“You’ve got to move your customers to be a partner. Your aim is to get larger revenues, have partnership relationships with your key customers, so that you have a much bigger share of the purse going forward,” says Janice Gordon, a renowned account management strategist. She joins Alex Raymond in this episode to talk about the importance of account managers shifting from transactional to more buyer-focused relationships. But what does this really mean for companies today? It starts with understanding your customers on a deeper level—not just what they need right now, but where they’re headed and the larger business landscape they operate in.    Janice also talks about the value of creating a frictionless selling environment, one where internal barriers are removed so account managers can focus on forging strong, strategic partnerships. How could this kind of shift impact the way your team builds client relationships?    Janice’s insights offer a reminder for account managers to embrace a customer-centric approach. It’s all about leveraging deeper knowledge and working collaboratively to keep pace with the evolving demands of today’s market, all while driving sustainable, long-term revenue growth.   Quotes “Every aspect that a key account manager needs to deal with internally creates a block, creates a problem. It’s possible, but actually it’s not probable. The problem is that we don’t have customer-centric organizations, so all aligned for the customer. We have sales processes, which means it’s internally focused. As soon as we talk about sales, it’s all about us. When we talk about buying processes, it’s all about the customer.” (10:55 | Janice B. Gordon) “You’ve got to move your customers to be a partner… Your aim is to get larger revenues, have partnership relationships with your key customers, so that you have a much bigger share of the purse going forward. That’s your aim.” (23:39 | Janice B. Gordon) “You want to work in partnership with a few niches so that you’re spreading your risk, and you want to understand how that’s going to happen. But you’re not going to do that if you have a poor product. So, that’s why you do need to understand your own product base, first of all, your own products and services, and where you have the competitive advantage and leading edge in order to appeal to the key customers. (24:08 | Janice B. Gordon) “One thing that may not surprise you, but certainly surprises a lot of people, is that active listening is 375% more important to sales success than any other trait. Active listening is key. There are many other factors—21 sales-specific competencies that make a difference—but this one stands out. When someone is really good at active listening, they ensure the person in front of them knows they are the most important, and that understanding makes all the difference.” (31:49 | Janice B. Gordon)    Links Connect with Janice B. Gordon: Website: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/ Website: https://janicebgordon.com/   Connect with Alex Raymond: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/ Website: https://amplifyam.com/ Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm