What is the difference between account manager and client partner?

Quick Answer

An account manager and a client partner serve similar roles in customer relationship management, but there are some key differences:

• Account managers focus on maintaining existing customer accounts, while client partners work to build relationships with new clients.
• Account managers have a more operations-focused role overseeing day-to-day account needs, while client partners take a more strategic approach to growing business.
• Account managers tend to have a book of existing accounts they manage, while client partners may develop new relationships across the organization.

While there is some overlap, the account manager role centers around account maintenance and upselling, while the client partner role aims to hunt for new business opportunities and expand relationships. Both play an important part in customer retention and growth.

Account Manager Role and Responsibilities

Account managers are responsible for overseeing and maintaining relationships with existing customers. Typical account manager duties include:

• Acting as a main point of contact for assigned accounts
• Understanding customer needs, challenges, and goals
• Addressing customer questions, concerns, and requests
• Renewing contracts and agreements with customers
• Identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities within accounts
• Proactively checking in with customers regularly
• Facilitating new product or service launches with account holders
• Traveling to client sites to meet face-to-face as needed
• Collecting customer feedback and sentiment
• Monitoring account health metrics like spend, growth, and engagement
• Collaborating with internal teams to align customer needs
• Organizing account reviews and quarterly business reviews

The core function of the account manager is maintaining strong relationships with customers, ensuring their needs are met, and finding ways to expand the business relationship over time through upselling. It is a tactical, execution-focused role centered on day-to-day account servicing.

Key Account Manager vs. Account Manager

Within account management there is also sometimes a distinction between key account managers and account managers:

• Key account managers handle an organization’s largest, most strategic customers.
• Account managers work with smaller accounts that are less of a revenue priority.

Key account managers may have fewer accounts to manage due to the size and complexity of the relationships. They focus on more high-level strategic goals vs. day-to-day maintenance.

Client Partner Role and Responsibilities

Client partners focus on a longer-term, more strategic role developing business relationships and generating new revenue. Typical client partner responsibilities include:

• Identifying and contacting new business prospects
• Connecting with key decision makers and building new relationships
• Working through long sales cycles to turn prospects into clients
• Crafting proposals and contracts for new clients
• Networking and attending industry events to connect with potential clients
• Partnering with Account Management to ensure smooth client onboarding
• Collaborating across the organization to match services to client needs
• Reporting on sales pipeline and forecasting
• Understanding client objectives and business/industry trends
• Traveling to client sites to present capabilities and offerings

While an account manager focuses on existing book of business, the client partner is growth-oriented. They concentrate on expanding relationships and bringing on net new business. This role may collaborate closely with sales, but has a longer-term focus on client goals vs. solely delivering sales revenue.

Strategic Account Manager vs. Client Partner

Like key account manager vs. account manager, there can also be differentiation between strategic account managers and client partners:

• Strategic account managers oversee and expand a book of high-potential accounts.
• Client partners hunt for and close new business from external accounts.

While there is overlap in the focus on growth and strategy, strategic account managers tend to hand off closed deals to account management while staying focused on expanding named accounts.

Comparing Account Manager vs. Client Partner Roles

While account managers and client partners have some shared duties, there are core differences that distinguish the two customer-facing roles:

While account managers and client partners collaborate to provide a complete client coverage model, their core objectives differ. Account managers focus on account health, retention, and maximizing existing spend. Client partners concentrate on new client acquisition and expanding wallet share.

Account Manager Skills and Qualifications

To succeed in an account manager role, certain skills and qualifications are beneficial:

• Communication skills – Ability to communicate clearly via phone, email, and in-person. Active listening is essential.
• Organizational skills – Ability to juggle multiple accounts and priorities. Strong time management is key.
• Interpersonal skills – Building relationships comes naturally and you can connect with different personality types.
• Problem-solving – Identify issues proactively and can develop solutions to improve account health.
• Collaboration – Work cross-functionally with sales, marketing, product, and support teams.
• Analytical skills – Able to analyze account data to uncover trends, risks, and upsell opportunities.
• Customer service skills – Patient, empathetic, and passionate about customer happiness.
• Industry knowledge – Understand customer business models and challenges.
• Sales abilities – Can identify expansion opportunities and close upsells.
• Tech savviness – Proficient with CRM and account management systems.

Deep customer empathy, project management abilities, business acumen, and consultative sales skills also help account managers be successful relationship managers.

Client Partner Skills and Qualifications

Like account managers, client partners need strong relationship abilities. Additional beneficial skills and qualifications include:

• Strategic thinking – Ability to build relationships centered around long-term business initiatives vs. short-term transactions.
• Business development skills – Experience identifying, initiating, and nurturing new business relationships over long sales cycles.
• Consultative selling approach – Uncover client business challenges and position customized solutions.
• Presentation and proposals – Can compelling present capabilities, offerings, and value proposition.
• Market and competitor insights – Understand industry trends, growth drivers, and competitor differentiation.
• Executive relationship building – Comfortable engaging C-level client contacts.
• Persistence – Tenacity to turn cold prospects into engaged clients. Resilience to handle rejection.
• Pipeline management – Discipline to consistently progress opportunities and forecast accurately.
• Cross-functional orchestration – Ability to coordinate pursuits across sales, delivery, marketing, and execs.

A strategic mindset, business development excellence, executive presence, and sales skills help client partners successfully land and expand accounts.

Account Manager vs Client Partner Career Paths

When comparing job opportunities, here are some common career paths and progressions for account managers and client partners:

Account Manager Career Path

• Associate Account Manager
• Account Manager
• Senior Account Manager
• Account Director
• Senior Account Director or Head of Account Management

Early account management roles focus on execution while leadership roles involve more strategy and team management. Specialization options include Technical Account Manager, Customer Success Manager, and Key/Strategic Account Manager.

Client Partner Career Path

• Business Development Representative
• Associate Client Partner
• Client Partner
• Senior Client Partner
• VP Sales or Head of Business Development

Early roles build sales skills while leadership focuses on people management and sales optimization. Other potential roles include Strategic Account Executive, Alliance Manager, and Channel Account Manager.

While account managers tend to climb the ranks within account management, client partners may progress into broader sales executive and leadership roles.

Making a Choice Between Account Management and Client Partnership

When deciding between pursuing an account manager or client partner career path, consider your skills, interests, and personality:

• If you enjoy working with existing customers, nurturing relationships, and solving day-to-day challenges, account management may be a great fit.
• If you are competitive, love the thrill of the hunt, and want to create growth through new business, client partner might be the better role for you.
• Account managers often thrive on organization and helping customers, while client partners feed off of closing deals and influencing executives.

Also reflect on the company culture and work environment you want day-to-day:

• Account managers typically work in a structured environment focused on account health metrics and customer satisfaction.
• Client partners may experience a faster-paced, number-driven culture focused on new sales and revenue generation.

There are great career advancement opportunities in both paths for relationship-focused professionals. Evaluate your skills and preferences to choose the role with the right blend of focus areas to match your strengths.

Conclusion

Account managers and client partners serve critical roles in customer relationship management. Account managers oversee day-to-day support and retention for existing accounts. Client partners focus outwardly on business development selling to land new customers.

Both roles require strategic thinking and relationship skills. However, account managers thrive on account management processes and customer satisfaction. Client partners feed off of the thrill of the hunt and closing new business.

While their core objectives differ, account managers and client partners work better together to provide complete client coverage. Companies need both strong inward account management and outward client acquisition to drive growth through customer relationships.