Blog
Practical, straight-talking advice for agency account managers who want to retain client relationships and grow accounts.
Expect clear frameworks, real examples and simple tools you can put to work immediately - from running tighter client meetings and QBRs, to spotting growth opportunities and handling tricky conversations.
How account managers can run a revenue boosting client win-back campaign
Ever thought about winning back your past clients? It could be one of the most impactful moves for your agency’s bottom line.
Why do your clients really buy your agency services?
Why do clients really buy your agency services? Most agencies want to understand what clients think. And it turns out prospective clients and existing clients are thinking different things.
Why the account manager ‘permission line’ is stopping growth
In 2019 Gartner conducted a study to understand why account managers were ineffective in growing existing agency client business.
Why are account managers not cross selling and upselling during client meetings?
Why are account managers not cross selling and upselling during client meetings?
The importance of documenting your client results as a creative agency account manager
Recently, I chatted to Tim Riesterer, Chief Strategy Officer at Corporate Visions. We discussed the importance of demonstrating to clients the results you're achieving for them at three levels. Tim calls this the 'triple metric'.
How to solve a client's business problem as an agency account manager
Michael Farmer, a management consultant who has studied creative agencies for 30 years, said this during our recent interview: “Account managers need to be more like Bain consultants”
Why do we need account managers anyway?
When you start an agency, typically you start with project management. As a small, agile team it makes sense for project managers to be responsible for client management.They are highly skilled in delivering your services on time and on budget. As an agency grows and more clients are acquired, it becomes unsustainable.
How to get account managers to ask better questions
Why do account managers miss new account growth opportunities in client meetings? Often it’s because they haven’t asked the right questions. Or they’ve asked some of the right questions but didn’t have the confidence to probe deeper in their questioning.
Do account managers really know what it takes to run an effective client meeting?
Agency owners often tell me their account managers aren’t leading client meetings confidently.
From ‘order taker’ to trusted advisor: raising the value of account management with agency leadership support
You can’t just expect clients to treat account managers as ‘trusted advisors’ because trust has to be earned.
Why do account managers need entrepreneurial skills?
Agency owners tell me they’re frustrated because their existing client accounts aren’t growing. But their account managers either aren’t doing anything about it – or aren’t doing it consistently.
Account managers need to know this about client budgets
Results of a study have come out called "Building trust and revenue with existing clients". The Jan 2023 study was US-based so if you have US clients, you’ll find this compelling. But even if you don’t, hopefully it’ll make you think about your client’s budget.
