Identifying the Characteristics of Key Account Managers that Drive Performance

A conceptual model of the factors that are linked to the performance of a Key Account Manager has been developed. There is a paucity of research in the correlation between the Key Account Manager’s personal and behavioural characteristics and their influence of the individual and organisation performance. A review of the literature underlines that the Key Account Manager can described as a strategic orchestrator or lynch pin and their key role is to coordinate activities with other members of their organisation. As a result, their individual characteristics will be tested against trust, collaboration and communication which are essential for the interpersonal and interdepartmental roles played by a Key Account Manager. The conceptual model has been developed through an extensive review of the relevant literature and a qualitative pre-study. The model will be tested by a large scale survey