In the agency world and TV shows, the creatives are typically the rock stars, award winners, and attention magnets. After all, it’s their work that results in the end product that everyone ooh’s and aah’s over, talks about, ‘likes’ and forwards to others on social media, etc.
Yet behind the scenes and out of the spotlight, the account service executives and managers deserve just as much credit for the success of a campaign—and the reputation of an agency—as anyone.
It’s the account folks who…
…are the face of the agency to clients, and must maintain an engaging, professional, and unflappable countenance at all times—even when being skinned alive by a client for something that’s beyond the control of the agency.
…must track every dime and minute spent on an assignment or campaign to ensure that it’s completed within budget and on schedule—and be willing to bare fangs to vendors and arrange for time travel in order to achieve this.
…put in countless hours dousing fires, making phone calls, writing briefs, attending client events, arranging meetings, reviewing creative work, and performing other tasks that result in 14 hour work days.
…need to understand clients more thoroughly than they even know themselves in order to help them reach their goals—and to maintain an ongoing, comfortable, and profitable relationship between client and agency.
Mediocre account managers don’t last long. That’s because it truly takes greatness to be able to handle client demands and build the path that the agency can navigate to be successful. To learn more about the qualities and skills that today’s account executives and managers must have, check out this eBook.