Welcome to episode 124. This will be particularly interesting for you if you want to know how much the head of client services role can impact the agency's business. Listen in if you don’t currently have a client services team and you're perhaps thinking about having one, or your client services function isn't performing as you'd like it to and you're exploring options for perhaps bringing in a head of department. Or maybe you are the client services director in your agency and are curious to understand how someone else in this role operates. Emily Brown and Matt Loughlin joined me today from digital marketing agency, Receptional. I met Emily when she was just a few months into joining the agency and I've been very lucky to have the opportunity of working with her in my Account Accelerator programme, and that means I've been working with her for almost a year. This conversation reflects on what she's achieved as the new head of client service. Here are the key themes that we cover during our chat: • why the agency decided in the first place to hire a head of client service • Emily's first 90 days in the role, and how she pinpointed and tackled the key priorities and established herself with the team • the impact this CSD role has had on the agency's operations team and clients just 16 months later • and the learnings from both Matt and Emily's perspective of establishing this new role in the agency that hopefully you can benefit from in your agency. They share lots of detailed tips and examples that I'm sure you're going to find useful. You can connect with Emily and Matt here: https://www.receptional.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-brown-5073993a/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattloughlin/ If you'd like to discuss training and coaching for your client-facing account management team, then you can book a no obligation call with me via my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com. You’ll be able to see the different training options I have available, from self-study to long term coaching, and also sign up for my regular newsletter.

Welcome to episode 123. This episode will be particularly interesting for you if you're responsible for your agency's internal operations. You might be the operations director, head of project management, or even a client services director, but if you think your internal agency operations could be more efficient and streamlined, then this episode is for you. Harv Nagra is an agency ops consultant, a former in-house agency ops director, and Head of Brand Comms at agency work management platform Scoro. He's recently launched The Handbook: The Agency Operations Podcast. Here’s just a flavour of what Harv shared in our chat: • how to assess how developed your operations are using a five-stage business maturity model • what you should typically have in place at each of the five stages and what actions you need to take to move to the next stage. • and some of the key trends Harv is seeing for agencies when it comes to operations. Please do follow Harv on LinkedIn because he shares really good insights and tips about agency operations and project management. http://linkedin.com/in/harvnagra The Handbook: The Agency Operations Podcast: Podcast on Apple: https://apple.co/3y2R8DN Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Lrg9f0 If you'd like to hear about my upcoming podcast episodes, account growth training sessions, tips about account management and news about the agency industry, you can sign up to receive my regular newsletter by going to my website, https://www.accountmanagementskills.com, or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyplant

Welcome to Episode 114. If you're an agency owner who wants to stand out in a competitive market, then today's guest has written an entire book about it. Gareth Healey, author of "STAND OUT OR DIE" joins me to share: - what he learned from scaling and exiting his business - his seven step framework for standing out in a crowded marketplace - and his advice for other agency owners who want to productize their services and Stay competitive in the future. You can connect with Gareth Healey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethhealey/ And find his book here: http://mybook.to/STANDOUT if you're struggling with new business right now, and perhaps finding that your pipeline is drying up or taking longer to convert, maybe it's time to turn your attention to how you can add more value to your existing clients' business and grow your accounts. If you want to know the quickest and easiest ways that are working right now for other agencies, check out the details of my Account Accelerator programme. It's a year long coaching and training programme for those responsible for account growth in the agency who are managing those client relationships on a day to day basis. You can find all the details here: https://www.accountmanagementskills. com/account-accelerator

Today's episode was a real treat. For me, I have the pleasure of talking to David C. Baker, who is a legend in the agency world. We discussed everything to do with account management, including why David thinks the account management role is the most difficult role in the whole agency. Also the problem with account managers doing project management tasks, where he sees performance deficiencies in account management, and some brilliant advice for how to address those deficiencies, and also up your account management game. Why he suggests agencies asked their clients to take personality profile tests, why account management don't receive guidance from agency owners, and so many more topics. I really enjoyed this chat, and I know you're going to come away with some value.

This episode is for you if you're working for a creative/digital agency and are thinking about becoming an agency owner. It's also one to listen to if you're in a planning role (sometimes referred to an agency strategist) or are wondering whether your talents might be suited to this role. Simon Barbato is the founder of Mr. B and Friends. Like me he started his career in advertising in the 1990s in client service. He quickly then transitioned into a strategist/planner role and then eventually became an agency owner. In this episode, he is going to share his journey, the ups the downs, and also his advice for you if you're considering something similar. He's also going to share why he believes now is a great time to make that leap. I've asked Simon to share with us a little bit more about the role of a planner in an agency, how they work with the account management team, how it adds value to clients and leads to client retention and at what point an agency should consider having one. Enjoy.

In this episode Martin Lucas, Mathematical Psychologist and Founder of the company Gap In the Matrix is about to blow the lid off many of the sacred cows in the agency world. He has spent four years studying why humans don't understand humans and how brands are missing a trick when it comes to engaging their customers and understanding why they make purchasing decisions. Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy said this about Martin's company: "Gap In the Matrix is one of a tiny number of people in the world who understands that it is psychology which offers the greatest potential to revolutionise marketing in the next ten years and beyond.” In this fascinating episode he shares the results of his four year study and drops bombshells like: * Why $265bn of online ads don't get interacted with and the average Facebook ad click through rate is a tiny 1.61%, Google display ad 1.91% and programmatic 0.035% * Why measuring impressions isn't useful * Why brand strategy is stuck in its ways and should be called "performance branding" * Why defining "personas" for a brand isn't helpful * Why the attribution model for measuring online ad performance is wrong * How he is now helping global FMCG brands increase certainty in their marketing spend and save on average 18-21% of their advertising, increasing their profit margins by 3-21% and achieving 70-120% above industry average for open rates and click through rates. I hope you find this episode as intriguing and eye opening as I did.

This episode is for you if you're in a digital agency project management role or are aspiring to work in project management in an agency. It's also for you if you're an agency leader who is looking to ensure the role of the project manager runs smoothly. Nadine Schofield is the Founder of Project Management on Demand and she'll be sharing with us: * The core (hard and soft) skills you need to be an effective project manager * Where agencies go wrong with approaching project management * The differences between an agile, waterfall and wagile way of working * Differences between the role of the account manager and project manager and how they can work together efficiently * The downsides of the hybrid role where the project management and account management function are in a combined role * Some suggestions for how to decide which project management system to use in your agency * How working from home has affected the project management role in agencies * How a temporary project manager can be inserted into the agency for one off projects on an ad-hoc basis * Some of the core processes you need for the project management role in your agency

Sam Bridger is an interim Marketing Director and consultant. She has worked in marketing for over 25 years, 14 of which have been spent as interim marketing director. Throughout her career she's managed many different agencies and so is in a very good position to provide the 'client side' perspective on how agencies manage her business. In this episode, she shares lots of tips and insights into what its like being a client and how you can improve the way you work with your client: * How to engage with your clients when they're not responding to you * Why you need to understand the role and associated pressures of your client * One of the best ways to make a cold approach to a prospective client * Why she thinks it's a great idea to ask your client for referrals where the relationship is strong * The worst thing agencies can do during client meetings and pitches * Why being genuine and empathetic is so important to the account management role * Why you need to take an interest in the client's product and learn as much as you can to be credible for clients * How to treat the client when having meetings and do your homework before meeting clients * The importance of taking the time to do your research before client meetings and pitches * Why she believes the traditional pitch process needs to change to a shorter term project approach before assigning all the business * Why helping the client deliver their objective is your key role * Why agencies don't ask for feedback enough after a pitch and her suggestion for how you can approach this * Why clients don't always know what needs to go into a pitch brief so asking the right questions is key

Paul Kirkley has spent his entire career in agency account management. He knew from a young age he wanted to work in advertising and has certainly fulfilled his ambition. He now works for one of the UK's top creative agencies, MadeBrave as Client Services Director and his experience includes 20 years with JWT (now Wunderman Thompson) working as Global Business Director for brands such as Nestle, Jaguar and Kenco (JDE) where he also lead a client services team of 120. In this chat, he shares: * Why always being curious and genuinely interested in the client's business is key to success * How seeing the world through the eyes of each agency department and understanding their motivations sets you up for success in your account management role * Why the best briefings come out of the best questioning and listening * Tips for how to become a client's trusted advisor * How to lead, inspire and set the account management team up for success * The skills you need to be an effective client services director * How to make sure you stay relevant and valuable to your client * The biggest challenges faced by client services directors and how to prepare for them * How remote working has changed the way account managers now interact with clients * What skills you need to work with global brands * How to be introduced to the client's C-Suite * How agencies will evolve in the future and lots more...

James Aldrich is a major account manager with over twenty years experience in both business development and account management in the software industry. James's sector speciality is telecommunications and I invited him to share his experience to see similarities and differences between the account management role in the creative industry and software industry. Despite starting his career wanting to be a film director or a guitarist in a band, he found himself in account management which has not only opened up many career opportunities but has also allowed him to fulfil his ambitions outside of work. In this brilliant chat, James shares his thoughts on: * How your own network is one of the most important aspects of your role and how it can bring value to your clients, your company and to your own career * Why it's important to choose a company to work for that aligns with your personal values * How and when to ask for referrals * Why business development and account management are similar roles * How sharing insight into how other industries work can bring value to your clients * How 'buddy systems' enable junior account team members to get up to speed quickly * Why taking a 'customer first' approach to everything you do leads to success * The importance of ensuring every client communication and touchpoint reflects your company values * Why you should learn from how other industries operate * Why you should always be curious and look ahead to what's changing in your industry and your client's industries I really enjoyed this chat and I hope you come away with some reminders and inspiration for other things you could be doing in your career or role that will be valuable to you, your client and your agency.

In this episode I reflect on some recent research on how status quo bias affects a client's decision making process and why that's important for us to know when presenting new ideas. In this episode we dive into why when presenting new ideas to our clients that require them to make a big change, it's useful to understand the psychology of why they might be reluctant to. By knowing this we're then able to present the ideas with this in mind and provide the information that they require to make their decision. I hope you enjoy this episode and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Andy Young and Laura Cohen are both strategic account managers for Skeleton Productions, a full service agency specialising in video production. In this chat, they share some brilliant tips and ideas for account managers who want to enhance their account management skills. They share: * Why shifting from being a good relationship builder to taking more of a 'challenger' approach with your clients works * How to build trust with your client so they take risks to do bigger and bolder projects * Why keeping your finger on the pulse with future trends in your specialism is key to ensuring your clients see you as an advisor rather than order taker * What a pre-flight questionnaire is an how to use one * Why you shouldn't be scared of the word "strategy" * Tips for how they've kept decision makers engaged throughout projects and how to get things back on track if the project goes awry I hope you come away with lots of ideas to implement in your role.

This episode is for you if you're an agency leader or you're managing a team. My guest is a good friend of mine Nadine Powrie who is an executive leadership coach and workplace mediator who specialises in helping people have difficult conversations. Nadine has helped hundreds of people enhance their leadership ability through her coaching and training. and is an expert in her field. Her podcast "Leading the Coaching Change" is currently celebrating its 80th episode and she has a weekly LinkedIn live session with other leadership coaches where they discuss topics that are relevant to those who want to develop their skills and keep abreast of changes in their field. In this chat, Nadine shares her thoughts and insights into: * What makes an exceptional leader * How two leaders in her career made a lasting impact on her life (and what you can learn from it) * Why having a clear vision, strategy and values defined are so key to being a successful leader * The surprising truth about hiring the right people for your team * How to set yourself up for success before having a difficult conversation I could have discussed these topics with Nadine all day as she has a wealth of experience and knowledge and I'd like to invite her back to share some more tips with the account management community.

Welcome to episode 113. This will be particularly inspirational for you if you are currently a small agency owner with aspirations for huge growth. Jared Lopiccolo, CEO & Co-Founder of Noble Studios, built his agency from a single laptop to a multi million dollar agency. He shares some insight into what it took to achieve that growth and also his advice for other agency owners who may want to do the same thing. Jarrod also shares: • the pivotal moments that were the growth accelerator points in his business • how you need to change and adapt as a leader • how to build a strong culture of very engaged employees • some of the trends he's seeing in the agency landscape • how he thinks agencies need to adapt to what's coming. He shares so many more tips and insights into running the business. You can find Jarrod on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jarrodlopiccolo and via the Noble Studios website: https://noblestudios.com/ Many agency owners come to me to talk about account management training, but the three big outcomes that they really want from the training are to answer the following three questions: • how can I have more predictable client retention and revenue from existing clients? • how can I hardwire these commercial skills into the business and ensure I have a repeatable process that everyone can follow in the agency so that if that person leaves, everybody else knows what to do when it comes to account retention and growth? • How can I foster a more commercial mindset which will give me a competitive advantage in the marketplace? If any of those three outcomes resonate with you, please check out my Account Accelerator programme, which is on my website at https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator. It is a one year coaching and training programme and it's designed for those who are working in an agency managing the client relationship, and responsible ultimately for the growth of that account.

This episode is particularly useful for you if you are working as account manager in a creative agency and aspire to be an account director. It's also useful if you're already an agency account director and are looking for some ideas and learnings from other account directors in the creative industry to apply in your role. Sarah Deakin and Ruby Beagan are account directors for Thursday Studio, an insight-led design studio in Winchester. The reason I invited them on to the show is to share their day to day experience of what it's like in the role of account director in a creative agency. During this interview, they share: * What they believe is the value the account management role brings to an agency and its clients * Difference between the account manager and account director role * Examples of where they've made a difference to the client's business * Their thoughts on why clients stay with agencies for the long term * Their approach to client retention and growth * The challenges those in account management are facing right now with remote working and some ideas for how to overcome them * Advice for others in agency client service who want to improve their account management skills and accelerate their career * The key areas account directors should be focussing on in their role ....and lots more nuggets of wisdom. Enjoy.

This episode is for you if you're responsible for an agency team and you want the team to be working together more collaboratively. Today's guest is my friend Alison Coward who is the founder of Bracket Creative and an expert in team culture. In this episode Alison explains: * Why it's important for agencies to pay attention to their team culture and impact a positive culture has on productivity * What to look for if you suspect your team culture needs attention * Some examples of where agency leaders go wrong with team culture * How remote working is affecting team collaboration and what you can do to bring the team together Alison shares insight she's gained from many years working with high performing teams and what shines through in this chat is Alison's vast knowledge and passion for the subject and the many compelling reasons why team culture, particularly now is so important to keeping us all working together in the best possible way. Enjoy!

In this solo episode I talk through the four steps of the client value ladder and the skills you need to deliver value at every level. It's particularly relevant for you if you are managing the day to day client relationships but are also responsible for account growth and delivering on your agency's forecast. Many of us in agency account management know that acquiring a new client is 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one (1) & increasing client retention rate by 5% increases profit by 25% to 95% (2), but another study by Gartner reported that a whopping 80% of a company's future sales will be derived from 20% of their existing client base! (3). This makes the skill of growing existing business very important. What's less well known, and also shown in another study by Gartner called 'Why your accounts aren't growing and what to do about it', is that the account management skills required to retain accounts are DIFFERENT to those required to grow (4). The report showed that providing exceptional service leads to retention, not growth. This means that as agency account managers we need to be thinking about how we need to behave differently if we're responsible for growing our existing accounts. The report concluded that mastering “client improvement conversations” increases your ability to grow an account by 48% and increases likelihood of renewal or retention of spend by 94% (4). If handled poorly or indelicately however these conversations could damage relationships and trust (4). 'Value improvement conversations' are defined by the three following actions: 1. Provide customers with a unique, critical perspective 2. Paint a vision of the customer's future business 3. Provide customers with an ROI on the entirety of the relationship I hope you enjoy this episode and come away with ideas for the skills you need to develop or that you are indeed on the right track with your client development strategy.

If you have an interest in branding, feel your agency brand needs a makeover or you're looking for help to offer branding workshops to your clients, this episode is for you. Bill Wallsgrove has been helping companies with branding for 30 years. He's worked on some of the most exciting and well known brands such as Heineken, Budweiser and Benetton to name just a few and has held Creative Director roles for some of the most prestigious strategic design agencies such as Coley Porter Bell and Future Brand. He has been guiding agencies with their brands for years and his brand consultancy services include mentoring the likes of Studio Blup (recently bought by the LAB Group) known for their work with brands like Nike, MTV and Ministry of Sound. Today I pick his brains on everything branding related and ask him to share his thoughts, opinions and observations about how branding has changed during his career. In this episode Bill chats to me about: * His definition of a brand * Why he disagrees with many companies who believe they need a brand purpose * What a 'digital first' approach to branding means * How brands and the process of branding has changed over the years * Why we are in the third generation of branding and examples of brands who are leading the field * Why and how he works with agencies to help them with their brands * Why he believes agencies need account managers and some tips for great account management ....and lots more.

Today's guest is the lovely Lucy Snell the co-founder of Cherry Consulting. Cherry helps creative and digital agencies to generate new business and Lucy started the company in 2004. She's been featured three times in the BD100 list as one of the UK's most influential business developers and during this interviews shares many tips for agencies who are looking to generate more leads. In this episode, she shares: * Some of the biggest challenges she's seeing agencies have for approaching prospects right now * Tips for how to get cut through when prospective clients aren't responding * What she did to get a 50% open rate on one of her email campaigns * What she finds agencies need the most help with in the area of new business generation * Her thoughts on why some agencies are thriving at the moment * Exactly what she believes you should be spending your time on in the area of new business depending on the size of your agency. If you're working in agency new business or have aspirations to do so, this is a great interview and full of practical real life examples and advice. Enjoy!

Today's guests are Iris Gatzweiler and Jess Bowler who have been working in marketing procurement for many years in the pharmaceutical industry. I asked them to share more about their day to day roles in procurement and shed some light on how agency account managers can develop stronger relationships with them. In this episode we discuss: * What they look for in long term agency supplier relationships * Where they see the value in agency account management and some tips on how to keep the relationship on track * Advice for how to approach someone in procurement when you don't have a relationship currently * Why involving procurement in how you expand your relationships within a company makes sense * How they make an agency selection and how you can stand out from the rest There are so many golden nuggets in this episode, you'll want to grab a pen and make some notes. I hope this will prompt you to review your current client relationships and identify where perhaps your relationship with procurement isn't very strong and also ideas for how to strengthen it.

Louisa has a powerful message for you if you are working in an agency. She successfully built and sold her healthcare communications agency Woolley Pau in 2012 but her health suffered as a result and she ended up hospitalised. In this episode she shares her journey and provides advice and guidance for others who may be inadvertently heading in the same direction. In this episode she shares with us: * The 10 signs you may be heading for burnout without realising it * Why trying to be the 'hero' at work can have a detrimental affect on you, your health and those around you * What resilience is and why it's not just about 'bouncing back' * The difference between healthy and unhealthy stress and how to spot the tipping point * Why stress goes undetected until it's too late * Where to seek support if you think your health is suffering as a result of pressure, challenge and stress * The first few steps you can take right now if you think this may be affecting you * What she is doing now in her new business Otherboard to help those in agencies to prepare for, recover from and adapt in the face of stress or challenge I think this topic isn't discussed enough in agencies, environments that tend to operate at a hundred miles an hour most of the time. Louisa provides some sage advice and guidance having trodden the path and who now dedicates her time to helping others . If you recognise yourself in what Louisa was describing I would urge you to seek help by contacting Louisa to discuss your situation.

In this episode I'm delighted to have as my guest Spencer Gallagher who took time out of working on the second edition of his best selling book, Agencynomics, which he co-wrote with his partner Peter Hoole, to share his thoughts on agency leadership and client management. Having built and sold his own agency in 2008, he now runs the UK's leading growth consultancy for agency owners, Cact.us and is co-founder of the Cact.us Academy, a training portal for agency owners. He also heads up the not for profit global community of agency owners, also called Agencynomics and co-hosts the vodcast Agencyphonics where he interviews owners and thought leaders about growing an agency business. In this episode we cover everything from what he thinks is most important when leading an agency and how he approaches agency growth, to the biggest agency trends he's seeing and how to stay up to date and relevant in this time of digital transformation. We cover: * Key habits of highly effective agency leaders * What successful agency leaders are doing now to accelerate their agency's growth * What Spencer would do differently if he was starting an agency again * Key trends in the agency landscape * Why you need to keep learning to keep yourself relevant * Why agencies need to start thinking beyond social media and websites to supporting clients with their digital transformation.. ...and lots more nuggets you'll want to hear if you're an owner, leader or account manager.

Today's episode is with the founders of Relationship Audits and Management, Carey Evans and Simon Rhind-Tutt. They are invited in by creative agency leaders and client services directors to assess the strength of their client relationships and provide recommendations and guidance for how to retain and grow the accounts. In this episode they share tip after tip from years of experience talking to agency clients about what they want most from their agencies. They remind us of many of the fundamental principles of account management having spoken to hundreds of clients and having built up years of benchmarking data from client interviews about what works and doesn't work when it comes to successful agency client relationships. In this episode you'll hear: * Why becoming the go to person within your agency for a chosen topic can accelerate your career * The winning agency formula for any pitch * What clients say 64% of agencies never do but should * How you can make your client's life easier * The average % time clients have to spend of their day liaising with all their agencies * How to create instant rapport with your client * A method we can borrow from professional services firms for how to get to know your client's business quickly * Five of the biggest trends they are seeing about what clients want most from their agencies right now..... ....and lots more valuable tips and reminders for how to make sure you excel in your account management role.

Do you often feel overwhelmed by how much you have to do? This is a short quick fire episode where I answer a question I hear most frequently from creative agency account managers. The subject of productivity, time management and general overwhelm with number of tasks needed to be completed comes up a lot. Often being stuck managing the day to day firefighting distracts us from doing the things that are more valuable like thinking about ways of adding more value to the client’s business, looking at trends, working on client relationship expansion, client development planning etc. So here are 10 tips (plus an extra bonus one I added!) for ensuring you get as much of your Day to day workload completed as possible so it frees up space to do more thinking and planning. Account managers who want promotion to account director realise the only way they can work on more strategic tasks (client development plans, solving client business & communications challenges) is to be more time efficient. Let me know if these tips have been helpful and please share any others you’ve found beneficial so I can share with everyone else.

Welcome to episode 112. I’m joined by Shannyn Lee, Managing Director of Win Without Pitching ®, which is widely recognised by the creative industry as one of the best quality sales training programs because it's specifically tailored to agencies. This episode will be particularly valuable for you if your job at the agency is winning new business and you'd like to know how to do that without having to go through a costly pitch process. During our chat, Shannyn shares: - the Win Without Pitching ® principles - what it takes to circumnavigate a client's pitch process - the common sales challenges faced by agencies today - her advice for agency owners who want to stand out in the market, and lots more. Please visit the Win Without Pitching ® website (https://www.winwithoutpitching.com) to find out more about everything the company does, find which workshops are coming up. and to buy Blair Enns’ book, ‘The Win Without Pitching Manifesto’, which is practically the industry bible. You can connect with Shannyn Lee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannyn-lee-2a32846/ If you're listening to this episode in April 2024 we are opening enrolments for our May Account Accelerator™ training for those in the agency who are responsible for existing client growth. If your job is to manage client relationships and grow your accounts, check out the details on my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Phil Lancaster has worked his entire career in agency account management. He's worked for some of the most successful agency holding companies such as The Lowe Group and WPP where he lead global account management teams and held the role of Global Business Director for brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, Reckitt Benckiser, Bayer and Bank of America. He has a wealth of experience working with clients at the board level and believes strongly that agency account managers need to have a relationship with the C-Suite in a client company. Other points we discuss are: * The value of the role of account management for both agencies and client (this has been debated recently in an IPA report) * One of the most important ways an agency account manager can save the client money * How account managers can position themselves as trusted advisors rather than order takers * Where agency account managers get client management wrong * Why C-Suite relationship building is essential * Advice for agency account managers to strengthen relationships amidst current remote working conditions * Phil's thoughts on how the agency landscape is changing and the future of the role of agency account management * Phil's top advice for you if you are starting out in your career in account management..... .....and lots more nuggets of wisdom and reflection from years of experience so this is one not to miss.

Marcus Cauchi is probably one of the most well known salesman and sales trainers in the UK. I was fortunate enough to be trained by Marcus in the Sandler selling methodology and meeting him changed the course of my career as I suddenly realised selling skills could have been hugely beneficial when I started out in advertising in the 1990s. In this episode, Marcus shares with us: * What agencies need to do to win new business * The metrics he uses to evaluate a new business team's effectiveness * Why asking questions to gather information is a waste of yours and your client's time * How agencies can manage the handover from their new business to account management team * How understanding human psychology can aid us in selling * The most overlooked area of account expansion agencies miss * The three myths agencies have bought into about selling.... ....and so many more nuggets of selling wisdom, you'll want to grab and pen and make some notes.

In this episode, Tina Fegent, marketing procurement consultant with almost 30 years experience shares tips for what procurement want from agencies and specifically agency account management. Tina has worked both client side for companies such as Orange and agency side in the role of Commercial Director so really understands what works and doesn't work when it comes to creating and developing relationships with the procurement team. In this episode Tina shares; - The most common complaint she hears from clients about agency account management - What great account management looks like for her - Why developing relationships with procurement is good for agency business - Ideas you can try right now for how to engage with procurement - What to avoid when pitching - What management consultancies are doing really well that agencies should be doing more of.... ....and lots more! So grab a pen and get ready to take some notes because she shares some golden nuggets of wisdom for you.

In my first episode I'm delighted to be chatting to Kate Whittaker, Head of Corporate Communications at DUAL International. As a marketing client, Kate Whittaker has 30 years experience managing agency relationships so is very well placed to give her perspective on what agency account managers could be doing to win their clients over. In this episode we cover: 1. How Kate selects her agencies and what she suggests you do if you're considering cold calling prospective clients 2. The qualities she looks for in a potential agency partner 3. Examples of where agency account managers have won her over and built her trust as well as where agencies get client management wrong 4. Some advice for how agencies can present additional ideas during the course of working on another project 5. Why you need to be asking your clients for more referrals 6. Her tips for how to position yourself as more of a trusted advisor 7. What's changed for her in light of COVID-19 and what she'd be interested in hearing from agencies right now 8. Some great tips for how to maintain and develop strong client relationships during this time of remote working I hope you enjoy this episode. It's packed full of nuggets to help agency account managers with client retention and growth. The sound isn't optimal and my interviewing skills need some work but I do hope you come away with some actionable tips you can put into practice in your agency account management role. If you'd like more information about how you can retain and grow existing client relationships, you'll find information about the latest training for agency account managers here: https://bit.ly/accountaccelerator. If you're an agency leader with three employees or more and haven't already joined the Agencynomics free community, here's a link to join: https://community.agencynomics.com/. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love your support by leaving a review and also drop me a line at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com if you know someone in a client role who would like to be interviewed and can share some great advice for helping agency account managers with their role.

Welcome to episode 111. This episode will be particularly relevant for you if you're heading up the agency or you're in charge of an agency team. Alison Coward is the founder of Bracket, a consultancy that partners with ambitious, forward-thinking companies to help them build high-performing and collaborative team cultures. She is a culture strategist, workshop facilitator, coach, trainer, keynote speaker and author of “A Pocket Guide to Effective Workshops” and “Workshop Culture: a guide to building teams that thrive”. Alison shares some data backed insights, some brilliant tips and actionable strategies for high performing teams, including: - why agency teams typically end up not working well together and how to address the issues - why creating a workshop culture is a solution to better collaboration and teamwork - how to make all the meetings you have more efficient and effective - her five pillar framework for implementing a workshop culture in your agency Connect with Alison: https://linkedin.com/in/alisoncoward https://www.bracketcreative.co.uk https://www.workshopculture.co.uk https://amzn.eu/d/h4VDgST Many agency owners ask me to help their client facing team with account management. Some don't have dedicated account managers, but they still want predictable client retention and growth, a repeatable, client centric client management process as well as ultimately a competitive advantage. According to Gartner, 80% of your future profits are going to come from 20% of your existing clients. Currently, many of my programme participants are just three months in and already getting very impressive account growth results, and this is down to them being coachable and also taking action on what we're covering, with me supporting them with the implementation. So if you're in charge of a client facing team, or maybe someone in your team is responsible for account growth and could potentially benefit from upskilling and having a strategy, then check out the details of my one year Account Accelerator training and coaching programme. You can find all the details at https://www.accountmanagementskills.com

Welcome to episode 110. This episode is for you if you're an agency owner either interested in buying agencies to grow, or selling your agency at some point. It's also enlightening if you work in an agency and you want to understand the process of mergers and acquisitions. Jonathan Baker, Practice Lead in M&A at Punctuation joins me and shares a lot of tips and insights about the buying and selling process, including: - the current state of M&A and why right now might be a really good time to sell - the impact of AI on the changing agency landscape and his advice for content marketing agencies - why cultural alignment is key to a successful transaction - the criteria buyers typically use to assess an agency they might want to purchase - how concerned sellers should be about the terms of the transaction - how far you get through the transaction before bringing in a lawyer - how and when to tell your staff about the sale - why you should ask about buyer funding if you're being bought, and so much more. Jonathan has created a special webpage just for this podcast's listeners at https://www.punctuation.com/creative and through this link you can also chat to him about anything you've heard on this episode. You can also connect with on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com//in/jonathandavidbaker Many agency owners come to me for account management skills training and to help their account managers develop an entrepreneurial mindset. And ultimately, what they are looking for are three things. They want more predictable client retention and growth, which is less expensive than pitching for new business. They want to hardwire account growth into the agency's internal processes so that account growth becomes repeatable. And they're also looking for ways to future proof their agency's business and gain a competitive advantage by offering the best client value and experience. If any of this sounds of interest, we are opening enrolments later this month for my Account Accelerator programme. It's a 12 month coaching and training programme and you can find all the details on my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Welcome to episode 109. My guest is Michael Farmer, a management consultant who has been looking at the agency business model for over 30 years. He's identified three burning issues for creative agencies. 1. Work is increasing in volume and yet agencies fees are declining. But because agencies aren't measuring scopes of work, they don't often realize the extent to which this is happening. 2. Agencies aren't helping clients achieve their business outcomes. Clients are paying them less and typically fire them every three years and generally treat them as order takers. 3. AI is now putting fuel on this fire and is threatening to reduce the amount of creative adaptation work that agencies do. It’s not all doom and gloom. I found this an enlightening conversation and I particularly enjoyed listening to the history of how it was before agencies priced their services by the hour. Michael talks about the problems, but he also offers solutions. I suggest you read his latest book ‘Madison Avenue Makeover’, which maps out the transformation of Huge’s business model step by step. http://linkedin.com/in/michaelfarmer If you are in an account management role or you're in charge of an agency account management team and you want to raise the value of this position, then please connect with me on LinkedIn at Jenny Plant or check out my Account Accelerator programme by visiting my website, https://www.accountmanagementskills.com.

Welcome to episode 108. Are you struggling to manage a remote agency team? If so, you're going to get a lot of value from my conversation with Gustavo Razzetti, CEO of Fearless Culture and author of ‘Remote, Not Distant’. He shared some very thought-provoking insights for agency leaders and agency teams, including • how remote working is only amplifying the positive and the negative aspects of your agency culture that were already present • how to fix the issues • how to make your remote brainstorming meetings more effective • why agencies need to strike a balance between being overly protective and having respectful friction • and how agencies celebrate individualism I'd highly recommend that you follow Gustavo on LinkedIn, go to his website where you can download some of his free resources, as well as investing in his book, ‘Remote, Not Distant’. Book Remote Not Distant: https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Not-Distant-Company-Workplace-ebook/dp/B09VXX4FN3 Blog: https://gustavorazzetti.substack.com Agency Website: https://www.fearlessculture.design Personal Website: https://gustavorazzetti.com/

Welcome to episode 107. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re pricing your services in the right way, this one is for you. Alfie Wenegieme, Managing Partner at Cactus, joins me and he shares: 1. Why agencies don’t lose pitches on price alone 2. How agencies price to ensure a healthy profit margin 3. Typical mistakes agencies make when pricing 4. And some useful tips for account managers and project managers when scoping projects If you’re listening to this episode in February 2024, I’m opening enrolments again for my Account Accelerator programme that begins on March 5th. It’s a 12 month training and coaching programme that’s specifically designed to build an entrepreneurial mindset in account management which means: • Having an effective account management and account growth process - that is understood and followed consistently by all your account managers • Having an end-to-end client growth framework (from onboarding to delivery) - so everyone knows what to do when, and you have all the templates and resources to help you implement • Having a Proactive Client Retention Strategy - so you increase the lifetime value of your ideal clients (and don’t have to keep feeding your sales pipeline) If you’d like to have a quick call with me to see if this might be a good fit for you or a member of your team, you can find all the details on my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Welcome to episode 106. If you’d like to know how one agency has been using AI since 2011 to predict the future for their clients, this chat will be interesting for you. It will also be insightful if you’re curious how the agency works with their global CPG and FMCG brands. ‌Nik Pearmine, Chief Strategy Officer at Black Swan Data, and I cover a range of topics including: - his view on what it takes to be successful in account management - what he thinks is in store for the future - and whether we should be worried about AI replacing our jobs. You can get in contact with Nik via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-pearmine-138bb612/ If you’re listening to this at the beginning of 2024 and are based in the US, I wanted to let you know I’ll be running a value-packed seminar with David C Baker and Jack Skeels on 12th and 13th March in Atlanta. ‌The event is all about the account management and project management roles. I’ll be talking about the essentials of account management, how to grow an account and how account managers work with project managers. ‌David is extremely well known in the agency industry as he’s an agency advisor, the author of “The Business of Expertise” and “Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors” as well as co-hosting the 2Bobs podcast with Blair Enns. ‌You can find all the details and book your tickets at David’s website: https://www.punctuation.com

Welcome to episode 105, I have invited two of my most popular podcast guests back for a second time, sales trainer legends; Marcus Cauchi and Benjamin Dennehey. ‌Both have been sales trainers for years and have worked with many agencies and tech companies. They shared some golden nuggets to help you with selling your agency’s services. ‌I had to throw away the list of questions I’d prepared and let the conversation flow naturally because I wanted to capture as much of their collective sales wisdom and tips as possible. I hope you’ll enjoy the longer length of this episode and ultimately come away with some practical things you can implement in your sales process. ‌‌· An understanding of the importance of having the ability to ask superb questions during the sales conversation with a prospect. · In our chat, Marcus and Benjamin role play a conversation and hopefully you can take the principles away and model some of the language they’re using in your next sales conversation with a prospect. You can reach Marcus Cauchi on LinkedIn, via marcus@laughs-last.com, visit his website: https://www.laughs-last.com and The Inquisitor podcast. You can reach Benjamin at https://www.uksmosthatedsalestrainer.com/ If you’d like to chat to me about selling skills for agency account managers to help you with your your existing client accounts then you can go to my website https://www.accountmanagementskills.com and find out more about how I help build an entrepreneurial mindset in account management through my training programmes.‌

Welcome to episode 122. This episode will be particularly relevant for you if you're an ambitious agency owner looking to accelerate the growth of your agency. - Maybe you think you're not standing out enough from your competitors. - Perhaps you feel your positioning needs dialling in because maybe you've lost some pitches or you've had to drop your prices. - Or maybe you just want to be seen as more specialized and expert. Agency consultant and CEO of Co:definery, Robin Bonn, joins me to bust the myth that the agency market is oversupplied, and he explains how helps agencies create a future proofed, high margin agency business by creating their market of one. Robin explains exactly what a ‘market of one’ is, and how he's helped many agencies accelerate their growth with this approach. We also discussed some of the challenges agency owners are facing right now, and Robin offers some tips for how to remain positive and navigate the current climate. You can get in touch with Robin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinbonn/ https://www.codefinery.com/ Finally, if you are in an agency account management role and you'd like to be kept up to date with the next episodes that I'm going to be sharing on the podcast, and you also want tips about the account management role and any trainings that I'm doing in the future, then you can sign up for my newsletter via my website, https://www.accountmanagementskills.com

Welcome to episode 104. In this episode, I talk all things agency project management with Joanne Reid, Managing Partner for delivery at Cactus. We cover: - the challenges agencies face with project management - how Joanne assesses how well an agency's project management is working - how project management differs from account management and why she recommends agencies to have both roles - the target level of annual gross profit an agency should reach before investing in both roles - her recommendations for project management tools and how to evaluate whether you have the right one for you - what skills to look for when hiring a project manager - and Jo's thoughts on future trends she's seeing in project management. Make sure you follow her on LinkedIn because she shares some really useful tips for project managers and also agency owners when it comes agency service delivery: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-reid-6220744b/ If you're an agency owner or you're heading up the agency's account management team and have realised your existing clients just aren't growing, it may be time to provide the right support for your account management team to do it. I'm currently enrolling for my Account Accelerator programme that starts on 11th January 2024. It's a twelve month training and coaching programme for account managers who are responsible for account retention and growth. It's designed to build an entrepreneurial mindset and you'll come away with a proven account management and growth process, an end to end client growth framework, and a proactive client retention strategy for the agency. We already have some really self motivated senior account managers, directors and client services directors joining the programme who are often also responsible for leading a team in the agency. You can find the details of the Account Accelerator programme on my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Welcome to episode 103. This episode will be particularly relevant to agency owners who want to become less hands-on in their agency and just step away from the day to day operations.  I'm chatting to Karl Sakas, an agency growth consultant in the US and author of several books, the latest of which is called Work Less and Earn More a Practical Guide for Agency Owners to help them escape the daily grind of agency ownership. Karl has spent years consulting with agency owners and leaders and, I think because he originally had an operations background, he seems to have a wonderful way of explaining useful concepts and ideas using models and frameworks which are really easy to follow.  Karl shares some practical tips, his views on agency account management and why separating the role from project management makes sense. You can reach Karl, and make use of lots of his great downloadable resources at https://sakasandcompany.com/free-resources-for-agencies/ Book link: http://worklessearnmorebook.com/ If you'd like support with upskilling your account managers, check out my Account Accelerator™ programme. It's a 12 month training and coaching programme that's specifically designed to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your account management team. https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Welcome to the final episode in my mini series of five bonus podcast episodes created to show you how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers. In this episode, I share the key things you need to do to get your account managers adding value from day one and reduce churn. And this comes back to many of the things we've discussed already in this podcast series. I speak to so many agency owners who feel frustrated by high staff turnover.  Ultimately, reducing churn and retaining your best talent comes down to one thing - investing in your account managers, and particularly in helping them develop the entrepreneurial skills we've covered in this podcast series. If you haven't had the chance to listen to the previous four episodes, do go back and have a listen. Do let me know what you found particularly useful, along with what you'd like to know more about. You can drop me a line at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com.  If you'd like support with upskilling your account managers, check out my Account Accelerator™ programme. It's a 12 month training and coaching programme that's specifically designed to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your account management team. It covers all the areas in this special podcast series and much more. https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Welcome to number 4 in my mini series of five bonus podcast episodes created to show you how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers. Why do so many account managers miss out on new account growth opportunities in client meetings? Often it's because they haven't asked the right questions. Or maybe they've asked some of the right questions but didn't have the confidence to probe deeper in their questioning. In this short episode, I share why investing the time to help your account managers ask better questions could make a big difference to your bottom line, particularly when it comes to increasing client lifetime value. If you'd like support with upskilling your account managers, check out my Account Accelerator™ programme. It's a 12 month training and coaching programme that's specifically designed to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your account management team. It covers all the areas in this special podcast series and much more. So if you'd like to have a conversation about how I could help your account managers, then email me at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com to find out more. https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Welcome to number 3 in my mini series of five bonus podcast episodes created to show you how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers. Agency owners often tell me they wish their account managers were more confident in client meetings, including being confident enough to suggest new ideas for new projects. But, as with everything else, you can't expect your account managers to just know how to run an effective client meeting. In this episode, I share seven things that you'll want to make decisions about in order to approach each client meeting in the right way. If you'd like support with upskilling your account managers, check out my Account Accelerator™ programme. It's a 12 month training and coaching programme that's specifically designed to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your account management team. It covers all the areas in this special podcast series and much more. So if you'd like to have a conversation about how I could help your account managers, then email me at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com to find out more. https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Welcome to number 2 in my mini series of five bonus podcast episodes created to show you how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers. In this episode we're looking at how to raise the value of account managers by taking them from an 'order-taker' to a trusted advisor. You can't just expect clients to treat your account managers as trusted advisors, because trust has to be earned. In this episode, I cover: - creating a culture where clients trust account managers from the off - creating the right conditions for the relationship to thrive - having the right internal processes in place to support your managers with account growth In bonus episode 3, I'll be covering how your account managers can run effective client meetings. Everything I'm sharing in this podcast series is covered in depth in my Account Accelerator programme and ultimately it's designed to build an entrepreneurial mindset in account management. You can read more about the programme here: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator Or if you'd like to have a conversation about how I could potentially help your account managers, please email me jenny@accountmanagementskills.com. Let's have a chat and see if this might be suitable for you or members of your team.

Welcome to the first in a series of five bonus podcast episodes. I've created this podcast mini series to show you how you can develop an entrepreneurial mindset in your agency account managers, so they can: - help increase the lifetime value of clients - generate more referrals - help you maintain a healthy sales pipeline In this first short episode, I'll be tacking the 'elephant in the room'. Why do you feel your account managers are not spotting those growth opportunities? And over the next four episodes, I'll then be looking at the key qualities for entrepreneurially-minded account managers. By the way, everything I'll share in this podcast series is covered in my Account Accelerator programme and ultimately it's designed to build an entrepreneurial mindset in account management. You can read more about the programme here: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator Or if you'd like to have a conversation about how I could potentially help your account managers, please email me jenny@accountmanagementskills.com. Let's have a chat and see if this might be suitable for you or members of your team.

Welcome to episode 97. My first ever podcast was with Kate Whittaker, head of corporate communications at DUAL Group, so working on the client side. During that episode she was explaining the exceptional agency who worked with her, particularly about their excellent client service, but also how they really understand her and her business. So for this episode, I invited the leadership team of that agency, Free Partners, to talk to me about how they work and think. You'll hear from Managing Partner, Lorraine Jeckells, Brand Director, Greg Phitidis, and Creative Director, Guy Cornet.  We chatted about: - their agency's specialist positioning, focusing just in the insurance market and why that's beneficial to their business, to their team and to their clients. - their agency values and how they bring them to life through their ways of working. - their internal processes and how the three departments (account management/strategy/creative) work together in a client centric way. They also go deep into the importance of the creative brief, why they have a tactical and a strategic briefing process, and how they grow their own talent from graduate level so that they are moulded into the Free Partners ways of working. And finally, how they delight their clients by being proactive and bringing fresh thinking and initiatives without waiting passively for briefs. If you’re listening to this at the end of 2023 and you want to build a more entrepreneurial mindset in your account management role or your team, I'm enrolling right now for my twelve month training and mentoring program called the Account Accelerator. I created the Account Accelerator because agency owners were telling me they knew their existing client accounts could grow further but they needed their account managers to do three key things: 1. Act as trusted advisors rather than order takers, so they understood their clients business objectives and felt confident to have conversations about how the agency could help. 2. Spot upsell and cross sell opportunities and follow them effectively so they could increase retention and generate new business opportunities with existing clients. 3. Ask insightful questions to uncover client challenges and feel confident presenting new ideas and asking for referrals and testimonials so they could help a strong sales pipeline of new leads and capture proof of happy clients. So if all of this sounds interesting, then please visit my website https://www.accountmanagementskills.com, where you can book a call, have a chat with me and see if this might be a good fit for you or a member of your team.

Welcome to Episode 96. My guest is David Meikle, the author of ‘Tuning Up’, a book about improving performance and reducing stress in advertising and marketing. This chat will be particularly interesting for you if you're finding the pressure and stress of working in an agency unmanageable, or you're responsible for creating positive agency environment in which your team can thrive. We discuss: - why David describes the relationship between the agency, the client and the client's procurement department as the triangle of doom. - David’s signature relationship diagnostic tool, The Meikle Matrix, that essentially helps you pinpoint the heart of the problem with any relationship - how this diagnostic tool can help you in practical ways in your agency. I highly recommend you reading this book for me. You can visit David’s website at https://www.tuningup.co.uk for more information about the book and also to road test a prototype of The Meikle Matrix for yourself. If you’re listening to this at the end of 2023 and you want to build a more entrepreneurial mindset in your account management role or your team, I'm enrolling right now for my twelve month training and mentoring program called the Account Accelerator. I created the Account Accelerator because agency owners were telling me they knew their existing client accounts could grow further but they needed their account managers to do three key things: 1. Act as trusted advisors rather than order takers, so they understood their clients business objectives and felt confident to have conversations about how the agency could help. 2. Spot upsell and cross sell opportunities and follow them effectively so they could increase retention and generate new business opportunities with existing clients. 3. Ask insightful questions to uncover client challenges and feel confident presenting new ideas and asking for referrals and testimonials so they could help a strong sales pipeline of new leads and capture proof of happy clients. I've had 30 years experience in account management and, having trained account growth since 2016, I know not all account managers have the skills, the experience or the mindset to deliver at this level, and many agencies don't have the right internal processes in place to support their account managers with account growth. But, I believe with the right strategies, systems, processes and the support, your account managers can become more entrepreneurially minded, which could have a big impact on your agency's bottom line. So if all of this sounds interesting, then please visit my website https://www.accountmanagementskills.com, where you can book a call, have a chat with me and see if this might be a good fit for you or a member of your team.

Welcome to Episode 95. This episode is particularly relevant for you if you’re responsible for agency new business. I'm joined by Benjamin Dennehy, UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer, and I hope by the end of listening to our chat it might just change your thinking about how you currently qualify prospects and sell your agency’s services, , particularly if you’ve never received any professional sales training. Benjamin invites us to challenge our beliefs around pitching and giving away your ideas for free which is so typically entrenched in the marketing services industry. He also shares some great examples of how to approach things differently. NB: If you don’t like swearing this isn’t the episode for you. Please go and follow Benjamin on LinkedIn, his content is not only useful and practical it’s very different to the usual stuff you see about sales. http://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamindennehy/ www.salesmatrixcourses.com www.uksmosthatedsalestrainer.com www.youtube.com/c/UKsMostHatedSalesTrainer If you’re listening to this at the end of 2023, I’m opening enrolment soon for my one year Account Accelerator training and coaching programme that starts on 11th January 2024. It is designed to give those responsible for account growth in the agency the entrepreneurial skills and mindset to support the growth of your client accounts and your agency. If you're in account management at any level or you have someone in your team who this might be suitable for, please send me an email to jenny@accountmanagementskills.com or drop me a DM on LinkedIn and I’ll let you have all the details when they’re available so you can decide if it’s a good fit. Places are limited for the January cohort. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyplant

Welcome to episode 121. This is part two of a two-part interview with Simon Rhind-Tutt and Carey Evans, who are Co-Founders of Relationship Audits. If you missed part one, I would really recommend you go back and have a listen (it’s episode 120). Simon and Carey just packed it full of insights and tips for agencies when it comes to strengthening their client relationships. This episode is no exception and we talk about: - what every client wants but rarely gets from an agency - what a brain trust is and why you might want one for your agency - and why leveraging your learnings from other client relationships is often a huge missed opportunity. If you'd like notifications about future guests coming on the podcast, or notes from the episodes that I have with guests, as well as tips on agency account management and potential trainings, then you can sign up for my weekly newsletter at https://www.accountmanagementskills.com

This episode is for agency leaders who are supporting their account manager to grow the existing client business. I’m going to share tips for ensuring the agency leadership team are providing the right level of support to their account management team in three key areas; 1. Providing the commercial context 2. Internal processes 3. Relationship risk management If you are an account manager, or you have an account manager or account director or client services director in your team, who you want to provide with the mindset and the skillset to grow the existing business, then we will be opening applications soon for the Account Accelerator programme, a year long programme we're kicking off in January 2024. We'll have an initial nine week period where we give you all the training, all the strategies, a toolbox of different ways that you can grow your business, and then you will also receive the support from me to implement. You'll also join a peer group on Slack with other account managers, account directors, group account directors, client services directors who are all doing the same thing. If you're interested, please contact me on LinkedIn or send me an email at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com or visit the Account Accelerator programme page on my website. We'll be updating the website very soon with a full page of all the learning outcomes that you can expect to achieve.

Welcome to episode 93. If you’re working in creative agency account management you know how essential it is to have a positive relationship with your creative director built on trust. I asked Creative Director, Joey Tackett, to join me and discuss what’s most important to him about working with account managers so we can see account management through the lens of the creative team. Joey shares: 1. The key skills he believes AMs need to be respected by their creative team 2. Where the relationship can break down and why 3. How he diffuses tension between the AM and creative team 4. Some useful tips for making your client presentations more impactful I hope you enjoy the insights from my chat with Joey and pick up some tips to help you in your account management role. If you want to develop your account management skills, be seen less as an order taker and more like a consultant by your clients, then check out the details of my 9 week Account Accelerator and 1 week Account Booster programmes on my website https://www.accountmanagementskills.com.