As an account manager, your goal is to build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers and vendors. Communication skills, both in person and in writing, are therefore crucial. You have to be able to ask questions, listen well, articulate sales points, and work to ensure that both customers’ and stakeholders’ needs are met.

But it takes more than just communication skills to perform well in this kind of role. What are some other abilities that you’ll need to demonstrate on your resume before you can land a job as an account manager? Here are four other crucial ones:

Expertise.

As an account manager, you’re essentially a liaison between your company and your customer. It’s therefore important to know about both. For instance, you need to have a deep understanding not only of your company’s products and services, but also the advantages and benefits they can offer. At the same time, you must know about your customer and their needs, so you can best match your offerings to what they’re looking for, leading to a win for both sides.

Vision.

Candidates can sometimes get confused about account manager positions versus salesperson positions. While many of the areas performed by both do overlap, there are some key differences. For instance, a salesperson is focused on selling to the customer. However, an account manager doesn’t simply want a short-term transaction, but a long-term relationship. They’re focused on the big picture and doing what it takes to nurture these.

Confidence.

Your employer and your customer are ultimately looking to you for guidance. For you to be comfortable offering it, you have to be confident in your skills and abilities. If you’re not, then it’s going to come through and be clear to both.

The Ability to Negotiate.

As an account manager, you’re trying to make two parties happy: your employer and your customer. It’s therefore important to be able to negotiate between the two so both walk away feeling positive about the situation. A good negotiator has to understand the interests of multiple parties, demonstrate good timing, be willing to stand their ground, and also be flexible, too.

If you’d like a career in account management but don’t have these or other skills important for the job, there are plenty of training opportunities out there. There are also opportunities for you to get your foot in the door at companies where you’re working alongside account managers, so you can learn from them and potentially land a job as one down the line.

If you’re already an account manager and are ready to make a move to a different employer, turn to Murray Resources. We’re a top Houston staffing agency and can connect you with a rewarding job that’s an excellent fit for you. Contact us today to get started or search our jobs now.