Most Important Skills For An Account Executive At A National Beverage Company
Kathleen, an Account Executive at a national beverage company, emphasizes communication and relationship building—both internally with "finance, operations, supply chain, and marketing," and externally with clients—as crucial skills. Strategic selling, negotiation skills honed over the "year-long" contract process, and the ability to develop locally relevant marketing programs with limited budgets are also highlighted as essential aspects of the role.
Communication, Sales, Negotiation, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kathleen Walsh
Account Executive
National beverage company
Suffolk University, 2013
UCLA Anderson, MBA
Communications
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Sales and Client Management
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Effective communication skills, including setting clear expectations and timely responses.
2. Strategic selling abilities, focusing on matching products to customer needs and building trust.
3. Strong negotiation skills for contract renewals, emphasizing mutually beneficial agreements and long-term relationships.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like peers?
I would say number one is communication. This means connecting with people in a timely manner. There have been times I've had to set expectations on when I could get back to people, based on what's currently on my plate.
We do a fair amount of local marketing, which is more strategic. There's no national requirement for marketing programs. Doing it locally is a little more difficult because you're working with a smaller budget and have to come up with ideas on your own.
We utilize our assets to put marketing programs together that will drive and grow the business. Selling is obviously important; you need to know how to sell and speak to your product.
You also have to have passion for it. Some items we've released are a tough sell, but it's about choosing the right products for the right customer. This is part of the relationship and trust you build; you don't just push product for the sake of selling it. Having strategic selling skills is more important than just being able to sell.
Negotiation is key for contract renegotiations. You need to understand how to construct an agreement that is profitable for both us and the customer, with elements that appeal to the customer's priorities. Contract negotiations typically take about a year, so it's important to get it right rather than guessing and dragging out the process.
Relationship building, both internally and externally, is also crucial. Internally, I work with many departments: finance, operations, supply chain, marketing, and legal.
Maintaining those interpersonal relationships is really important, even when sticky issues come up. You have to foster a "work together" mindset rather than pointing fingers. I would say those are the main day-to-day skill sets I use.