Key Accounts
Certificate
Program
®
Visit us at www.APPAAcademy.org
Certificate Requirements
To earn this certificate, participants must complete the following requirements within two years:
Complete the four required courses n Electric Utility Industry Overview
n Implementing a Customer-Focused Key Accounts Program n Developing Your Key Accounts Representative
n The Effective Key Accounts Toolbox Pass an online exam
Submit a key accounts business plan and customer marketing plan
2014 Schedule
The Key Accounts Certificate Program will be held once a year. Sept. 29–Oct. 3, 2014
As part of the Fall Education Institute Hotel Information
Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center 7700 East McCormick Parkway
Scottsdale, AZ 85258 APPA Room Rate
$169 Single/Double Reservations480/991-9000 Room Rate Cut-off Date
September 8, 2014
To register, visit www.APPAAcademy.org and click on “Certificate Programs.”
In-House Training
We can also bring these courses to your location—a convenient and cost-effective option for groups.
For more information, contact Heidi Lambert at 202/467-2921 or [email protected].
Program Description
Today’s quickly evolving electric industry requires key accounts front-line employees to have specific skills, technical knowledge and training. To help these individuals meet their needs, APPA is pleased to offer its Key Accounts Certificate Program®.
Key accounts personnel who complete the program’s four required courses, pass an online exam, and successfully file a key accounts business plan and a customer marketing plan within two years of completing the coursework will earn a Key Public Power Account Executive (KPPAE) certificate.
Those who wish to maintain their designation must complete 20 hours of additional approved continuing education training (not limited to APPA offerings) every two years.
Who Should Attend
This program is designed for individuals employed as key account rep-resentatives and those who manage a utility’s key accounts program.
Coursework
Courses can be taken individually or as part of the certificate program.
Electric Utility Industry Overview
Monday, Sept. 29
8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Recommended CEUs .7/PDHs 6
Course Overview
As power supply and delivery are highly technical and complex issues, it is important for public power employees and policymakers to under-stand basic industry operations. This course provides a broad, non-technical overview of how the components of an electricity system function together to provide reliable and environmentally sustainable service to customers. The course covers generation, transmission, substations, distribution, reliability, customer service, long-term plan-ning, and legislative and regulatory issues facing the industry.
Course Topics
n Comprehensive overview of the electric utility system n The integrated resource planning process
n Generation sources, including fossil fuels and renewable energy
sources, and their strengths, weaknesses and environmental considerations
n Utility-owned and -operated generation, purchased power
agreements, and how joint action agencies supply power for their member distribution utilities
n How real-time supply and demand are unique to the electric utility
industry
n Components of the transmission system, the importance of system
reliability, and how RTOs and ISOs function in this market
n The elements of an electric distribution system
(substations, transformers, meters and smart grid technologies)
n Introduction to how utilities can help customers manage
their energy usage
Course Level
Basic. This course does not have prerequisites nor does it require
Implementing a Customer-Focused
Key Accounts Program
Tuesday, Sept. 30–Wednesday, Oct. 1
Tuesday: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Recommended CEUs .9/PDHs 9
Course Overview
While the threat of deregulation has receded in most states, the threat of competition for key account customers is still very real. The impacts of current economic conditions have forced many large commercial and industrial consumers to dramatically modify their operations. This can manifest itself in many ways—customers may relocate, switch from electricity to gas for industrial processes, or add their own gen-eration. Local utilities need to stay ahead of these decisions and posi-tion themselves as providers of individualized service for commercial and industrial consumers.
In this course, participants will learn how to develop specific and measurable goals for their key accounts program. This class will also focus on meeting the current strategic needs of the utility, including identifying commercial and industrial candidates for energy efficiency, demand-side management and renewable energy projects.
The content of this course provides the basis for the key accounts business plan, which is an integral component of the APPA Key Ac-counts Certificate Program.
Course Topics
Background and the Internal Sale
Discuss the unique competitive advantages of public power, why your system needs to engage in key accounts activity, and how you build internal consensus and support.
Customer Research
Develop a selection methodology for key accounts and estimate their value to the system. Identify typical concerns and interests of key ac-counts by industry and business type.
Competitor Research
Conduct a competitive comparison based on rate and service offer-ings.
Organizational Analysis
Discuss how best to fit the key accounts initiative into your organiza-tion’s work force. Develop a key account manager job description.
Course Level
Basic. This course does not have prerequisites nor does it require
Developing Your Key Accounts
Representative
Wednesday, Oct. 1–Thursday, Oct. 2
Wednesday: 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday: 8:30 a.m.–Noon Recommended CEUs .9/PDHs 9
Course Overview
Simply having a key accounts program will not ensure a utility’s suc-cess. As retail customers become more sophisticated, utilities with key accounts programs must use trained professionals as account executives to gain and maintain a competitive advantage. Account management and customer-relationship skills are vital for key accounts representatives. The culmination of this course is designing a template for the customer marketing plan component of the Key Accounts Certificate Program.
Course Topics
Why is public power a better option?
Learn how to present the advantages of a public power utility to a key account customer by focusing on the business model attributes that differentiate them from private power companies.
What do you think of when you hear “salesperson?”
Discuss the traits and characteristics of a professional in the utility key accounts arena and debunk some of the myths of sales. Participants will develop specific account goals for commercial and industrial con-sumers, which will become part of the template for the business plan component of the Key Accounts Certificate Program.
How many hats?
Learn how to prioritize your work with customers based on their needs and focus on what is important.
What needs to be in a customer marketing plan?
Learn how to develop a profile and a plan that allows continuity of service to the customer and meets the needs of the utility system. The marketing plan will become the blueprint for meeting with customers and solving the operational issues.
How do you handle the tough calls?
Participate in an interactive session that allows you to develop the skills needed to handle customers who are not happy with their most recent utility experience.
Course Level
Basic. This course does not have prerequisites nor does it require
The Effective Key Accounts Toolbox
Thursday, Oct. 2–Friday, Oct. 3
Thursday: 1–5 p.m. Friday: 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Recommended CEUs .9/PDHs 9
Course Overview
Changes at work in the electric utility industry have placed increas-ing pressure on public power utilities to work with their key accounts. Utilities are seeing an increasing level of competition from existing and new competitors. Often these competitors are well-funded IOUs or power marketers.
It is unreasonable to expect public power utilities to be able to compete with these competitors on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Therefore, public power utilities must leverage every resource they have to create a competitive advantage. As with any profession, the key account representatives at a utility must work with the right tools. The heart of this course is an analysis and application of existing resources that representatives can use to improve the utility’s relationship with the customer.
Course Topics
How do you measure your relationship with your key accounts?
Develop a systematic approach to determining where you stand with the customer.
Fundamentals of Power Systems
To call on key accounts, it is important to have a basic understanding of electric systems and end-use equipment applications. Learn about basic energy and demand issues, motor applications, lighting systems, and standard terms and vernacular.
What’s on your shelf?
Often public power utilities have great communications channels, rate options, power quality, and demand-side management programs already in place. Learn the basics of these programs and how to apply them in a key accounts environment.
Who can help?
There are many resources available to the key accounts manager. Discuss how to use other municipal departments, APPA, your state associations, power suppliers, and joint action agencies to meet the needs of key accounts.
Roundtable Case Histories
Many utilities have had successes and failures with products or pro-gram applications. Discuss what’s worked and which suppliers have provided the best support.
Course Level
Basic. This course does not have prerequisites nor does it require
advance preparation.
For more detailed course and instructor information, visit www. APPAAcademy.org and click on “Certificate Programs.”
Instructor
Wallace Barron has over 40 years of experience in the electric energy industry. He is president of the Atlanta-based consulting firm, Barron & Associates, Corporate Solutions, LLC, which serves the energy industry in the areas of man-agement consulting, strategic planning, market-ing, customer service, key accounts and com-petitive issues. He previously worked as the vice
president of marketing, customer service and distribution technology at Florida Power Corp. His responsibilities have included key accounts, competitive marketing, market research, customer service, economic development, demand-side management, load management, load research and distribution engineering. Wallace has also served as an expert witness on many of these topics.
Certificate Completion
Requirements
After completing the required coursework, participants must:
1. Pass an online exam
n The online exam, made up of 100 multiple choice questions, will
as-sess the participant’s comprehension of the four required courses.
n Participants can take the exam at their convenience, after finishing
the coursework requirement.
n An individual must score at least a 75% to pass the exam.
Partici-pants have two opportunities to pass the test, thereafter there will be a $50 fee assessed to retake the exam.
2. Submit a key accounts business plan and a customer marketing plan
n The business plan must demonstrate how the participant’s utility
plans to address the needs of the entire key accounts customer segment.
n The customer marketing plan must demonstrate how the needs of
an individual key account will be met and will include a customer profile.
n An individual must earn at least a 70% on each plan, in order to
pass. Participants will receive guidelines that outline what is ex-pected in each plan.
Registration Information
To register, visit www.APPAAcademy.org and click on “Certificate Programs.”
Timing
Participants must complete the program requirements within two years of attending their last course in the certificate program curriculum.
Continuing Education Requirement
Those who wish to maintain their designation must complete 20 hours of additional approved continuing education training (not limited to APPA offerings) every two years.
APPA will accept hours earned through participation in conferences and live or online courses that participants have attended or instruct-ed. Candidates should submit via email ([email protected]) the following information for each event by Dec. 31 in the year that their 20 hours are due:
n Sponsoring organization n Name of the event n Where it was held n Dates it took place n Number of contact hours
Enrollment Fees
APPA Members
Registration received on or before Sept. 8 $2,100 Registration received after Sept. 8 $2,350
Nonmembers
Registration received on or before Sept. 8 $3,100 Registration received after Sept. 8 $3,350 The enrollment fee includes the four courses, cost of study material, exam grading and review of the business and customer marketing plans.
Continuing Education Units
The American Public Power Association has been ap-proved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102; (703) 506-3275. In obtaining this approval, APPA has demonstrated that it complies with the ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard which is rec-ognized internationally as a standard of good practice. As a result of their Authorized Provider membership status, APPA is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard.
For more information on APPA’s certification provider status, atten-dance requirements and obtaining attenatten-dance transcripts, visit www. APPAAcademy.org under “Accreditation” or contact Heidi Lambert, Education Manager, at 202/467-2921 or [email protected]
Professional Development Hours
APPA educational practices are consistent with the criteria for award-ing Professional Development Hours (PDHs) as established by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Course eligibility and number of PDHs may vary by state.
Accreditation
Let Us Come to You!
Offering the Key Accounts Certificate Program courses
on-site—at a location of your choosing—is an efficient
and affordable way for groups of employees to
com-plete a number of the program’s requirements in just
five days. For more information, contact Heidi Lambert
at 202/467-2921 or [email protected].
The American Public Power Association 1875 Connecticut A ve., NW Suite 1200 Washington, DC 20009-5715 Standar d Pr esorted
U.S. Postage Paid W
ashington, DC Permit No. 605