Key Account Manager

Name: Flavia Dello Stritto
Age: 35
Degree: Master of Arts UZH in Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Business Administration)
Profession: Senior Key Account Manager
Employer: Lindt & Sprüngli (Schweiz) AG

Describe your job in one sentence.

As a Key Account Manager, I am the main contact person for a customer, negotiating new products, prices, promotions and annual conditions.

What are the three main tasks in your job?

Negotiating conditions, inspiring customers with new products, bringing innovations to the market in terms of products, promo mechanisms and POS appearances.

What do you think is the best / most exciting thing about this job?

It's interesting to work with people and to experience the emotional highs and lows of the business.

What is the biggest challenge in this job?

Sales pressure is certainly a challenge in this job. However, there are also the positive aspects of this pressure, for example the success when you have been able to work out good things together with the customer and thus grow together.

What does it take to enter this profession or to be successful in it?

You certainly need a good understanding of figures, processes and interrelationships. Good interpersonal skills and good judgement are also an advantage.

What opportunities for advancement/further development are there?

There are several opportunities for further development. You can either take on new customers, move to other departments, such as looking after your own retail shops, or progress to Sales Director. You could also aim for further development in marketing.

What do you wish you had known about this profession as a graduate?

As a graduate, you can't really imagine what kind of work awaits you. I would have liked to have spent a week getting a taste of the job in order to better recognise what a sales job entails.

What advice do you have for students who are interested in this job?

Be open to many types of jobs. There are positive and negative aspects to every job. Don't get stuck on one thing, but keep an open mind for different things. This job requires a lot of initiative and commitment. If you are prepared to put your heart and soul into sales and are enthusiastic about the company, you are definitely in the right place.

In terms of your career, is there anything you would do differently looking back? Why?

I wouldn't do anything differently. I was at Lindt as a trainee, then in Marketing and currently in Sales. All of these positions have given me a great deal of expertise and a good understanding of the interrelationships within the company. I was also able to gain an understanding of different departments and their challenges through my career steps. That's why I would do it all over again.

Is there anything else you would like to pass on to current students?

Always be open, flexible and spontaneous. If you give everything, develop your skills and show enthusiasm, no matter what you do, it will always work out!

As of March 2023