12 steps to key account management portfolio analysis: Part one

Portfolio analysis is simply a means of assessing a number of different key accounts, first according to the potential of each in terms achieving the organisations objectives and, second, according to the organisations capability for taking advantage of the opportunities identified. An adapted version of the directional policy matrix (DPM), portfolio analysis offers a detailed framework which can be used to classify possible competitive environments and their respective strategy requirements. It uses several indicators in measuring the dimensions of account attractiveness on one hand and company capabilities (relative to competitors) on the other. These indicators can be altered by management to suit the operating conditions of particular industrial sectors. The outcome of using portfolio analysis is the diagnosis of an organisations situation and strategy options relative to its position with respect to these two composite dimensions. The purpose of the following guidelines is to obtain the maximum value out of this methodology. Preparation Prior to commencing portfolio analysis, the following preparation is advised: 1. Data/information profiles should be available for all key accounts to be scored. 2. Define the time period being scored. A period of three years is recommended. 3. Ensure sufficient data is available to score the factors. (Where no data are available, this is not a problem as long as a sensible approximation can be made for the factors). 4. Ensure up-to-date sales forecasts are available for all products/services plus any new products/services. Analysis team In order to improve the quality of scoring, it is recommended that a group of people from a number of different functions take part, as this encourages the challenging of traditional views through discussion. Step 1: List the population of key accounts which you intend to include in the key account management matrix The list can include key accounts with which you have no business yet or accounts which are currently small or entrepreneurial, but which have the potential to become big. To do this, it is suggested that a preliminary categorisation be done according to size or potential size. Thus, if there were, say, 100 key accounts, the preliminary categorisation might resemble the figure below.

It is important not to use the methodology which follows on all 100 accounts at once, as the criteria for each group may need to be different. The following methodology should, in the example shown, be carried out as three separate exercises: A, B and C.

Figure one - example of preliminary categorisation

Step 2: Define key account attractiveness Attractiveness definition: this is a combination of a number of factors which can usually be summarised under three headings: growth rate, accessible volume or value and profit potential. Each of these headings will possess a degree of importance to the organisation which should be calculated as follows:

1. Growth the average annual growth rate of revenue spent on the relevant goods or services by that key account (the percentage growth 2007 over 2006 plus the percentage growth 2008 over 2007 plus the percentage growth 2009 over 2008 divided by three). If preferred, the compound growth rate could be used. 2. Accessible volume or value an attractive key account is not only large it can also be accessed. One way of calculating this is to estimate the total spend of the key account in t + 3

(year three) less revenue impossible to access, regardless of investment made. Alternatively, the total spend can be used, which is the most frequent method as it does not involve any managerial judgement to be made which could distort the truth. The former method is the preferred method. Definition: Accessible volume or value is the total spend of the key account in t + 3 less revenue impossible to access, regardless of investment made. 3. Profit potential this is much more difficult to deal with and will vary considerably according to industry. One way of assessing the profit potential is to make an estimate of the margins available to any competitor. Definition: Profit potential is the margins available to any competitor.

Naturally, growth, size and profit will not encapsulate the requirements of all organisations. It is then possible to add another heading, such as 'soft factors', risk, or other to the aforementioned three factors (growth rate, accessible volume or value and profit potential). The following are the factors most frequently used to determine account attractiveness.

Regular flow of work stability. Strategy match. Prompt payment Customer who see value in a broad product offering. Opportunity for cross-selling. East of doing business. Status/reference value. Hub of network/Focal company in a network. Important to a sister company. Requirement for global coverage. Time is of the essence. Requirement for a single point of total responsibility. Requirement for strategic alliances. Requirement to manage complex issues (for example, industrial relations and multiworkforces). Abdication (customer hands over total responsibility). Customer needs financial guarantees. Client looking to work with a listed company. Requirement to innovate on repetitive type work. Blue-chip customer capable of meeting your financial security requirements (top 100 company). Attractiveness considerations: try to keep the total list of factors to five or less, otherwise the calculations become cumbersome and trivial.

In addition, once agreed, under no circumstances should key account attractiveness factors be changed, otherwise the attractiveness of your key accounts is not being evaluated against common criteria and the matrix becomes meaningless. However, the scores will be specific to each key account. It is also important to list the key accounts that you intend to apply the criteria to before deciding on the criteria themselves, since the purpose of the vertical axis is to discriminate between more and less attractive key accounts. The criteria themselves must be specific to the population of key accounts and must not be changed for different key accounts in the same population. Step 3: Allocate weights to each of the attractiveness criteria, as shown in the example below. Example: Factors Weight 30 15 40 15

Growth rate Accessible volume or value Profit potential Soft factors

NB. The weightings need to be considered very carefully, as in some cases, volume may be more important than profit potential. Step 4: Define the parameters for size, growth, profit potential and 'soft factors' This will obviously depend on the company doing this exercise, but the example below shows how this can be done. Example:

K.A attractiveness factors 10-7 6-4 3-0 X weight

Volume/value Growth/pontential % Profit pontential %

>10m >20% >25%

1-10m 5-20% 10%-25%

<1m <5% <10%

15 30 40

'soft' factors

good

medium

poor

15 100

Step 5: Score each key account Score each key account on a scale of one to ten against the attractiveness factors and multiply the score by the weight. This will place each key account in the key account attractiveness axis from low to high. Step 6: Define business strength/position This is a measure of an organisations actual strengths in each key account and it will differ according to each key account. These critical success factors will usually be a combination of an organisations relative strengths versus competitors in connection with customer-facing needs, that is to say those things which are required by the customer. They can often be summarised as:

Product requirements, Price requirements, Service requirements, Promotion requirements. Allocate one of these labels to each key account in your matrix. The labeled list of accounts can include key accounts with which you have no business yet. Step 7: Score critical success factors Score the organisations actual strengths in each key account. An easy way to do this is to decide the actual stage of the relationship. 1. Exploratory (you do not currently do business with this account). 2. Basic (you have some transactional business with this account). 3. Cooperative (you have regular business with this account and may well be a preferred supplier, but you are only one of many suppliers and pricing is still important). 4. Interdependent (you have multifunctional, multilevel relationships, but the customer could still exit if necessary). 5. Integrated (you have multifunctional, multilevel relationships, your systems are interlinked and exit for both parties would be difficult). Step 8: Produce the portfolio analysis

The portfolio analysis should produce a matrix which resembles Figure one below. There are likely to be key accounts in all ten boxes. It is advisable to list the names of the accounts, one per line, in order of their position on the vertical and horizontal axes. Enter two figures next to each account name on each line.

your current sales and the total available sales over three years (to any competitor).

Figure one - portfolio analysis matrix

Figure two - the key account portfolio

Figure three Figure two is a completed key account portfolio and figure three is a real example from an insurance company, with the figures disguised to protect anonymity.

Step 9: produce a forecast matrix (optional) The analysis should position the key accounts on the horizontal axis where they are projected to be three years from now, assuming no change to your current policies. The key accounts can only move horizontally, either to the left or to the right, because you have already taken account of potential future growth on the vertical axis. Now enter a new figure for your forecast sales for each account, assuming no change in your current polices. The first time you complete this analysis, it is unlikely that the forecast position will be satisfactory. Step 10: Produce a matrix showing the objectives position This analysis should position each key account on the horizontal axis showing the objectives position in three years time of each one. Accounts can either stay in their current box, move to the right or move to the left. Enter a new figure for your objectives sales against each key account. Step 11: Outline the objectives and strategies for each key account for the next three years. Finally, a strategic plan for each key account should be produced. It should outline the objectives and strategies for each one. The table below sets out more specific guidelines for setting objectives for each of the key accounts in each of the four boxes. It will be observed that each box has a "label. These labels can be changed but should NOT be changed to derogatory names such as Gold, Silver, bronze, A, B, C, D, etc !.

Category

Description

Strategic Customers

Very important customers, but the relationship has developed still further, to the level of partnership. The relationship is win-win, both sides have recognised the benefits they gain from working together. Customers buy not on price but on the added value derived from

being in partnership with the supplier. The range of contacts is very broad and joint plans for the future are in place. Products and services are developed side-by-side with the customer. Because of their large size and the level of resource which they absorb, only a few customers fall into this category. Very important customers (in terms of value). Commit to security of supply and offer products and services which are tailored to the customers particular needs. Price is less important in the customers choice of supplier. Both parties have some goals in common.The two organisations have made some form of commitment to each other. Invest as necessary in these customers in order to continue the business relationship for mutual advantage, but do not over invest. Price is still a major factor in the decision to buy but security of supply is very important and so is service. Star Customers Spend more time with some of these customers and aim to develop a deeper relationship with them in time. These customers usually want a standard product, off the shelf. Price is the key factor in their decision to buy. The relationship is helpful and professional, but transactional. Do not invest large amounts of time in the business relationship at this stage.

Status Customers

Streamline Customers

Step 12: Check the financial outcomes from the strategies Cost out the actions which comprise the stated strategies in all boxes other than the bottom right hand box. There may be circumstances for those in which a strategic plan should be produced for some of them, but generally speaking, forecasts and budgets should be sufficient, as it is unlikely that the supplying company will ever trade on terms other than low prices. For an explanation, see the mini case below.

Mini case Figure two is repeated here. Please pay particular attention to large key account circle in the bottom right had box. The following is a true story about a global paper company for whom the authors were doing some KAM consultancy. A main board director was bemoaning the fact that one of the worlds biggest media companies hence a massive user of paper was putting its paper order out to tender and was determined to accept the two lowest price bids. It was then to drop all other suppliers. The authors quickly established that to lose such a big customer would be a blow to profitability, as all its mill fixed costs would remain the same, without this customer. So the author advised the paper company to bid the lowest rice in order to win the contract, then to withdraw all support other than that specified in the contract. In this case, clearly, sending a key account manager on regular visits and offering other services would have been a waste of resources, as it was clear that this particular customer didnt want a close relationship with any supplier and was obsessed with lowest price, so making it virtually impossible for any supplier to make much profit.

It is accounts such as these, usually in the bottom right had box, which are unattractive and driven by price alone that do not justify strategic key account plans. Such plans are only justified if the

supplying company believes there is a real opportunity to move them to a more favourable position in the portfolios. Analysis for Strategic Plans for Key Accounts We saw above the basis on which key accounts should be defined and selected. The purpose of this section is to provide a set of procedures for key account analysis prior to producing a strategic plan for each key account selected as being worthy of focused attention by the key account manager. An overview of the total process, which we have called the business partnership process, is given in Figure three.

Steps 1 to 3 should ideally be carried out by 'headquarters' personnel otherwise there is the danger of several key account managers all duplicating the same tasks. It should be clear by now that all segments in a market are not equally attractive to the supplying company. Hence, given scarce resources, a key account in a really attractive segment must be more important than a key account of similar potential in a less attractive segment. It is best, however, if the politics of this, along with defining and categorising key accounts, are left to other senior managers in the suppliers organisation. Suffice it to say that before preparing a plan for doing business with a key account, the following analysis needs to be carried out at Headquarters level:

Segmentation. Definition and categorisation of key accounts. Porters Industry Driving Forces (or some such similar process) so that Key Account Managers fully understand the vertical markets in question.

Figure four - business partnership process

Key account analysis pre-planning Before it is possible to plan for key accounts, a detailed analysis of each key account must be undertaken by each individual key account manager and their team, somewhat in the manner of conducting a marketing audit. At the individual key account level, this analysis should uncover, inter alias:

the customers objectives, strategies and financial constraints. their value chain and how the supplier can help. their buying processes. their criteria for choosing between competing suppliers. All this adds up to what we term Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for the customer. The four box matrix is designed to help the supplier to understand what they can do for their customer that will help them to reduce costs, avoid costs, or create value for them. A few of the resulting findings may help the supplier to create advantage for the customer, whereas most things a supplier does merely helps the customer to avoid disadvantage. However, it is those few things that a supplier can do that help a customer to create advantage that can lead to higher margins and an inside track. All this analysis should enable the key account manager to produce a winning strategic plan for each key account.

Summary Research at Cranfield has shown that those organisations which invest resources in detailed analysis of the needs and processes of their key accounts, select and categorise their key accounts correctly, which fare much better in building long-term profitable relationships. Armed with a detailed knowledge of their customers business, it is more likely that they can discover ways of helping the customer create advantage in their marketplace and build these findings into a strategic key account plan which will be signed off by both the supplying company and the customer.