Coming under the broader category of client services, account executives work in many industries including financial advertising and retail.
They work closely with marketing and sales teams and create a link between clients and the company.
Account executives prospect clients in a bid to build sales.
They meet with existing and new clients and confer with them to determine their needs. Also, they design, develop and execute sales strategies in order to meet a designated quota.
It is important for account executives to be able to forecast market developments and stay on top of them. As part of their duties, they perform a series of research activities to determine market trends and produce analytic reports for the benefit of clients and the company.
The basic work of account executives is to sell a company’s services. They are responsible for creating advertising concepts and presenting them to target clients with a view to gaining clientele.
People looking for a career as an account executive must possess a college degree in business administration, advertising, or marketing.
You also have to be good at communicating and possess exceptional people skills.
Related: Account Executive Resume
Account Executive Duties and Responsibilities
• Create, plan and implement account plans to direct sales efforts.
• Confer with new and potential clients to determine their needs and provide them insight into the company’s services.
• Develop and maintain lasting relationships with clients with a view to ensure recurring business.
• Maximize cross-selling opportunities within existing client relationships.
• Educate clients about the company’s products and services and answer questions and queries.
• Ensure appropriate utilization of resources such as budget, time, and collateral.
• Assist marketing and sales teams in marketing and sales plans.
• Research market trends and create reports for the benefit of decision making.
• Maintain constant contact with clients to ensure satisfaction.
• Receive complaints from clients and take serious measures to resolve them.
• Create and maintain client records and sales and prospecting activities such as presentations closed sales and follow-up activities.
• Ensure that effective relationships are established and maintained with all key workers associated with account management.
• Create price quotations for clients and make amendments according to clients’ ability to pay.
• Develop a database of strong leads through referrals, networking and email marketing.
• Ensure that “do not call” lists are respected completely.