Abstract
Key Account Management, as currently described in relationship marketing literature, is an important approach to creating value, by
implementing specific processes targeting most important customers. This exploratory study contributes to the understanding of Key Account
Management by focusing on factors influencing the decision for implementing Key Account Management and the implementation-process. The
findings suggest that the intensity of competition as well as the intensity of coordination are factors driving companies towards the adoption of Key
Account Management programs, and that companies still pay too little attention to the selection of key accounts. The study also reveals the
phenomenon of Fhidden key accounts_: More than 80% of the investigated companies without Key Account Management offer their key
customers special treatment without aligning their own internal organizational structures.
D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Key Account Management; Relationship marketing; Implementation; Customer relationship management; Market orientation