Developing a Sales Strategy In an International Company, Designed for a Key Account Customer Acting On a Global Level

This document deals with the development of a sales strategy for a key account customer conducting business across domestic boundaries. The idea of key account management and the geographic distinction of it as well as the process of strategic management in this context are discussed. The focus lays on the adaptation of the strategic management process to the particularities of international key account management. In the course of this paper it is illustrated how key account management, with the key account customer as the core element, affects the strategic management process by using it with focus on a single customer instead for a whole industry. For the purpose of taking key account management on an international level, different levels of internationalisation are described and applied to the concept of key account management. As a result of this description the expanded concept of key account management to a global level global account management is presented. After describing the essentials of strategy, key account management and strategic management, these elements are merged and the different underlying analytical concepts are presented. The main analytical concept is based on Michael E. Porter's 'competitive strategy' and the five competitive forces. Following the description and the merging of the models, the theoretical framework is applied to the practical case of the 'TMobile International' account at Siemens Mobile Networks. The practical case includes the analysis of the business relationship and leads to a final strategy. Keywords: Global account management Key account management Strategic management Strategy development Geographical distinction Diplomarbeit aus dem Jahr 2006 im Fachbereich Informationswiss., Informationsmanagement, Note: 1,7, Fachhochschule Köln, 124 Quellen im Literaturverzeichnis, Sprache: Englisch.