The first thing that an account manager must do is be able to close. In many cases, other people within the organization will develop leads and the account manager will act on these leads. These individuals will usually have a quota that must be met, so serving established customers is important, as is finding new clients who will fill any gaps. Long term relationships are vital for those with director jobs, as you must be able to keep customers coming back month after month, as this will make reaching these quotas much more manageable. Every company has a product or service that it needs to sell and account managers are able to identify how to sell those products or services to others. Negotiating these deals is also very vital, as everyone is looking for something different. This job description calls for much more than any IT jobs you will ever find, making this an extremely challenging yet rewarding career.
There are countless job opportunities in this industry, although most managers start off as part of a devoted sales team. Once an individual is a member of a team, he or she will be given the task of finding new clients and catering to existing ones. Nearly every organization in every industry has the need for an account manager, as selling is necessary in capitalism. Director jobs are available by going directly through the company that an individual wishes to work for. If you have a preference on which company you wish to work for, apply with that company first and go from there. If this is less important to you, read over online job boards and you are sure to see something that catches your eye. Remember that unlike IT jobs, you will have to sell yourself thoroughly in order to be hired, as your academic achievements are not nearly as important as your ability to make sales to the customers.
The most important aspect of the job description that you must look over is where it focuses on your communication and interpersonal skills. If you cannot talk to customers and get them to believe in your company, then you will not have much success and you should probably go look at some IT jobs. You must be able to speak with people constantly and be able to keep track of the numerous accounts that you will be in charge of. The sales process is very complex, so you must be able to follow along and know when to make your closing move. Your customer service skills are also very important, so you must be able to give the customers what they want at all times, while still keeping in line with company policies.
Since your communication skills are so important with these director jobs, you do not need a university degree in order to get a job. With that being said, there are companies that will not even interview those without a degree, so it is in your best interest to go to school if this is the career that you wish to pursue. A degree in business is probably the best way to go, although if you will be selling computer related products, a computer science degree could not hurt. Sales experience is also very important for this job, as you must be able to convince people that they cannot do without the products or services that you are offering your customers. Overall, this is a well paying job with plenty of room for advancement, making it something that is definitely worth looking into.
