Authors: Roy Broad
Research on Strategic Account Management (SAM) and Key Account Management (KAM) has traditionally focussed on the value, configuration and management of major accounts, with frequent recommendations from authors to increase the understanding of SAM/KAM from an operational perspective. There is a continuing discussion as to whether SAM/KAM is the responsibility of sales or marketing and interest in the role of the account manager in developing strategic alliances and business relationships.This paper suggests that SAM/KAM and the wider responsibility of GAM, is not simply a ‘sales’ or ‘marketing’ responsibility, but arguably a wider firm responsibility with relationships in networks seen as a way to improve business performance. Firms are frequently encouraged to invest resources in networking activities to develop business opportunities, without necessarily being able to measure the result.The purpose of this paper is to examine the benefits from business networking from the perspective of firms in the West Midlands and explains the factors which were found to improve networking performance in terms of increased sales turnover.Using survey data from 298 firms, the research findings using a quantitative method suggest that planned networking behaviour, degree of embeddedness, networking intensity and crucially for SAM/KAM, the role that strength of relationship has in influencing networking performance and sales turnover.This study provides some empirical support for the idea that firms which adopt a structured approach to business networking may achieve better outcomes in terms of networking performance when measured as a percentage of sales turnover. This study contributes to the markets as networks and SAM/KAM literature by advancing the conceptualisation of networking performance measured in terms of sales turnover.
Journal: n.a. (n.a. – n.a.)
Web Address: n.a.
Publish Year: 2012
Conference: Rome, Italy (2012)