by Jason Harrison. Being promoted is about everything you do that is NOT inside a box and that depends on just one word: indispensable.
Tag archives: account management
The Switch: Compartmentalising your clients for growth
by Alistair Mokoena (@AlistairMokoena) Managing a portfolio of accounts is not easy. The answer is a well thought-out portfolio management strategy which recognises that different accounts have different roles to play in the agency’s game plan.
The entrepreneur as a model for account management
A MarkLives column by Odette van der Haar (@odette_roper), CEO, Association for Communication and Advertising For those outside of the advertising and communications profession and of course those who are already members of the profession, defining what account management actually entails is difficult because the role is so diverse. In short, there is “sales” and there is “customer service” and then you have the Account Manager with one foot in each department – essentially, the Account Manager is the representative of the agency to the client and the intermediary between the creative (and other departments) and the client.
For the right person, the role of an Account Manager (or Account Executive as it is sometimes known) can be most invigorating and fulfilling however, for the wrong person, it can be rather unbearable, masochistic nightmare.
Why the two extremes?
This is a job that most of us in the advertising and communications profession can agree requires more resilience than any other. It is also probably the most under-estimated job in the business. In short, the job of the Account Manager is to represent the client’s interest at the agency and to be the agency’s interface at the client. As the face of the agency, Account Managers have to be masterfully diplomatic, tactful and Odette van der Haarattentive however knowing when and how to say “No” is a must-have skill. The job, when considered at face value, is definitely not for sissies, instead, razor sharp go-getters who have a knack for business and who are not afraid of manoeuvring unique and sometimes difficult personalities to ensure they all work together effectively, will most likely succeed in this job.
The ideal Account Manager will make it his (or her) business to gain intimate knowledge of the client’s business – and this, well beyond the marketing department as well as the business of advertising and communications. He/she will run client accounts as profitable businesses to ensure a profitable return for the agency and the clients.