What does a Account Manager do?

An Account Manager owns the ongoing relationship with existing customers — renewals, upsells, and day-to-day account health — rather than net-new acquisition. The role blends relationship management with a real commercial mandate.

Day-to-day work includes regular check-ins with clients, spotting renewal or churn risk early, identifying upsell opportunities, and coordinating internally when a client needs support beyond the account relationship.

Key skills to assess when hiring a Account Manager

• Account Management xe2x80x94 relationship retention and upsell judgment specific to existing accounts.
• Customer Success xe2x80x94 proactive outreach and churn risk detection.
• Communication Skills xe2x80x94 clear, consistent communication across a long-term relationship.
• Negotiation xe2x80x94 value framing for renewals and expansion conversations.

Recommended assessment combination

Lead with Account Management and Communication Skills as a baseline screen. Add Negotiation for accounts with meaningful renewal or expansion value on the table.

Customer Success is a strong addition when the role leans more toward retention and health-scoring than commercial upsell.

Interview questions for hiring a Account Manager

• Tell me about an account you nearly lost. How did you turn it around, or what did you learn?
• How do you spot renewal risk before a client raises it themselves?
• Walk me through how you’d prioritize your time across a book of 40 accounts.
• Describe a time you identified an upsell opportunity a client hadn’t asked for.
• How do you handle a client who’s upset with your company but isn’t your fault?

Common hiring mistakes

Teams often hire Account Managers purely on relationship warmth without checking commercial instincts — a well-liked AM who never surfaces upsell opportunities or catches churn risk early is a real cost.

It’s also common to underweight proactive communication; the best AMs flag risk before the client does, not after.

Frequently asked questions

Which assessments matter most for an Account Manager?

Account Management and Communication Skills give the strongest baseline signal on relationship and commercial judgment.

Should I test before or after the first interview?

Most teams send assessments right after an initial screening call, so results are ready to guide the first full interview rather than added after the fact.

Can assessment results alone determine who I hire?

No — results should inform interviews and reference checks, not replace them. Use them to focus interview time on the areas that matter most.

How long does the full assessment battery take candidates?

Each individual assessment runs about 10-15 minutes, so a 2-3 assessment combination typically takes a candidate 25-40 minutes total.

How is this different from a Customer Success Manager?

Account Manager typically carries a heavier commercial/upsell mandate; Customer Success leans more toward proactive retention and product adoption.