Brett Magill

How to Be A Good Account Manager

How to be a Good Account Manager?

Is such a thing even possible? Can we even entertain such a thing, as a "good" account manager? Some don't even think Account Managers are even needed in a company, let alone needing to be "good".

I believe that we can be though, and that while maybe we're not always needed, we can be useful, like any other pillar in a company.

What is An Account Manager?

An "Account Manager" is someone who's functional role it is, to be the point of contact for client brands, and maintain healthy working relationships with those clients in the media and advertising industry.

This role can and often include:

An Account Manager can be all of these things to their clients and team for the agencies they represent.

According to Investopedia though, an Account Manager is defined as:

An account manager handles the affairs of specific customers who have already engaged in business with a company. After a salesperson has closed a deal, they transition the relationship with the customer to an account manager. The account manager ensures the needs of the customer are met, fosters the relationship, and seeks ways to drive additional business with the client.

That's a cute definition, but only outlines the theoretical side an Account Manager.

I've compiled an exhaustive list of the core considerations that I believe make a fairly decent Account Manager. This is the extreme extent of the role, not every ad agency would need you to be everything to everyone all the time. (Right agency owners?)

A Guide on How to Be A Good Account Manager:

I hope you can pinpoint some spaces you can develop more in your role as an Account Manager:

1. Be honest and trustworthy

Honesty is the best policy, especially when you're wrong. Being open and honest with your people is essential to your relationship building. It ensures that they can trust you to give them all the information they need to do their jobs and get their project done. This adds value.

In my experience, owning up to a mishap or mistake, is valuable too. It shows ownership, integrity, authenticity and humanity; elements far more valuable in relationship building than trying to spin an excuse out of your ass. (We'll come back to spin another time)

The other side of the honesty coin is also celebrating the win; you and your team and client have worked hard, be honest, own it, celebrate it!

2. Be Approachable

A key component of Account Management is ensuring your client and your team can approach you for help, consult or simply to bounce ideas off of.

Your response to their questions, queries or even barbs, need to be considered, calm, and collected, providing a fair and grounded response or point of view, in a storm of noise, errors and dramatic posts on Twitter.

Something I always try and do, should a team member or client contact me, is ensure my phone is away, and I'm facing away from any screen; showing my person, that I give them my full attention.

Being approachable takes practice, you're only human, not every day is going to be perfect.

3. Be Proactive

Being proactive is a two parter. Rising to the solution is an important part of providing value to your people: be present with a new idea, an added point of view, a different approach based on past experience or inside knowledge.

This shows value as an Account Manager, and affords you the ability to craft solutions with your client or team to result in the best outcome.

Maybe its news about the latest AI tool to this the market, maybe Taylor Swift dropped a new album about her 20th breakup and thus fast fashion pollution increased by 50% and now we should remove her face from our client's branded T-shirts.

Share this new knowledge, engage, jump in, raise your hand, participate, don't wait to be called, do the calling. (we'll talk about healthy work boundaries later)

4. Be Considerate

Like being approachable, I find being considerate does take practice if you are not naturally inclined to be. (If that's the case, you may need a career change).

Empathy, can't be taught, but, you can practice awareness of the self and awareness of your peers and work.

This could be as simple as understanding that clients are people too, with their own life problems. It could be knowing that Jenny is stressed because her sister is about to have a baby, so maybe she'd appreciate an extra bit of time on her deadline for that ad creative.

5. Be The Expert

While having the ability to build and maintain professional relationships is the core part of the Account Manager role; knowing what you're talking about is extremely important, too.

You don't need to know the intimate details of a Google ad query, but, having a healthy working knowledge of how and why Google Ads work, gives you the opportunity to be more value to your client at the moment, and supports your ability to manage expectations and work.

In my experience; having an AM that is able to say no, or explain why something is or isn't possible to a client, always beats an AM that just says yes to everything, and then let's their team try "make it work". Don't be that guy.

6. Be Humble

The truth is, you are not the beginning and the ending of your project, you are but a part of the whole.

Remember that your actions and approach to building your relationships, is also affected by the hard work of your team and the work of your client and vice versa.

I try to take the opportunity to let my client or team be the teacher too; how could I learn from their speciality and experience; but also, do they need my support, and if so, how can I support them, while considering their role and goals.

Humility is a tough one, because it requires us to be aware of our ego, and how it isn't the most important element in the room.

7. Be Organised and Attentive

It may have gone without saying, but being an organised and attentive Account Manager is essential to your practical day-to-day success.

You should strive to know the timeline of each project, the best performing ad on each campaign, the stats of the week or day, the final budget of each campaign, the key success factors of each client and the state of their invoices. You are after all the point of contact, people look to you for answers.

While ensuring your relationships are strong is important, ensuring your operation runs as smooth as possible, is as important.

You can be "a great guy", but if you miss the deadline, you're a "great guy" with nothing to show for it. Which brings me to the final and most important point in this list.

8. Deliever

Building a relationship is what Account Managers do. However, at the end of the day, you and your company have been hired and being paid to deliver an outcome, that is your ultimate job.

Everything we've discussed up and till now feeds into your ability to deliver on your company promise on time, and at standard.

Without delivery, you're just dating without sex, friends without benefits, farting in the wind, peeing up stream: all very colourful, but of little impact.

Your challenge then becomes; managing your relationships, and ensuring the delivery of the agreed outcome.

What To do Now?

As an Account Manager, you are positioned in a very flexible yet important role in your company.

You are important, you matter, and you have the ability to make or break a whole project, should you will it.

Use your power responsibly.

I hope this list has helped guide you on your next position, or work in Account Management right now. If you have some of your own ideas, please, email me, I'd love to chat on the topic. ( ͡^ ͜ʖ ͡^ )

How to Be A Good Account Manager Summary:

  1. Be honest and trustworthy
  2. Be approachable
  3. Be Proactive
  4. Be Considerate
  5. Be the Expert
  6. Be Humble
  7. Be Organised and attentive
  8. Deliver

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#account manager #guide #industry #marketing #performance media