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SAMA Conference in Review

By, Kimberly Smokey, HCMWorks Director of Value Creation

On April 27, 2010, I had the privilege of attending the Strategic Account Management Association (SAMA) Conference as a speaker, discussing how to re-define strategic relationships between the Strategic Account Managers and Supply Chain Management. SAMA is a knowledge-sharing organization devoted to developing, promoting and advancing the concept of customer supplier collaboration through communities of practice. SAMA is dedicated to the professional development of the individuals and companies involved in the process of managing strategic customer relationships and to enabling members to create greater customer value and achieve competitive advantage accordingly.

I was a panelist for two sessions, details listed below, with other Supply Chain senior leadership including: Craig Meadors, VP Enterprise Operations/Procurement – CNA Insurance, Sam Tucci, Director IT Sourcing Indirect Procurement – Cardinal Health, Marc Rosen, President & Chief Operating Officer – Corporate United and Nick Ward. The sessions began by providing the attendees with an overview of the industry changes occurring in Supply Chain Management, as the face of Strategic Sourcing changes from a pure commodities cost cutting outfit, to a more strategic internal and external partner. After which, the session provided an opportunity for the panelist to provide examples of the success of the evolving relationship between Supply Chain and the Suppliers. The attendees were given an opportunity to ask very candid questions of the panelist to identify better ways to interact with Supply Chain and deliver a message that exceeds expectations and contributes to establishing a strategic partnership.

SESSION OVERVIEW

The Relationship Challenge: the Strategic Account Manager’s Interactions With Supply Management
Procurement and supply chain organizations have assumed a more prominent part in the SAM/customer relationship. Armed with new tools, data and corporate muscle, they can’t be ignored. But it is an evolving function that changes as rapidly as any other part of the customer equation. Today’s successful SAM must learn how to read the supply management function: How is it structured, how much clout does it have, and how does it view your organization and its offerings? This session will provide the insights of a panel of key supply chain executives who will share their perspectives on what the strategic account manager should know about them and the way they do business with their strategic suppliers.

You will learn:

  • The supply management mandate: how supply management is measured and what matters beyond price
  • Different structures of supply management organizations and the implications for the role procurement will play in the sales and relationship process
  • Supplier segmentation practices and what the implications are for how the value of your offerings is viewed
  • How a SAM can be more proactive and differentiate his firm and value proposition from competitors

The Customer: What Defines a Strategic Relationship?

The supplier has one view of a strategic account relationship. The customer has another. Can the two align? Increasingly, what constitutes a strategic supplier relationship has become a formal process defined by the supplier management function, and it’s a process not well understood by most executives who manage strategic account programs. Understanding what the customer looks for in a strategic relationship and how a strategic supplier is measured and categorized will be addressed in this session led by supply management expert Nick Ward and featuring a panel of supply managers and procurement executives ready to take your questions.

You will learn:

  • How does the customer define a strategic supplier relationship, and how is it different from more transactional relationships?
  • What is the strategic supplier score card, and is it transparent to the supplier?
  • When a customer has categorized a supplier and its offerings as a non-strategic commodity, what is the potential to re-frame and shift the basis of the relationship?
  • How has the economic downturn impacted this process and the way the customer manages its strategic suppliers in times of mandatory cutbacks?
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