In no particular order, here are some miscellaneous tips on how to be a great account person!
Your job isn’t to do whatever the client says. Your job is to provide strategic insight and efficient management of their marketing efforts. Sometimes that means suggesting something the client doesn’t want to hear. Sometimes that means providing a different solution than what was asked. Clients don’t need order takers. It’s much cheaper to hire someone else to do that. Provide a different perspective. Tell them something they may not know. Be a resource and authority. That’s your job.
Say thank you. Yeah, common sense, right? But believe it or not, it’s so often overlooked. Everyone at the agency works really hard and half the time their efforts are thwarted by changes, delays, office politics, etc. It’s frustrating and often unrewarded. Show your appreciation every chance you get and you’ll earn your colleagues’ respect.
In a client meeting, the agency speaks with one voice. Disagree with the team all you want in the agency. But when you’re presenting to the client, you will fight and defend the agency recommendation, no matter what.
Remember that clients are human. As are we. Decisions are rarely made based on pure logic and reason. They’re made because of internal pressures we’re getting from superiors. They’re made because of how that person treated you the other day. They’re made because of other experiences that may or may not apply to a particular situation. Before you jump to conclusions, think about why that person may be making that decision on a personal level, then react accordingly.
Your core job is to solve problems. Anyone can do a status report or follow up on an approval. What makes you a great account person is your ability to come up with multiple solutions to various problems as they arise. “No” is never your answer. Always think, “here’s what we can do to address that…”
Never stop learning. Keep up with what the ad world is doing both locally and abroad. Pick up a book every once in a while on marketing, advertising, creative, presentations, strategy, your client’s industry, etc. Talk to other people in the industry. Join an ad club. Advertising can be one of the most rewarding industries to be a part of… or it can be a frustrating day-in-day-out job. Your choice.
