How to Start Hiring “A” Player Account Managers

Today’s topic is how to identify an “A” Player profile for an account manager. Joining us today is Lloyd Wirshba the Chief Commercial Officer for Convergys.  It’s likely you spoke with someone from Lloyd’s company the last time you contacted a customer service center. Convergys is the largest business process outsource company for contact center services in the United States.  With well over 130,000 contact center agents, they are a powerhouse for voice, chat, and more.

Lloyd and Greg discuss how to determine the best profile for an account manager. Why is this important? “A” players generate 5x more revenue than “B” players and 10x more than “C” players.

If you are relying on the heroic efforts of a few, eventually, it will catch up to you and you will miss your number. Hiring “A” players starts with knowing what great looks like. Listen as Lloyd describes the attributes and competencies that buyers value in account management talent.

It’s difficult to grow revenue faster than your industry’s growth rate and faster than your competitors. Leverage the How to Make Your Number in 2018  to access a revenue growth methodology to hit your number quarter after quarter, and year after year.

In the first part of the show Lloyd discusses the growth of his industry and the corresponding impact on the hiring profile.  Lloyd ties the need for top talent in a B2B environment. His sales force needs A-Players who understand the dynamics of the industry and challenges impacting the buyers.

Executives without a sales background sometimes have a misconception that a great product will sell itself.  There’s a belief that a company with a great product can get by with an average sales force. Greg and Lloyd dispel this thinking for a complex b2b sales process. B and C Players simply can’t project the eminence to give your prospect confidence that your company can add value to their business. This requires expertise in attracting, evaluating, hiring, onboarding and retaining A-Player talent.

During the interview, Lloyd answers these questions:

• Is growth coming to come from market expansion, market exposure, or market share gain?
• How does the answer to the market growth question factor into your hiring profile?
• How does your hiring profile compare to:
  • Your competitors
  • Industry standard
  • Cross industry best-in-class
• Has there been a change to the routes to market recently, and if so, did this come with a corresponding change in the hiring profile?
• Do the job profiles of your account managers reflect the profiles of the buyers inside the target accounts?
• What attributes and competencies do your buyers value in account management talent?
• Do the interview questions test job applicants for these specific buyer-driven attributes and competencies?

   

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• Your revenue goal is realistic
• You will earn your bonus
• You will keep your job