Customer and partner relationships are key to success in most any business venture. Marketing professionals endeavor to engage customers and partners, build genuine relationships and ensure these relationships are durable and enduring. Managing client relationships is an essential aspect of this. As such, developing client relationship management skills is an important component of student learning in quality degree programs for marketers such as the online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing program from Florida Institute of Technology.
What Is a Client Relationship Manager?
A client relationship manager, or client relations manager, is a professional who manages the process of developing and maintaining effective business relations with clients. Common duties for this position may include: monitoring accounts; organizing and conducting internal training; creating and maintaining relationships with client partners at various levels; developing sales plans; managing budgets; preparing sales literature and articles describing products; and maintaining the confidentiality of business information.
Marketing professionals who understand and develop the knowledge to excel in this role can pursue unique, advanced careers such as client relations manager or director of client services. For those interested in this career path, the following is a discussion of the role of a client relationship manager, the essential skills and qualities of client relationships managers, and recommended education and training.
What Does a Client Relationship Manager Do?
A client relationship manager is a business professional who develops and manages client relationships. These professionals oversee the customer relationship management (CRM) process. This includes identifying customer needs and expectations, developing and implementing strategies to meet those needs, integrating appropriate CRM technologies and ensuring that clients remain satisfied with their experience. The goal of the CRM process is to manage interactions and data through the customer lifecycle, thereby fostering and improving relationships, increasing sales and improving retention.
Client relationship managers work closely with marketing managers to develop campaigns that help meet customer needs. They might also work alongside sales managers to improve the customer experience by providing feedback on how well campaigns work. In general, their day-to-day duties can include:
- Maintaining client communications: This involves communicating with clients over email, phone and social media to ensure that they are satisfied, resolving any issues quickly.
- Monitoring performance metrics: Client relationship managers should be able to analyze data and make recommendations based on it. They may also have access to tools that allow them to track trends in sales and customer satisfaction.
- Planning events and activities: Client relationship managers may host events for clients, such as seminars or workshops, to serve as a relationship-building activity and maintain contact between meetings.
Client Relationship Manager Vs. Marketing Manager
A client relationship manager is not the same role as a marketing manager, although some of their duties might overlap. The marketing manager’s job is to ensure that the company has a strong marketing strategy and that all employees work together to deliver on that strategy. They focus on the customer’s knowledge about a product or service and how to deliver it effectively.
The client relationship manager focuses on maintaining relationships with existing clients and building relationships with new ones. The client relationship manager must know what each client wants from their connection with the company and ensure customer satisfaction with the products or services they receive. Client relationship managers must also understand the client’s communication style and the frequency of communication.
In other words, client relationship managers focus on keeping clients engaged and satisfied, which means creating strategies so customers get the most value out of their products and services. Marketing managers focus on getting new clients by creating effective marketing campaigns.
Client Relationship Manager Earning Potential
Client relationship managers provide support, answer questions and resolve issues with customers, helping to maintain their business and drive ongoing sales. These professionals may also be responsible for ensuring that the company’s products or services meet customer expectations. Client relationship managers are integral to continuity in customer engagement. As a result, these professionals help businesses maintain not only growth but also loyalty and stability through challenging times.
Given this, client relationship managers may receive substantial compensation, especially in leadership roles. The salary range for the role may depend on several factors such as company size, location and the professional’s education and tenure. In addition, companies may offer bonuses or other incentives based on performance.
According to data from ZipRecruiter, as of August 2024, the average annual salary for a basic client relationship manager role is $57,383. With education and experience, professionals can ascend the ranks in this career and increase their earning potential. ZipRecruiter reports that senior client relationship managers earn an average of $102,833 per year, with vice presidents of client services averaging $156,970 annually.
Skills and Qualities in Client Services
Client relationship managers find themselves in a unique position: They’re responsible for building relationships with clients and keeping track of their performance and growth. As a result, the most successful client relationship managers have a good mix of soft and hard skills. They can handle the day-to-day tasks that come with managing clients, so time management is a must — along with understanding how to track sales and goals management. In practice, that means they need some level of proficiency in:
- Flexibility: Client relationship managers need to be flexible and adaptable, especially when unexpected changes in their schedule arise.
- Account management: Client relationship managers should have excellent communication skills to build and maintain relationships with new and existing partners.
- Problem-solving: Client relationship managers should also be able to find solutions to problems quickly and effectively, not wasting the client’s time.
- Conflict resolution: Client relationship managers will likely run into situations where they need to be a mediator between two individuals or groups. It is imperative to handle this situation professionally, without causing further problems for themselves or others involved.
- Written communication skills: Client relationship managers regularly communicate with clients via email and other written channels, so writing clearly, concisely and professionally is a must.
Further technical and industry-specific skills that can boost a client relationship manager’s career include:
- Portfolio management
- Investment management
- Contract negotiation
- Financial analysis
- Email marketing
While this is not a comprehensive list of skills, it’s clear that having a broad skill set can improve a client relationship manager’s expertise and marketability.
Education and Training for a Career in Client Relationship Management
Client relationship management serves an important role. When job performance is effective, it sets the foundation for all other marketing strategies and initiatives to succeed. Organizations employ client relationship managers with the expectation that they will help meet client expectations in the following ways:
- Provide insight into the development of new products and services
- Find new ways to market existing products
- Work to understand what clients want
- Identify new and more efficient ways to deliver products to their clients
The education requirements to become a client relationship manager can vary depending on the employer, the professional’s related experience and skills — and other factors. Holding a bachelor’s degree in business or a related field will generally be sufficient for entry-level roles and may be adequate for more mid-level positions when coupled with substantial experience. However, completing a master’s degree in a related field or earning certification can help position professionals for top-level roles in client relationship management.
Specialized master’s degrees like Florida Tech’s online MBA in Marketing program teach students how to develop and implement marketing strategies in ways that intersect with the role of a client relations manager. The curriculum aims to provide students with the skills to:
- Apply marketing theory to real-world situations
- Understand how different cultures view marketing and advertising
- Learn how to develop a plan for reaching your target audience
- Determine which type of advertising works best for your business
In addition, students in Florida Tech’s MBA program develop extensive knowledge and skills surrounding foundational areas of business such as managerial economics, financial management and leadership. Both marketing and generalized business management skills allow students to build on their existing marketing knowledge, apply it to the client relationship management process, and learn the operation of different types of businesses and business needs from the client’s perspective.
Learn more about Florida Tech’s online MBA in Marketing program.
