A client relationship manager acts as a point of contact for a company’s clients and customers, forging connections, offering direction and counsel, and making sure all of the clients’ needs are satisfied. The client relations manager may handle account maintenance, suggest service plans, monitor metrics and analytics, or in some other way act as a go-between for the client and the business.
What Does a Client Relationship Manager Do?
A client relationship manager, often referred to as a customer success manager, is responsible for fostering relationships with customers to meet their needs, ensure that they are happy with the services and/or goods offered by the business, and help them overcome any obstacles. As a client relationship manager, you may be responsible for identifying new sales opportunities and informing the product development and sales teams of these, in addition to maintaining relationships with current clients and operating within the confines of what is already provided by the employer. This entails looking into, keeping an eye on, and analyzing market trends.
Account executive and client relationship manager are positions that some employers could mix up. Therefore, it’s crucial to carefully read the job description to understand exactly what is expected of you. Where the positions are divided up, however, the distinction is slight but significant. Account executives communicate with clients while keeping in mind their employer’s objectives, whereas client relationship managers’ objectives are more directly related to those of their clients. For instance, pursuing a high ROI (return on investment) for the client might fall under this category.
Job Description of a Client Relationship Manager
Depending on the industry, the customer relations manager’s duties can change. For instance, a client relationship manager for an advertising agency might present a marketing plan, lay out the strategy, and serve as a point of contact, offering an overview of options for branding, advertising, or community outreach, taking the client’s feedback to the agency, and assisting in the improvement of services to suit the client’s needs. A client relationship manager in the banking sector may provide recommendations for different financial goods and services, personally handle business transactions, and make loan arrangements as needed for a commercial customer.
In the retail industry, a client relationship manager would likely be a vendor representative. He could be making product recommendations to the client, providing guidance on merchandising and promotional avenues.
Day to day activities may include:
- Making sure your current customers are happy through after-sales service and collecting and utilizing feedback
- Locating and contacting prospective new businesses or individuals to become clients
- Examining market trends and advising colleagues on client strategy or potential new sales possibilities
- Offering clients presentations on items or services
- Serving as a point of contact for grievances and elevating problems if necessary
- Ensuring that your employer and clients uphold the terms of a contract
- Recognizing and assisting in the achievement of the client’s goals and objectives.
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Key Skills for a Client Relationship Manager
- Strong persuading and negotiation skills
- The capacity to interact with clients and coworkers at all levels of an organization while writing and speaking with confidence
- Self-motivation
- A certain amount of ingenuity when it comes to coming up with new sales opportunities
- Resilience
- The capacity to do research and stay current with changes in the field (an interest in the industry will help)
- Commercial sensitivity.
Qualifications and Training
Sales graduate programs with a focus on developing and managing client relationships are offered by some major graduate employers in industries like IT, finance, and consumer goods. These programs, which are probably referred to as “sales” or “commercial,” give you a glimpse into a variety of sales-related fields and position you to specialize afterward, possibly in client relationship management. For example, an IT corporation may look for IT or business graduates for its sales graduate program. Having at least a 2.1 degree in a relevant field is important.
While other programs only require essential talents and characteristics, some programmes will additionally expect some sales experience. As a result, you might discover that getting some sales-related work experience enables you to prove that you possess the necessary knowledge and/or experience.
Alternately, after gaining experience in any entry-level position or internship in the business you want to enter, whether it be finance, law, or another field, you might work your way up to being a client relationship manager. It’s likely that you’ll need to show that you’re good at selling as well. Any form of experience, whether it be from an entry-level job, an internship, or another chance, would be beneficial. You might get work experience in a sales atmosphere. You might also combine your industry knowledge with your sales experience. For instance, you might begin as a sales executive for an IT company before advancing to the position of client relationship manager in the technology sector.
Job Outlook and Salary
Client relationship managers earn a variety of salaries. Smaller non-profits that use the function for fundraising purposes often pay at the lower end of the scale. Professional services businesses like the financial and corporate sectors typically pay at the higher end.
- 0-5 years: $35,287-$79,847
- 5-10 years: $43,215-$104,912
- 10-20 years: $47,167-$140,747
- Over 20 years: $49,476-162,502
The client relationship management industry will expand till 2026. The prediction is at a rate that is slightly above normal, or around 5%. This also affects customer representative roles. This will result in high demand given how fiercely competitive the corporate environment is nationwide.