with one another. You can pool marketing costs and help key accounts merge efforts in creating a unique campaign that is more engaging. In turn, this will help form a stronger partnership between you and your key accounts.
Give key accounts a gift.
Don’t be afraid to show more than just an offer of “Happy Holidays”. Your key accounts are valuable to you and the company, so think of them as close friends or family that deserves some holiday cheer. As the key account manager you know better than anyone what would be truly appreciated by each of your clients. Choose a gift that’s thoughtful, high-quality, and as unique as each account.
When it comes to key accounts and business partners, getting through the holidays is all about good communication and cooperation. By starting your preparation early, you can make it clear that you have each and every key account’s best interests in mind before the first holiday shoppers hit the malls. With careful consideration, precise planning, and even a thoughtful gift, your business relationships with your key accounts will be stronger than ever by the New Year.
Curious to see how you can take your Key Account Management skills to the next level? Download this helpful ebook on how to create powerful engagement plans for your key accounts or sign up for a demo of Kapta.
