Account Director jobs
Winning new clients is a high-energy job, with a high potential for blind alleys and expended time between successful campaigns. That’s why it’s highly cost effective to devote quality time and resources to retaining existing clients. For that, skilled account directors are required.
In larger logistics companies, account directors will have a team of account managers underneath them, and they will deal directly with clients on a one-to-one basis; clients generally like to be dealing with the same person, who will know their needs and issues. Account directors will oversee the whole customer retention operation, and will be responsible for strategic decisions to this end, but not necessarily the micromanagement of order fulfilment. The account director may also have responsibility for organising and instructing a sales team in order to win new clients, as well as seeking out new openings with existing clients and their partners.
Reporting to the company management, he or she will be expected to explain decisions and actions and provide regular reports. Any problems that cannot be addressed by the account managers will become the account director’s responsibility, followed ultimately by the management’s.
Maintaining morale will be an important role, both in the clients and in your own team. Whether this means treading on egg shells or throwing a party will depend on the relationship!
The skills required
Interpersonal skills, particularly diplomacy, will be a key skill of the account director. Since different clients will have different needs and desires, from methods of payment to hours of work to corporate personality, you will need to have an instinct for switching demeanour at the sound of a ringing phone.
Sales and marketing experience will be extremely useful, as selling one’s company’s benefits does not end with the winning of a client; they will probably be constantly seeking out other deals to reduce their overheads, and you will need to be able to convince them that your company is the best option for them. You’ll need the confidence to be able to make important decisions without constant recourse to senior management.
Account Director Jobs in Mansfield
Situated roughly half way between Sheffield and Nottingham, Mansfield is a town with a history of being a market town and the centre of a thriving mining industry. The town has forests in almost every direction outside its borders, and was in times gone by a favourite stopping place for royals on their hunting excursions. On the map Mansfield bears all the hallmarks of a market town, with several major roads emerging to connect the surrounding farms and villages. Nowadays the M1 passes the town’s west, and railways connect it to Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester.
The town gained notoriety among other mining communities when its mines did not take part in the bitter miners’ strike in the 1980s. However the move was not to prove a long-term saviour of the industry, as today no mines survive. Mansfield was, not surprisingly, home to the famous Mansfield Brewery, but it was taken over in 1999 and production ceased on the site. Mansfield is now a fairly typical post-industrial town, with the service sector and some light industry taking prominence.
The town was the centre of the swimming universe in 2008, however, when local girl Rebecca Adlington won two gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, in the 400 m and 800 m freestyle races. At the time of writing, after London 2012, her 800 m record of 8:14.10 still stands as the world and Olympic record.
The Mansfield urban area is quite large, with a population of around 150,000, which in itself makes it a decent candidate if you’re looking for Account Director jobs. The town also benefits from several large cities and towns within half an hour, so anyone willing to commute will stand an even greater chance of success.
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To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit an Account Director for your business or find you a job as an Account Director then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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