Account Director - Reading

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 Reading

Situated in the Thames Valley where the Thames and River Kennet converge, Reading is a town in south-east England known as a centre of commerce and an excellent choice for those seeking Account Director vacancies.

The area was first settled in the 8th century, the local abbey was founded in 1121 and by 1538 Reading had become one of the largest towns in the area. The region thrived on the wealth generated by trading cloth until the English Civil War.

With the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, Reading was again making a name for itself, this time with a combination of ironworks and brewing.

The region benefited from improved trade with London due to the building of better roads, the establishment of various railways and the opening of the river to boat traffic. Indeed, the Kennet and Avon canal was opened in 1810, which meant that goods could travel by barge all the way to the Bristol Channel.

Fast forward to today and Reading is a centre for technology, finance and retail.

Top companies headquartered in the town include ING Direct, Yell Group and BG. Meanwhile, Prudential, PepsiCo, Holiday Inn, Bang & Olufsen, Intel, Cisco, Symantec, Nvidia, Virgin Media, Xerox and Verizon all have offices in Reading.

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