Account Director jobs
Winning new clients is a high-energy job, with a high potential for blind alleys and expended time between successful campaigns. That’s why it’s highly cost effective to devote quality time and resources to retaining existing clients. For that, skilled account directors are required.
In larger logistics companies, account directors will have a team of account managers underneath them, and they will deal directly with clients on a one-to-one basis; clients generally like to be dealing with the same person, who will know their needs and issues. Account directors will oversee the whole customer retention operation, and will be responsible for strategic decisions to this end, but not necessarily the micromanagement of order fulfilment. The account director may also have responsibility for organising and instructing a sales team in order to win new clients, as well as seeking out new openings with existing clients and their partners.
Reporting to the company management, he or she will be expected to explain decisions and actions and provide regular reports. Any problems that cannot be addressed by the account managers will become the account director’s responsibility, followed ultimately by the management’s.
Maintaining morale will be an important role, both in the clients and in your own team. Whether this means treading on egg shells or throwing a party will depend on the relationship!
The skills required
Interpersonal skills, particularly diplomacy, will be a key skill of the account director. Since different clients will have different needs and desires, from methods of payment to hours of work to corporate personality, you will need to have an instinct for switching demeanour at the sound of a ringing phone.
Sales and marketing experience will be extremely useful, as selling one’s company’s benefits does not end with the winning of a client; they will probably be constantly seeking out other deals to reduce their overheads, and you will need to be able to convince them that your company is the best option for them. You’ll need the confidence to be able to make important decisions without constant recourse to senior management.
Account Director Jobs in Margate
If Norfolk and Suffolk were to disappear underwater, and let’s hope they don’t, the Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate cluster would represent the UK’s easternmost point. Situated on the tip of Kent, it has long been the holiday resort of choice for many a Londoner who wants to trade the city streets for sandy beaches and fun. It was also one of the favourite Mods v Rockers battlegrounds in the 1960s, although Brighton is better known for this accolade.
Like many seaside towns of the UK, Margate went through great development in the Victorian era, boomed in the mid to late twentieth century, then declined as more and more families holidayed overseas as flights became more affordable. Margate has a population of about 60,000, which does swell a little in the summer months, but it is more a day-tripper’s destination than a holiday resort nowadays. The population has had to diversify somewhat for the town to survive, and there is now a wider range of non-tourist employment and a small amount of manufacturing taking place in the town.
Manston Airport, or Kent International Airport, is located a few miles to the south west of Margate, and handles flights to mainland Europe and the Channel Islands. The town is reasonably well connected by road and rail to London and the South Coast, too. Margate will have the kinds of logistics needs that accompany any concentration of population, which can sometimes throw Account Director jobs into the mix, but nearby Canterbury, Ashford or Folkestone might be better bets.
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Cast UK’s recruitment consultants can help you take the next step in your logistics career, if you're looking for a promotion or simply want to change employer.
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To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit an Account Director for your business or find you a job as an Account Director then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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