Q. As a Sr. Global Account Manager, what are your primary job responsibilities?

A. This position works with aftermarket customers. I am not on the prime product side, so I'm not selling new machines. I'm looking at everything after the machine has been sold. I am the face of Caterpillar to the customer. I deliver the voice of the customer back to the organization. Managed Accounts customers are some of Caterpillar’s largest, so having that communication loop is very important. I have a mix of office time, phone calls, online meetings, presentations and, of course, a lot of face-to-face and travel time.

Q. What are some of the strategic issues you work with customers on in their relationship with Caterpillar?

A. Identifying common goals and how we will reach them is key in this role. The goals set the foundation for mutually beneficial long-term relationships. I help customers create a vision for the years to come and use the goals to build a joint plan. Throughout the relationship, I help customers work toward those common goals.

Q. What are some examples of issues that are often part of customer planning and goals?

A. Managing their machine fleet is important. Condition monitoring is another key area of growing interest for customers, and this is typically an area where I can bring value to the customer. One key question is “How does the data you are providing me help me in my business?” There is a big focus today in connecting assets. A big part of my role is to ensure that we bring the necessary value to our customer to help them run their business in the most efficient way based on their own needs. To do so, I ensure that the experts at Caterpillar participate in the discussion. I am the ‘orchestra conductor’, and I need to ensure that I have the best players involved.

Q. Are there other high value business opportunities you commonly discuss with customers?

A. Part of my responsibilities include facilitating sales and making sure customers get the best value from Caterpillar. For example, one key area for us is Cat Rebuilds. A new Cat machine may be more expensive than competitive equipment, but one of our advantages is we can completely rebuild it. The customer will get twice the life out of their machine. So even if the original purchase price of a new machine seems high, if the cost is spread over two lifetimes, we have a pretty good competitive advantage.

For example, I have a customer that has a very straightforward approach on how to purchase their machines each year which is based on the price of the machine. They do not incorporate the fact that they can get two lives out of Cat equipment. In today’s world, where competition is fierce and price alone plays a huge role, I brought them the idea of rebuilds. I showed them how rebuilds can help them in the long-term management of their fleet and create a financial advantage. However, this is a long journey with multiple players in a big global organization. One of the key elements of my role is to ensure that I have the right players involved within the customer organization as well as within Caterpillar. Change management is never easy and changing the way a big global company has been working for years is a big and very interesting challenge.

Q. Do you find that customers are familiar with this idea of rebuilding an entire machine — as familiar as they might be with rebuilt components?

A. It depends. In some regions, my customers feel rebuilds are too expensive. They do not see the value rebuilding can bring to their business because their focus is on the initial cost. It’s up to me to help customers understand how rebuilds impact the total life of the machine and total cost of ownership. This information can help them see how rebuilds offer a cost advantage over purchasing a new machine.

My customers value my ability to listen to them and be able to work on a solution that would benefit them. Being outside of their organization with a global view of their business (which they don’t always have) is definitely seen as an advantage for them. It can also drive change within their own organization. As you can imagine, some people will embrace the change, and some people will feel threatened by it. My job is to ensure that all parties feel comfortable with what I am proposing.

Q. When does the dealer become involved in the process?

A. It depends on the conversation we have with the customer. When it's at a higher level in the customer organization or when we talk to global teams, we often do not include dealers because their role becomes vital at the country level.

When I work on specific processes with the customer that include multiple dealer service territories, I may need each dealer’s buy-in as well. I might ask them, “Do you have suggestions? How can we do this?” For instance, if a rebuild is the right investment for a customer, it's the dealer who will join the team and support the rebuild process.

Q. Given the complexity of working with global customers, if we asked them about the value your role brings to them, what do you think they would say?

A. First, I am a single point of contact for the customer and they like that. They don't have to contact multiple people at Caterpillar. I funnel all their requests and challenges.

Second, I am a direct line to the experts and information from Caterpillar. They often need a lot of help with the complex nature of our organization and their organization as well. There are many processes and structures in place to help them succeed and I can help simplify that for them.

Finally, I am a partner in accountability. One of my customers said to me: “Please push us in that direction because if you don't push us there, we're not going to do it. We're going to be taken over by day-to-day stuff and we're going to stay the way we are. We see it has a huge value, and it can save money for our company.”

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Q. How would you summarize your job responsibilities?

A. In general, I cover parts responsibilities and business opportunities for large contractor accounts in the U.S. and Canada. My job can vary quite a bit because it depends on the needs of the customer. It could include a wide range of things — technology, undercarriage or rebuild strategy. As an aftermarket position, it includes virtually anything but new machine sales.

Q. If I asked you to describe your typical day, what does that look like for you?

A. I think most field representatives will tell you that “typical days” are few and far between. Customer buying cycles are very different. A customer in peak buying mode has relatively immediate needs. It’s important to plan as much as possible. Planning may include working through strategy development for an offering and internal meetings with our colleagues to develop solutions. If I’m traveling to dealerships or customer locations, I’m usually collecting facts and data to support our strategies and ensuring that we are meeting the needs of customers. I leverage dealer insights for strategy or the overall state of the customer business. That information is also valuable when I am visiting the customer site. I use the combination of dealer and customer information to identify or customize solutions for customers.

Q. Based on your experience, what would you say are the top two or three most common customer challenges?

A. I think one of the most common customer challenges in this role would be developing new solutions to solve customer issues in today’s business environment. It could be some configuration of a jobsite they haven’t dealt with before. The opportunity may require a new level of product performance or a new offering altogether. But what’s most important is that we create a solution that helps a customer capitalize on their opportunity.

Another common situation may be a customer who needs increased capacity and/or capability. I can help them clarify their needs and match Caterpillar capabilities to help the customer reach the next level of production.

As a Corporate Accounts team, we truly shine when customers say, “We haven't done something like this before, here is what we need to accomplish. What do you have in your arsenal to help us?” We also do our best to support dealer sales teams with customer knowledge. Most commonly, dealers will reach out and say, “Hey, Shae. You know the direction this company is headed. Can you tell me about their current challenges or frame of mind as I build this offering? Where are their pain points? Will this solution fit within their organization?”

Time is typically our most common customer constraint; we have proven best practices that can be adapted to almost any situation. And if we haven’t solved that specific issue before, we work to create a solution.

Q. Is there an example of a project you can share where you helped a customer overcome a challenge with unique solutions?

A. We had one of our customers working within a tight turnaround of 18 months and requiring 300 machines running three shifts to meet their job requirements. Some of the solutions we provided them hadn't really been implemented before at the scale requested. This job had many moving pieces and little room for error. The accounts team subcontracted an onsite office in a shipping container to manage parts operations. We worked closely with the local dealer to staff parts personnel and technicians on site. We had two hose containers on site for overnight hose repair, reducing downtime for the next shift. Ultimately, we were able to combine a unique set of solutions which helped the customer be successful in spite of application and time constraints.

Q. Within the Caterpillar organization, whom do you most commonly interact with? Do you have a lot of cross communication?

A. We rely on many internal and dealer teams to ensure customer success. Our GCI (Global Construction & Infrastructure) Account Managers are our primary contacts because they set strategy for the accounts. We're attached at the hip day-to-day.

I'd also say product groups. We frequently reach out to them for technical knowledge. Getting parts from all over the world in an expedited fashion is a priority for all customers. We work with PSLD (Product Support Logistics Division), our logistics division, to ensure parts are at the right place at the right time. And maybe surprisingly, legal. We work with them a lot because the decisions we make in a single instance or solutions we develop often have worldwide impacts.

Q. How do you feel the Managed Accounts Organization provides the most value to your customers?

A. Reducing total cost of ownership of machines. This can be accomplished through product, process or innovation. As a Corporate Accounts team, GCI and CISD, we pride ourselves on the ability to provide a white glove service for customers, creating an integrated high value return on the customer investment. In short, we demonstrate that after purchase, it costs less to own a Cat machine. We have a strong history of creating innovative customer solutions and the capability of our dealer network cannot be matched.

Learn more from another Senior Account Manager interview.