Creative Agency Account Manager Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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

Welcome to Episode 120, which is the first of two episodes covering my in-depth chat with Carey Evans and Simon Rhind-Tutt, Co-Founders of Relationship Audits®. I met Simon and Carey many years ago when I was working as client services director for Publicis life Brands. We were struggling with a client relationship, it was a very important client but it wasn't going well. Whilst we knew some of the reasons why the relationship was faltering, we didn’t know the whole story, so we invited in Simon and Carey to evaluate our relationship. Essentially, they went into the client’s offices and interviewed all of key client stakeholders to find out what was going on and their perception of the agency. Not only did they uncover what was going well and what wasn't going well, they also uncovered growth opportunities for us as an agency to go back into the client and crystallize what they needed in the future and provide extra value. If we hadn't have done that and they hadn't have provided that action list, report and their recommendations, we wouldn't have retained that client for another two years, worth £700,000 to the agency per year. Immediately, the return on investment for employing the services of Relationship Audits changed the game for us. That’s why I am delighted that they've joined us back on the show for this two part interview, talking about what your clients don't tell you. Whilst you might be evaluating the strength of your relationships with your clients and asking them questions, what Relationship Audits do, and they've been doing it successfully for years, is listen for what's not being said. They have a very established question set and they're able to spot things that you will miss. If you would like to talk to either Carey or Simon, please visit their website, https://www.relationshipaudits.com, or send them an email at info@relationshipaudits.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 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

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.