In our organization’s work, we see much confusion and lack of clarity on executive sponsorship,  even when it is in place. Clarifying the executive sponsor role, behaviors (internally and externally)  and expectations is critical to leverage the role as an accelerator and create executive accountability within the account team.

2. Clearly defining the executive sponsor role

Recently, a client, who is a corporate executive, mentioned to me that he could sponsor eight to 10 accounts. We had worked with him throughout his company’s SAM journey and transformation. He said, “I already do it, so it should still be fine.” A flag went up immediately. It was clear that we needed to further define the executive sponsorship role and elaborate on its responsibilities. We also needed to make sure senior leaders are aware of these responsibilities to optimize their speed and impact.
A colleague from the SAMA Board of Directors, Noel Capon, recently wrote an article in Harvard Business Review, “When CEOs Make Sales Calls,”¹ in which he describes the impact of top management’s involvement in the customer relationship. He draws a parallel between executives and seagulls: “They fly in, make much noise, leave a mess and fly off.” Such behaviors can damage the customer relationship, the account’s share of wallet and the work’s success.
A good executive sponsor will not only open doors and initiate interactions but also will forge strong, trust-based relationships and will positively impact customers’ strategic objectives and growth. To be successful, the executive spon- sor needs to be matched with the appropriate account, understand his or her role and be open to feedback from the SAM on the role he or she should play. Executive sponsors need to leave their corporate behaviors behind and pivot to customer-facing behaviors.

A strategic account executive sponsor should:

The executive sponsor should be familiar with the account and help expand the customer mapping, engagement and relationship. Their account interactions should be based on the account needs and plans, aligned with the SAM /orchestrator of the account in order to be additive when in front of the customer and bring value to the engagement and plans.

3. Adapting corporate behaviors when working in the account

Figure 2 shows the behaviors we need to consider when we take on the executive sponsor role.

4. Matching the executive sponsor with the right account

The following are a few good practices to consider in matching the right executive sponsor to the right strategic account to drive revenue growth, provide agility, increase awareness for the strategic accounts and deepen the relationship.

1. You need to ensure that you have the sponsor’s time commitment. This needs to be a priority. We estimate a minimum of 10 to 12 hours per year. Obviously, this estimate can vary greatly depending on the scale, business, project and complexity of the strategic account. In addition, a monthly touchpoint with the SAM is important to coach them, stay abreast of the account and prepare for customer meetings.

2. The SAM needs to be part of the executive sponsor selection and be comfortable with the selected sponsor.

I suggest expanding your search beyond title and role, beyond commercial leaders. Procurement leaders, chief financial officers and other senior leaders can be great sponsors if the fit is right. We need to consider the person’s willingness and personality fit with the customer account. Variables such as culture, background, interests and hobbies can all be used to connect the best sponsor with the account.

We are fully aware that we often do not have all this information before matching. The point is that we need to leverage available information and go beyond conventional approaches based on roles and titles. The more you know about your strategic accounts, the better you can align your executive sponsor.

About the Author

Dominique Côté brings  30 years of experience leading commercial teams in global pharmaceutical and biotech organizations.  Her consultancy work is focused on Commercial Excellence, Executive coaching &  leadership, KAM/SAM roadmaps & journeys, as well as Account based Marketing.

She is an accomplished international business leader, recognized as a chief architect of global account program journeys, leading corporate changes and cultural shifts for customer-centric innovation and patient value.

Dominique is  a panelist and keynote speaker in Europe and the U.S. in the areas of commercial  Excellence and Customer centricity. She writes and is published in journals like Journal of Sales Transformation, Velocity, and others on these topics.

The business world is currently a fascinating incubator of innovation where being agile, adapting and pivoting is vital to take the uncomfortable but exciting place of reinventing ourselves.

Business transformations are not just projects; they are  organic to any growth and survival in most industries.Would the most efficient way of changing  and transforming your organisation be to use the voice of your customer? Our practitioner background and  consultancy experience have taught us that, yes. With the VUCA world we live in, where the disruption is accelerated by the venue of the COVID 19, listening to your customers is critical to any organisation’s success.

Having clarity and leveraging the voice of your customers is the most efficient way to transform your organisation.  When we partner with you, the voice of your customers is our starting point. Our client’s work and research at Rave learn and Cosawi have taught us that customers want to keep in touch, are open to connecting, ready to partner and look for solutions if you provide added value aligned with their needs. This is true, especially in the current disruption.

In disruptive time, we need to go back to the drawing board and validate our thinking, plans and objectives to avoid any assumptions. It is time to reimagine and not take anything for granted. We need to be agile to transform our companies, which starts with agile leadership. We have never required more agile leaders than we do now. But where do you start?

It is time to become more human than ever: How we express leadership, listen to our employees & customers, and how we do business need to be anchored in humanity & care.

Agile Leadership

The above chart shows the characteristics of agile leadership. Good agile leaders are the ones that will combine clear vision, resiliency, character & empathy.

About the Author

Dominique Côté brings  30 years of experience leading commercial teams in global pharmaceutical and biotech organizations.  Her consultancy work is focused on Commercial Excellence, Executive coaching &  leadership, KAM/SAM roadmaps & journeys, as well as Account based Marketing.

She is an accomplished international business leader, recognized as a chief architect of global account program journeys, leading corporate changes and cultural shifts for customer-centric innovation and patient value.

Dominique is  a panelist and keynote speaker in Europe and the U.S. in the areas of commercial  Excellence and Customer centricity. She writes and is published in journals like Journal of Sales Transformation, Velocity, and others on these topics.