Job Title: Account Manager
Location: Crewe
Salary: £23k – £28k per annum
Job type: Full Time – Permanent.
Aboveline specialises in designing and building brand experiences. We manage brand presence through tradeshows, showrooms, office fitouts, retail interiors, mobile displays and events. With over thirty years of experience, we’ve become known for our exceptional design and tailored service. We aim to provide creative solutions that meet customer expectations and secure them a return on investment. Based in Cheshire, our international client base requires us to work across the UK and Europe. We build collaborative relationships with our clients, offering them support every step of the way. By managing everything in-house, we ensure that aims and objectives are achieved on time, and within budget. Our design specialists use a combination of sketches, conceptual work and computer generated rendering to develop our ideas. These are previewed and fine-tuned at our pre-build meetings.
The Role/Candidate:
The account manager is the link between the business and its clients and is responsible for the client relationship. Along with the business development manager, the account manager manages a portfolio of clients and is the lead point of contact for any matters that arise in connection with account management of those clients. The account manager develops strong working relationships with clients with a view to maximising revenue and retention.
Key Responsibilities:
- Being the lead point of contact for assigned clients.
- Developing strong, long-term relationships with clients and ensuring that they receive excellent customer service. Resolving any account management issues that may arise or escalating issues, where appropriate.
- Having initial discussions with clients, clarifying their needs, budget and timescales. Liaising with the Business Development Manager to determine when face to face meetings should take place and who should attend.
- Presenting Company credentials to clients.
- Taking design briefs and briefing these in for a cost and/or design and agreeing actions and timescales.
- Ensuring the costing is accurate and that the design meets the brief and provides good value for money.
- Presenting the design to clients (accompanied where appropriate.)
- Attending other client meetings, as appropriate.
- Working with colleagues throughout the business to secure sales.
- Identifying where the input of colleagues would be valuable and securing this input, where required.
- Whenever a sale is secured, liaising with the Business Development Manager to ensure that all relevant paperwork is completed and terms of business are agreed and signed.
- Where a sale isn’t secured, understanding the reasons why and liaising with the Business Development Manager to put an action plan in place and address any lessons learned.
- Whenever a sale is secured, liaising with the Business Development Manager to organise the handover meeting and introduce the client to the relevant Project Manager.
- Contacting the client again once the project has been delivered and obtaining feedback on our service delivery, as appropriate.
- Spotting opportunities for further work with existing clients and pursuing these, as appropriate.
- Managing all aspects of account management administration in relation to own portfolio of accounts.
- Compiling relevant performance statistics and providing information, as required, to the Business Development Manager.
- Keeping abreast of our competition and providing relevant analysis
- Carrying out lead generation activity, as directed by the Business Development Manager.
- Attending appropriate networking activities.
- Carrying out any other tasks as may be reasonably required.
Skills and Experience Required:
- Good initial impact
- Graduate calibre with a background or interest in design
- Creative with an interest in design and the ability to think outside the box
- Experience within a marketing department and/or experience of an account management or client facing role
- Excellent client management skills
- Ability to develop strong working relationships at all levels
- Willingness to make decisions and take responsibility
- Willingness to learn
- Good commercial awareness
- Good team working skills and the ability to communicate at all levels and influence colleagues
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
- Excellent presentation skills
- Adaptable and flexible but with a structured approach
- Excellent organisational and planning skills
- Good attention to detail
- IT literate and competent in Microsoft Word and Excel
- Proactive
- Ability to withstand pressure and remain calm
- Resilient with a positive outlook. Not easily disheartened
- Passionate about customer service
- Excellent time management skills
- Ability to use own initiative when working alone
- Good problem solving and analytical skills
Please click on the APPLY button to send your CV and Cover Letter for this role.
Candidates with the experience or relevant job titles of; Customer Service Assistant, Customer Services Executive, Customer Service Representative, Customer Support, Client Service, Customer Service Executive, Admin Assistant Account Manager, Key Account Manager, Client Support, Account Consultant, Product Specialist, Experienced Account Manager will also be considered for this role.
