You thought you had the relationship. Your competitor had built the influence.
Despite the revenue generated, the history of the relationship, and your ambitions for the account, here’s why your key account chose your competitor:
- You knew your contact
Your competitor knew the organisation.
They had built connections at multiple levels: decision-makers, signatories, influencers, business teams.
- Your KAM knew your solutions
Your competitor’s KAM knew the customer’s business.
Their challenges. Their priorities. Their market. What was happening in the business.
They talked business before talking product.
- You responded to RFPs
Your competitor had been working the account long before the RFP.
Seminars. Co-creation. Regular conversations. Sharing value.
They were Top of Mind when the need emerged.
- You were present in a few entities
Your competitor had a global view of the group.
They had systematically built their network across the different business units.
- You produced a lot of technical information
Your competitor produced business content that management could understand.
They didn’t just say: “Here’s what our solution does.”
They said: “Here’s what this brings to your business.”
- You were working in silos
Your competitor had a dedicated account team.
Clear roles. One shared strategy. Real collaboration.
And the KAM was in the driving seat.
- Your KAM came back a few months before renewal
Your competitor’s KAM was active throughout the entire contract.
They built relationships. Identified opportunities. Anticipated risks.
- You mainly managed revenue and pipeline
Your competitor managed the account.
Regularly, their management challenged:
- the strategy
- the opportunities
- the risks
- the relationships
- the action plan.
The real difference?
You managed a contract.
Your competitor developed an account.
And by the time renewal came around, the decision may already have been made.
The question you should ask yourself:
If your main competitor wanted to take your biggest account tomorrow, would you have built enough value and influence to stop them?
