A Complete 30 60 90 Day Plan for Key Account Managers
Are you about to start a new job as a key account manager or thinking about it? Your first three months as a new account manager are the most challenging and have the most at stake. First impressions stick, and everything you do is being viewed through a microscope. People will judge you, and opinions, right or wrong, are being formed about your effectiveness from day one.
A 30 60 90 day plan is essential to help you transition from your old job to your new one. It will ensure you focus on the right priorities, track your progress, measure results, and keep you standing on your own two feet as soon as possible. The point is to build credibility quickly and to earn the confidence of your clients, colleagues, and boss.
Month 1: Meet, Learn, and Understand
In the first 30 days, your goal is to meet, learn, and understand. You want to become as independent as possible and prioritize stability for your clients and internal teams. Meet critical stakeholders, learn as much as you can, and understand the priorities of your organization and your new clients.
When it comes to meeting, get those stakeholder relationships underway really quickly. Schedule early introductory meetings with internal stakeholders, external stakeholders, vertical stakeholders, lateral stakeholders, basically everybody. You'll want to understand requirements and create a set of questions that you'd like to know the answer to and ask those same set of questions to everybody.
Now customize these questions, depending on who you're talking to. For example, sales might have more competitor insights than operations might. All you need to do is listen and reflect on what you've learned. Think about who has influence, which relationships you need to nurture, and which alliances you may need to build a little bit later.
Month 2: Strategy and Planning
By now, the training wheels are off, and you should have enough information to assess customer risks, identify opportunities, and create some strategies to address them. It's time to get started on strategy and planning. Invest the time in client research, not just their history with you, but their industry, their customers, their suppliers, their competitors, internal capabilities, vision, values, mission, whatever you can find. Educate yourself and become an expert at that point where your industry and your clients' industries intersect.
Be crystal clear on why your clients use your solution and why they came to you in the first place and why they should stick around. Review your core processes, and if you don't have them already, develop some process maps to understand workflows. You have to spend a lot of time on it, but the point of all this is to identify any gaps, remove risks, and bring stability to your clients and to your internal teams.
Month 3: Deliver Results and Build Momentum
In the final 30 days of the plan, you need to deliver results and build momentum that's going to sustain you long into the future. Seek those opportunities for early wins that make a meaningful impact, encourage important behaviors, and that are clearly linked to actions that you've been taking. You want to make sure there's no doubt in anyone's mind you did this.
At the end of your first 90 days, you want to present a list of accomplishments to your boss to demonstrate you have initiative, that you're aligned with the organizational goals, and that you're results-driven. Showcase the results that you're proudest of or develop alliances. By now, you should know who's who in the zoo, and you should have a point of view on who has the power and the influence.
Common Mistakes
Some common mistakes to avoid include doing what you've always done, having unrealistic expectations, knowing the answer before understanding the question, and not putting people first. It's essential to learn the technical aspects of your new role, but make sure that your priority is understanding people, politics, and culture because that is where things can come undone really quickly.
Tools for the Job
For your 30 60 90 day success plan, consider a cloud-based project management tool or an excel document. Asana is an app that helps you build project plans, coordinate tasks, and hit deadlines. You can set strategic goals, track progress, connect your calendar, and report on progress within a beautiful and flexible workspace.
Excel is a great choice for less complex 30-60 90-day plans. The design elements are really flexible, and you have complete control over the look and feel. It's also easy to use, which means you'll be more likely to use it, and half the battle of a 90-day plan is keeping it up to date.
Highlights
- A 30 60 90 day plan is essential to help you transition from your old job to your new one.
- In the first 30 days, your goal is to meet, learn, and understand.
- By month 2, it's time to get started on strategy and planning.
- In the final 30 days, you need to deliver results and build momentum that's going to sustain you long into the future.
- Common mistakes to avoid include doing what you've always done, having unrealistic expectations, knowing the answer before understanding the question, and not putting people first.
- Consider using a cloud-based project management tool or an excel document for your 30 60 90 day success plan.
FAQ
Q: What is a 30 60 90 day plan?
A: A 30 60 90 day plan is a detailed list of all the activities you need to get sold into a new role, and you're going to group those into 30-day periods.
Q: Why is a 30 60 90 day plan essential?
A: A 30 60 90 day plan is essential to help you transition from your old job to your new one. It will ensure you focus on the right priorities, track your progress, measure results, and keep you standing on your own two feet as soon as possible.
Q: What are some common mistakes to avoid when creating a 30 60 90 day plan?
A: Some common mistakes to avoid include doing what you've always done, having unrealistic expectations, knowing the answer before understanding the question, and not putting people first.
Q: What tools can I use to create a 30 60 90 day plan?
A: Consider using a cloud-based project management tool or an excel document for your 30 60 90 day success plan.
