You have to impress clients on a daily basis as an account manager. However, before you can begin resolving client issues or exceeding sales targets, you must first wow the recruiting manager at your dream company.
For this reason, we have compiled the top free Account Manager Interview Questions & Answer
Preparing for the interview ahead of time will help you enhance your chances of receiving an offer, whether you’re new to the industry or have years of experience as an account manager.
You’ll almost certainly be asked a few basic interview questions. However, you should expect a lot of questions unique to the account manager role, such as role-playing how you’ll upsell a client and walking through how you stay organized with a CRM.
In this article, you will the top free account manager interview questions and answers that will help you to practice well for your interview.
What is an Account Manager?
According to Investopedia, an account manager (am) is a business person with whom a client has the most one-on-one engagement within a corporation.
Account managers are employed by companies to ensure that customers’ needs are addressed.
Roles of an Account Manager
Here are the roles of an account manager:
- Communicating with clients to learn about their needs and to explain the value of the product.
- Establishing trusting and respectful relationships with clients.
- Working with internal departments to help clients meet their needs.
- Gathering and analyzing data to gain a better understanding of consumer behavior.
- Maintaining correct inventory and account notes records.
- Keeping current on the company’s products and services.
- Improving mechanisms to resolve complaints and prevent future problems.
- Identifying industry trends is number eight on the list.
- Serving as a client advocate with an emphasis on enhancing the purchasing experience.
What is the Nature of Account Manager Interview Questions?
There are three types of questions you should expect in an Account Manager interview:
- operational and situational questions
- Role-based questions
- Behavioral questions
The ability to work, lead, and think creatively is important for operational and situational concerns.
Knowing how to create trusting connections with clients, respecting and working as a client advocate with a focus on improving the purchasing experience, and resolving complaints, and preventing new difficulties through process improvements are also important.
It has to do with your responsibilities as an accounting manager and your capacity to work when it comes to role-specific questions.
Furthermore, behavioral questions, also known as fit questions, concern your abilities to work, lead, deal with clients, and your personality type.
What are the Best Tips I Can Use?
In answering any of the account manager interview questions whether behavior questions, Operational and situational questions, or Role-specific questions, following adhering to the tips below will help:
- Ensure you plan your answers and rehearsal how you will respond when asked. Try repeating the question back to the interviewer. This will buy you more time.
- Organize your answers and have a structured approach to answering the questions.
- Avoid using these words “I don’t Know”. If you don’t know the exact answer to aquestion, you can say something esle that are relevant instead of going blank.
- Be Logical in your reasoning.
- If possible, try to figure out who your interviewer are and what they bring to the table. By doing that you can showcase the skills and traits you have that align with it.
- Research about the company you’re apply to. It won’t be bad if you know their mission and vision statments, These information will give you an insight about the company and its culture.
- Use the STAR interview method to structure your responses when responding to behavioural questions. This style follows the framework of scenario, task, action, and result and is a wonderful approach to ensure you present precise proof of the competencies required to be a financial analyst.
- Limit each of your responses to two minutes. Longer replies may turn off an interviewer, giving them more ammunition to pursue you with more difficult questions on the same subject.
Now you’ve seen the tips that can help you tackle every single question the interview might throw at you, let’s take a look at the most questions you might be faced with if you go for an account manager interview.
Top Free Account Manager Interview Questions and Answers
This section contains free Account Manager Interview questions and answers that are often asked at an expert level. There are questions based on conceptual, general, behavioral, and experiential, as well as interesting examples and sample answers.
#1. Why does a company need key account manager?
Answer:
An account manager assists in the development of chances for both clients and the organization to build and sustain their companies.
They assist in increasing revenue and strengthening client relationships. They also aid in surviving any competition. Having a key account manager allows you to:
i.) Increase customer retention.
ii.) Strengthening business ties.
iii.) Make the company more well-known.
iv.) Establish yourself as a valuable partner.
v.) Increase the number of sales.
2. Acquiring a new client is one of the duties of a key account manager. What are their other duties and responsibilities?
Answer:
As the question implies, the interviewer is interested in learning more about your grasp of this function outside of sales.
Your response to this question quickly reveals how well prepared you are for the interview and how serious you are about the job. Make sure you’ve done your homework about the firm and the role, and that you’re well equipped.
Some of the duties you can discuss are:
i.) Establish and maintain a trusting relationship with the client so that they are completely committed to working with you and are not enticed by your competition.
ii.) Recognize your client’s goals and needs, and devise strategies to assist them in achieving them. This necessitates you acting as a consultant rather than a salesperson.
iii.) Ensure that the proper supply is available to your client at the right moment.
iv.) Obtain fresh products that will assist them in achieving their goal.
v.) Make numerous agreements with them.
vi.) Serve as a liaison between your account and your company’s internal staff.
vii.) Help your client solve challenges.
viii.) Educate them on new business methods so that they can increase sales.
Make them as competitive as possible.
3. How will you manage multiple clients at the same time?
Answer:
The two most critical things you’ll need to accomplish this are:
i.) Multitasking ability
ii.) Organizational skills
You may say something like this in response to this question:
“I’ve made a spreadsheet with all of the accounts I’m responsible for. I make it a point to keep it up to date and handle it on a daily basis. It keeps me up to date on the present situation as well as any critical facts that should be remembered.
I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to manage several clients without difficulty.”
This question is an excellent opportunity to discuss any other tactics you use to achieve these goals.
4. How does purposeful listening skill help account managers?
Answer:
Purposeful listening, as the name implies, is listening with a specific goal in mind. The goal of the key account manager is to increase business and strengthen the client connection.
Managers with experience should be able to use purposeful listening techniques. They must comprehend what they must listen to and how to apply the knowledge they get.
They can also fix the problem by listening intently and must comprehend the rationale for the problem and pay attention to the specifics.
Also, they must pay close attention in order to provide the clients with the information they seek. They must also utilize appropriate language to assist the client in making a sales decision and to improve their relationship with them.
5. Tell us about a time when you were unable to meet a goal.
Answer:
As an Account Manager, you must fulfill your objectives within a specific timeframe.
To respond to this question, describe a project that you failed to complete on time and the reasons behind your failure. Make a tale out of it. Emphasize what you’ve gained from this experience.
The interviewer is more interested in learning how you overcame your failure.
You can say something like: “Once upon a time, we were working on a promotional campaign,” you may remark. The shot was supposed to take place in a western state, but due to local opposition, the law and order situation deteriorated, and the shoot was postponed.
As an Account Manager, I will explain the situation to the customer and contacted the local law enforcement agency to get things in order. After a week, we finally got started and concluded the shoot.
The experience taught me that if there is a sensitive subject to shoot, it is critical to gain the trust of local authorities and people.”
Everything in business is driven by success, and assessing performance is a crucial element of that.
6. How Do You Build Good Client Relationships?
Clients frequently stick with a business because they have a lengthy and trustworthy connection with their account manager. Although these are business connections, they have a personal element to them, and knowing that an account manager will provide excellent service keeps clients with the company for longer. Hiring managers will want to see that you know how to form these connections.
Answer:
Here’s what one answer might sound like: “I begin building solid client relationships by conducting research on the firm and the individual with whom I will be speaking. It’s critical to understand their background, especially the company’s issues and my point of contact’s work experience. When I call the client, I’ll provide an easy-to-understand introduction of myself and our organization. Then I’ll tell the client anything about themselves that impressed me during my research or that we share, such as going to college in New Jersey. Then I’ll ask questions and listen carefully to learn how I may become a valuable advisor to them.”
7. What Is Your Process for Closing a New Client?
Depending on the firm, bringing in new business may be a significant component of the account manager’s job description. Sometimes that requires persuading a customer to transfer providers or purchase a brand-new service they’ve never tried before.
How to Answer:
Begin by describing how you obtain information about a potential new client. Before conducting a cold call, walk the interviewers through the resources you employ. Then, describe how you go about establishing trust with a new client and, lastly, closing a contract.
You could say:
“When I set my sights on a new client, I conduct extensive research into what competitive services, if any, they employ. I look for it on our competitors’ websites in the form of press releases or client work that has been highlighted. I emphasize the difference if we give a better price or more for our price. When I call, I identify the work of a rival and inquire about what they liked and didn’t like about the service. Then I discuss how our organization could go about doing it differently, as well as the other services I can provide.”
8. When Cold-Calling a Potential New Client, How Would You Respond to Someone Who Says That They’re Too Busy and Want You to Call Again in Six Months?
Hiring managers are looking for candidates that don’t quit up at the first hint of opposition when they ask this question. There’s a saying in sales that it takes three no’s to get to a yes. Hiring managers want to see if you have the ability to get to that yes.
How to Answer:
Explain how you’d approach a potential client about a service or product offered by the firm you’re interviewing with, and how you’d try to persuade them that waiting six months could result in them losing out on revenue or whatever else the company’s product or service provides.
This question could potentially take the shape of a role-play, so be ready to jump into character and show how you shine on the phone.
One way you could answer is: “When someone claims they’re too busy to buy right now, I try to explain in a few sentences how adding our services will save them time and money over the following six months. As an account manager, I might be able to help them with any issues they’re having or fill any gaps in their strategy in that time frame.”
9. What Experience Do You Have With Salesforce and/or Other CRM Software(s)? How Else Do You Stay Organized?
Understanding how to use Salesforce is a popular CRM, so knowing how to use it will likely be a requirement of the role you’re applying for, but this question can be asked about any CRM the firm uses. (Hint: look at the job description to see which CRM we’re talking about!) Your new boss wants to know how much if any, platform training you’ll need.
How to Answer:
Salesforce, like the account manager function, may be substantially modified from one firm to the next. Explain to the interviewer the elements of the past CRMs you liked best and how you used them to reach your goals.
For instance, if you set yourself reminders for client check-in calls or ran any specific reports to figure out whether you were behind on revenue projections early on, you should note it here. If you’ve ever provided previous organizations comments on how to enhance their Salesforce reports, please do it here. You should also describe any additional resources you utilize to keep yourself organized.
An example of what you might say:
“I’ve used Salesforce to generate new contacts, run reports, and track calls in my last two jobs. Although the companies had somewhat different versions that were tailored to their needs, I quickly learned my way around both. In my previous work, I generated a few customized Salesforce reports to assist me to manage my goals and determine which clients were consistently doing the best and worse. I was wasting too much time logging calls into Salesforce because an account manager spends so much time on the phone. Less phone time means more data time. So I provided my firm with this feedback and requested the Salesforce iPhone software that tracks calls.
While this was an initial outlay, it ultimately saved us money and time by increasing the productivity of all account managers. In general, I sync my calendar with Salesforce and set reminders for myself to follow up with clients and run reports on key days to keep myself organized.”
10. What Steps Do You Take to Hit Your Revenue Targets If You See You’re Behind?
Account managers who achieve their sales goals are successful. It’s part of your job to maintain track of this throughout the course of a month or quarter to ensure you’re on target. Hiring managers want to see that you can be proactive and self-aware when you’re falling behind on your objectives.
How to Answer:
Describe how you keep track of your progress toward your objectives, such as by utilizing Salesforce to generate weekly or monthly reports. Then, go over the actions you take to generate revenue, such as offering a client an exclusive price or pitching a service that isn’t included in their regular package.
An example of what you might say: “Every Monday morning, I review my progress toward my monthly goals and make necessary adjustments to my weekly targets. I conduct a check-in every Wednesday to make sure I’m on track. I run income reports for myself on a regular basis, well ahead of when my manager needs them. These early tests allow me to see if I’m on pace to achieve my objectives. When I’m behind, I check in with clients to see how they’re doing. I offer an additional service or upgraded package to assist both parties for those facing issues or wishing to expand.”
More on Account Manager Interview Questions and Answers
11. Can You Give an Example of a Time You Contributed to a Product Upgrade, Change, or Fix Based on Client Feedback?
Account managers are a company’s eyes and ears when it comes to understanding what customers want and need. Based on what they hear from clients, exceptional account managers provide constructive input to their supervisors or colleagues in other areas of the firm.
How to Answer
Ideally, you have a specific example of a time when you heard a client complaint or provided input to someone at your firm in order to enhance your product or service. You can cite a time when your feedback was not acted on if you don’t have an example of when it was. But don’t blame your current employer for not acting on the input during this question. Find a way to keep the mood upbeat.
Here’s how you might answer: “One of my top clients requested that their customers be able to book appointments online. However, the feature was not available in our current product. In order to give this option, the client had to commission a separate service and add it to ours. It was a tangle, with two invoices and two different account managers to deal with. I addressed my management and informed them that one of our clients required this service and that they were currently paying someone else to provide it. I knew that if we offered it, it would connect with our service and that people would be prepared to pay more for it.
It was built about six months later, and I was able to sell that client—and several others—on the new appointment scheduling service in addition to what we previously offered.”
#12. Can You Give an Example of a Time You Turned a “No” into a “Yes” During a Contract Renewal Conversation?
Turning a “no” into a “yes” is a key aspect of most account managers’ duties. This ability comes in handy when it comes to renewing an existing client’s contract, which is an important part of the account manager’s job.
How to Answer
It’s a good idea to revisit Lawrence’s advice and ask the customer more questions for this response. You’ll want to talk about how you’ll figure out why a client doesn’t want to renew and genuinely listen to their worries if they don’t want to renew. Then you’ll want to practice explaining how your company can help the client with their problems. If you have a previous example of how you did this, use the STAR technique to emphasize it.
Try saying something like: “I like to figure out why someone says no first. These are significant variables in how I direct the dialogue if the company is experiencing financial difficulties or wants to increase client involvement. I was working at my present company to re-sign a client who uses our SEO services. They had, however, recently hired someone to handle this internally and were considering terminating their contract with us. I still wanted to keep the customer, so I began inquiring about their new hire’s background.
I recommended that we work together for the following year to assist train this new manager, as our company was more familiar with the search arena in which the company competed and could help the manager get off to a good start. This was deemed prudent by the client, who re-signed for another year.”
13. What Are the Qualities That an Account Manger Should Possess to be Effective?
To be successful, professionals must possess specific characteristics.
- You may apply the qualities you mention to the job.
- Make an effort to only describe attributes that are relevant to the work at hand.
Sample Answer: Due to the sensitivity of accounts, an account manager should be well-organized. He or she should be an excellent communicator and a natural leader. (Decision-making and management are examples of other skills)
14. Describe Your Experience Briefly?
You’re probably wondering why the interviewer wants to hear about your experience when it’s already listed on your CV. This question, on the other hand, has nothing to do with your competence. The interviewer is interested in learning about some of the things you’ve done and are skilled at.
- sell yourself
- Make a list of everything that you think is important.
Sample Answer: During my previous position, I learned a lot about leadership and management. I learned how to communicate with clients and prospects. My Human Resource Managerial Course also prepared me for management positions, making me the best employee in most of the industries where I’ve worked. All of my previous experiences will be put to good use in this role.
15. What Is Your Proudest Achievement?
This is an alignment question. The interviewer is looking to see if your qualifications make you a good fit for the organization.
- Mention a job-related achievement
- accomplishments are subjective
Sample Answer: My proudest moment and achievement was being inducted into the hall of fame at my former firm for being the best salesperson for five years in a row. I was flown out of the country to meet some of the country’s top accountants and speak at a number of courses.
#16. What Made You Quit Your Former Job Even After the Achievements That You Have Mentioned?
The interviewer is curious as to what prompted you to go on to the next opportunity. Are you trying to get away from something?
- Do not talk negatively about your former boss at any point.
- You have the ability to market yourself.
Sample Answer: In my last job, I had a lot of fun. It provided me with numerous opportunities to learn and improve my skills. However, I felt that I had overstayed and desired to go outside. I wanted to try out a new niche and meet new challenges.nd progressing.
17. How Do You Stay Motivated at Work?
The interviewer is curious as to what motivates you to keep going despite the difficulties that the account manager confronts. Your response may be able to assist him or her in making your stay more enjoyable.
- Avoid bringing up anything materialistic.
- Think over your answer, but don’t make it sound rushed.
Sample Answer: I consider beating deadlines to be the greatest honor I’ve ever received. It motivates me to work even harder in the future. I really enjoy completing my objectives and having a positive impact on my workplace.
Conclusion
This article’s free account manager interview questions and answers should assist you in your forthcoming interview.
In addition, the questions in this section are quite valuable for both freshers and experienced candidates who are interviewing for positions in the automotive, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, investment and banking, software, and other industries.
Good luck!!!
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