What Does an Account Manager Do in the Food Industry? 8 Facts

An account manager in the food industry looks after the relationship between a company and its customers (called “accounts”). They make sure each customer gets what they need, whether that’s a new product, a pricing update, or help solving a problem.

For a food manufacturer like Dr. Oetker, accounts might include supermarket chains like Loblaw and Metro. For an ingredient distributor like Dempsey Corporation, accounts are the food manufacturers that use their ingredients in their products.

Even with dozens of accounts, each one needs a personal touch, and the professionals who build those relationships are account managers. This career profile answers two questions, what is an account manager and what does an account manager do, with insights from Felicia Sia of Dempsey Corporation (a That’s a Food Job! guest).

So let’s get into it!

1. An Account Manager is a link between a food company and its customers 

An account manager looks after the day-to-day relationship between their company and its customers, from the first conversation through every repeat order. Some focus on a small group of key accounts (the most important accounts), while others manage dozens. They identify what both the business and the customer need, then decide how best to meet those needs.

Felicia Sia, an Account Manager at Dempsey Corporation, describes herself as the customer’s advocate inside the company. Her customer service team handles routine orders (like ongoing orders), but she is the first person customers call to review pricing, look for new ingredients, or get documentation. Account managers also seek out new clients through cold calling and face-to-face meetings, and they lead strategic projects, such as developing a new innovative product, to win and keep that business.

2. Account Managers have diverse educational backgrounds

It is common for account managers to have a university degree or college diploma in Business Administration. In the food industry other common degrees include Marketing, Food Science and even physical science degrees like Chemistry and Biology.

Due to the strong competition for jobs in these fields, a master’s degree could allow for account managers to stand out among other candidates. There are no current schools that offer specific degrees in food account management in Canada or the United States. If students are looking to further their education through a master’s degree, a post graduate degree in Business Administration is suggested.

3. Account Managers listen first to understand the client

Having strong relationships with clients is the heart of an account manager’s job. Account managers truly listen to clients because they want to understand their client’s needs. Account managers collaborate closely with customers, plan regular touch points, and always look at things from the customer’s perspective, which takes exceptional customer service skills.

Felicia, says her most valuable skill isn’t negotiation, it’s listening and observing. “Everybody wants to be heard,” she explains, and sometimes a customer simply needs to vent! If a client mentions they’re swamped with a sodium reduction project, an account manager who is truly listening can set aside the product list they planned to pitch and help solve that exact problem.

4. Account Managers think ahead

Account managers are always looking for new business opportunities to help meet customer revenue and profit targets. They stay on top of news, market trends, and the emerging strategic goals of each customer, gathering information from industry news, conferences and food shows, reports, and market research. The real skill is sorting through all of that information and seeing where it fits in the big picture. In other words, account managers think two steps ahead.

5. Account Managers negotiate

Account managers are skilled negotiators who match their company’s objectives with their clients’ needs. The goal is a deal where the client is happy and the business succeeds. Depending on the customer, they may negotiate with purchasing teams and buyers on pricing and volume (and, for retail accounts, on new items and promotions), always aiming for a deal that works for both sides.

6. Account Managers monitor customer performance

Account management is about building long-term partnerships that benefit both sides. To know whether a partnership is working, account managers monitor a client’s performance in both the short and long term.

One metric they might track is sales growth, which shows how much a company’s sales volume has increased over a period, typically year over year. Following it helps an account manager see whether a client is growing steadily in the long run, not just having one good quarter.

By watching metrics like this, account managers can judge how well a relationship is going, how much revenue it brings in, and how well they are performing in their own role.

7. Account Managers conduct presentations

One of the most challenging parts of being an account manager is building relationships with potential clients. Presentations are one technique they use to show prospects why they should buy. These presentations share information such as new products, project updates, and customer reviews, often turning technical details into something a client can easily act on. Because of this, effective account managers need to be comfortable presenting in front of others. If that makes you nervous, our post on overcoming the fear of public speaking is a great place to start!

8. Account Managers are good listeners, creative and self-starters

Being an account manager requires a wide range of skills. However, there are a few which are more essential than others. Important account manager skills include:

• Listening – Being able to listen is the key to all effective communication. Account managers listen to the concerns of their clients and ask a lot of questions. Active listening involves reading individuals’ body language, maintaining eye contact and mirroring a speaker’s language to show interest.

• Self-Starter – Effective account managers are self-starters and are motivated to start new tasks without the help of others. Account managers demonstrate this by developing good productivity habits, using the right tools and setting structured goals. Overall, account managers know what the client needs without upper management instructing them to do so.

• Creative – Creativity is an important skill for any account manager who would like to stand out from the crowd. Each client is unique, meaning that the same campaign cannot be used for different clients.