Hire account managers
An account manager keeps the customers you already won and grows what they buy. When a good one leaves, renewals slip and clients start taking calls from competitors. Optihire Staffing recruits account managers for growing businesses across the United States, and we screen for retention results and the judgment to handle an unhappy client.
Contingency Recruitment
You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.
What an account manager does
Account managers own a book of existing customers. They run check-ins and business reviews, handle renewals, spot chances to sell more and solve problems before they turn into cancellations. They act as the customer's main contact and work with sales, operations and support inside your business.
Some roles lean toward sales, with targets for upsell and expansion. Others lean toward service and are measured on retention and satisfaction. Be clear about the mix before you hire, because the best candidate for one can struggle in the other.
What to screen for
The skills, credentials and habits worth checking before you make an offer.
Book size and type
Ask how many accounts they managed, how large they were and what they bought. Looking after a few large clients is different work from looking after many small ones.
Retention and growth
Ask about renewal results and revenue added from existing customers, and how those were measured. Push for specifics.
A client on the way out
Ask about a client who was ready to leave. What did they do, and did the client stay?
Working across teams
Account managers depend on other departments to deliver. Ask how they got a problem fixed when the fix sat with another team.
Commercial comfort
If the role carries an upsell target, ask how they raised price increases or new products with long-standing clients.
How we recruit account managers
Tell us about your customers, the size of the book, how the role is measured and the full pay plan. We source account managers who have handled similar books and question their results on the phone screen. Your shortlist comes with notes on the accounts each person managed and why they fit your client base.
If you are replacing an account manager who hasn't left yet, we can run the search discreetly. Read how contingency recruitment works to see how the fee is set up, and our comparison of recruitment agency vs in-house hiring to decide which fits. See all our sales and business development roles and our recruitment services.
Interview questions to ask
Open questions that make candidates describe real work. Follow up on anything vague.
Describe the book of accounts you manage now. How many, how large and in which industries?
Tell me about a client who was close to leaving. What did you do?
How have you grown revenue from an existing account?
How do you prepare for a renewal conversation?
Tell me about a time you had to get another team to fix a client's problem.
Hiring account managers?
Send us the role, the shift and the pay range. You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.