Career Profiles Account Coordinators
Firstly let me clear up a very common misconception, an account coordinator has NOTHING to do with accounting or accountants!
So what does an account coordinator do? Well I suppose the role will vary slightly from company to company, however essentially your role will be to work with the account manager or director to meet the day-to-day needs of your clients. This may include such things as regular reporting, presentations, sales meetings and tracking of inventory and sales. You will also need to work with other departments within your company such as marketing, product management, merchandisers and perhaps even customer service.
Working as an account coordinator is the perfect stepping stone for a career as an account manager, marketing manager or product manager. Of course this is just a handful of senior management roles you could eventually move into. Generally an account coordinator role is an entry level role for someone with a business background (degree or diploma). It may also suit someone who has worked in retail or customer service for a period of time. The main attributes necessary to succeed in this role are:
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.- Assertiveness, as clients will not always like what you have to say and will always try and get more then they are entitled to.- Confidence, you will be dealing with experience sales people it is important to exude confidence.- Adaptability and dynamism, this type of role is often fast-paced and exciting so it is important to be able to handle situations as they are thrown at you.
My experience as an account coordinator was working within a large clothing company. My clients included two large retailers who stocked our product. Our clients required regular reports on what stock we have available, any specials or promotions we may have available to them and also merchandising information. Visiting stores and helping put together suggested buys that fit the look and feel of the retailer were also prime responsibilities of the account coordinator and account manager. Although the account manager will generally be in the more senior position they will work very closely with the account coordinator.
Hopefully I have provided you with enough scope on what an account coordinator does and what is necessary to be an account coordinator. I certainly enjoyed my time as an account coordinator and would recommend it as a starting point to anyone interested in sales, marketing or product development.
