The specific job description of an account manager differs by company and industry. When it comes to marketing, the duty of an account manager is to oversee the sales and/or advertising account tied to a specific customer or channel.
For huge accounts, the sales manager and advertising manager are often separate and can even belong in two different firms, specifically when a company outsources its advertising needs to an external advertising agency.
Sales account managers have the job of ensuring that sales targets or quotas are met. Sales quotas can be assessed on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis, depending on the product type and the company’s policy. Sales performance can also be assessed for each channel, retailer, or sales person, depending on the sales structure. This means that account managers do not only keep track of the numbers but must have strategies in place to motivate the salespersons to sell more when the quota isn’t being met.
The sales account manager must also come up with promotional offers to entice people to becoming new customers and old ones to stay on and keep coming back for more. In this area, the sales account manager must have an open line of communication with the advertising account manager so that ads will always up-to-date and in line with the latest promotional offerings.
Advertising account managers acts as a liaison to clients and often handle more than one account. The accounts may be from different companies as long as the product handled isn’t in direct competition.
