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Services Science

The Skills of High Performing Account Managers

Posted by Sid Saleh on September 4th, 2008

Which skills distinguish high-performing account managers from their low-performing counterparts?

The ideal skill set is broad and comprehensive. It includes awareness of customers’ goals, a wider network of internal and external contacts and better use of information resources.

Michael Hutt, Beth Walker, Ajith Kumar of Arizona State University and Gabriel Gonzalez of Colorado State University analyzed the skills of 58 account managers in a study sponsored by Yellow Corporation.

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Deciphering Buyers' Service Wants and Needs

Posted by Sid Saleh on March 28th, 2003

Can buyers tell us what they really want in a new service?

Recently, I asked a service executive about the process her organization follows to develop and package new services. Her eyes rolled up, then she formed her hands as though she was tightening them around someone’s neck. She went on to explain how difficult it is to figure out what her customers want. Often, after many time-consuming meetings, she would make the packaging decisions herself.

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Steering Projects towards Success and Profitability

Posted by Sid Saleh on January 23rd, 2003
Professional services firms start new projects with high expectations of success. However, many projects fail to meet their original goals leading to client dissatisfaction and low margins. Service providers can minimize or avoid altogether failed projects by carefully selecting the right client, actively managing the client relationship and methodically evaluating client performance.
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Buyers’ Preferences for Sales Tools

Posted by Sid Saleh on August 21st, 2002

A recent ITSMA survey of 200 senior-level business and IT executives from Fortune 1000 and government entities in the U.S. reveals clear patterns of preferences and confirms the growing use of these tools.  Read more »

Why Publish ServicesRevenue?

Posted by Sid Saleh on June 21st, 2002
Why publish a magazine on services marketing and selling topics? If you sell or market services in any industry, you’d be hard-pressed to name a trade rag that consistently provides in-depth coverage on issues you face. Certainly a number of excellent academic and general press publications cover services from time to time.
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