The 6 Golden Rules of Account Management

The 6 golden rules of working in Account Management are basics that anyone can master. If you are you interested in working in account management, these notes will provide some insight into what is expected of your role.

1. Understand your client

The beauty of working in an advertising agency is that we get to work with people from all different industries - food and beverage, transportation, nonprofit, real estate, engineers. You name it, and we need to know it. The first thing to do is immerse yourself in your client’s business - understand how it works, what sets them apart, how are they profitable, and what causes them to lose sleep at night. Once you can speak jargon with your clients, and understand what they mean when they report alien-sounding data to you, you are proving that you can become one of “them”.

2. Understand your client’s consumer

The next order in line is to get to know your consumer. Is your client B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to client)? Is their consumer a certain age, income level, do they tend to take the bus to work more than the average Joe? Immerse yourself in as much customer data and insights as you can, form a profile around the consumers, and name them. Get to know them on a personal basis. This ensures that when it comes to forming a marketing plan, or even designing a tri-fold brochure, you keep your client’s consumer in mind.

3. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

As an account executive, you are the glue that holds the team together and communication is a major asset to ensuring everything runs smoothly. This means that when you have budgets, timelines, or expectations from the client, you are the one responsible for the transparency of these things. From the beginning of a project to the end.

4. Look for areas of opportunity

Whether you’re finding a way to make a monthly creative development process more efficient, or helping your media team optimize an annual social media advertising campaign, always aim to help improve business for your client. Never settle.

5. Nurture the client relationship

Don’t forget that business is also about building relationships. I’m not saying that you have to become best buds with your client, but it’s always nice to treat them to lunch and ask how their holiday weekend with their grandchildren went. Remembering these little details can go a long way.

6. Continued education

Never stop learning! Take online webinars, read articles about your client’s industry, stay on top of advertising trends, and continue asking your client about their business. It’s the best way to stay informed and to show your client, and your team, that you have knowledge worth imparting.

Do you have one main takeaway you can end with? At the end of the day, working in account management is all about open, transparent communication and being proactive. Still interested in learning more about working in account management? Read more in these blog posts:

Brilliant Basics: The Anatomy Of A Perfect Account Executive https://texascreative.com/blog/brilliant-basics-anatomy-perfect-account-executive

The Art of Listening - https://texascreative.com/blog/art-listening

How to Manage Long Distance Client Relationship - https://texascreative.com/blog/how-manage-long-distance-client-relationships