THE PEOPLE AWARDS
Team effort Account Management Team, Go Native
In our series of interviews with The People Awards winners, we speak to Go Native, the recipient of the Account Management
Team of the Year trophy at last year’s ceremony
Receiving The People Awards’ Account Management Team of the Year award in 2013 was particularly sweet for the Go Native team as it followed hard on the heels of a particularly tough year. A large account that had proved challenging during the previous 12 months; as a first-time user of serviced apartments, this client required a lot of bedding in. “It was really good timing to
get the recognition after that,” says Sarah Pitt, client relationship manager (CRM) at Go Native. “We have turned that account
round and it’s now one of our best. It had been a year of battles but that client now has nothing but praise for us so it’s been a 360-degree turnaround.”
the company. For the (then) three-man team plus CRM, the award couldn’t have come at a better time. They had been working
together for just under a year and had gelled together despite coming from disparate backgrounds, namely estate agency, procurement and hotels, and not the traditional route of progressing from guest services or reservations. The glue that made them stick
as a team is “mutual respect and trust for each other,” according to Sarah Pitt. “They’re all very passionate about what they do and they’re the loudest team in the office,” she adds. Originally this team worked solely on one account but has
“ It had been a year of battles but that client now has nothing but praise for us so it’s been a 360-degree turnaround ”
The award was doubly special because it had been Go Native’s CEO who had nominated the team for the award. “It was a real boost to morale,
a tangible pat on the back,” says Tom Fraser, one of the three award-winning account managers in Sarah’s team. The submission was published
internally and it proved to be a good motivator for all company teams as well as helping relationships across
since spread their expertise across eight different clients. Naturally, the team has also expanded since. The People Awards judges
marked the Go Native team out because they “demonstrated excellent customer service and cost savings with a proactive and well-executed strategic plan substantiated by client feedback. The team continually worked with their clients to ensure that they benefit from continuing market changes." The customer relationship is the bedrock of a good account manage- ment team,
says Irena Cole, another team member. “Face to face meetings is the most successful tool,” she says, “plus constant communi- cation with a client to understand their needs. “Difficulties will always occur in
a project but the key is not to bury your head in the sand but approach them head on and solve it as soon as possible.” Each of the team members
enjoys the variety the job entails, including analysis and reporting, planning, communications, being a good reader of people and problem solving. Arguably, an account management team within a serviced apartment provider has more detailed rate negotiations to deal with, and one cannot underestimate the client education on the product that comes with the job. Says final team member
Kristina Phelan: “We have to be quite creative as there is a large lack of supply. We’re always looking for availability at short notice and have to educate the client on the product as they ask whether they have to sign a lease or pay a deposit. People are still not understanding serviced apartments.” Explains Sarah: “The serviced apartment model is different to hotels and is all about being proactive with cost savings, about what is realistic and not, and the value-adds. “It also involves a lot more
groundwork from the beginning as some clients are breaking a habit of a lifetime.” The People Award shares pride
of place in the reception of Go Native’s Notting Hill offices, just above an uber trendy Jamie Oliver Recipease shop – a reminder if any were needed, that selling serviced apartments to the corporate customer is not a piece of cake!
16 THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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