We are about to hit May (can't believe how fast the year seems to be flying by).
Hopefully business is going well for you and you're busy with clients. But if things are quieter for your agency than you'd like, here's a gentle reminder.
Your eight week commercial window
The next eight weeks are the most important for getting in front of clients before things get quieter in the summer.
It's an ideal time to step back and look at your client portfolio - particularly your top 5 to 10 clients - and identify where best to focus your account growth efforts during that time.
For example, which of your client accounts have the greatest growth potential?
Which ones wouldn't you want to lose?
Where do you have strong relationships - or relationship gaps?
Is Procurement on your radar?
Do you know what your clients are trying to achieve?
What are the outcomes they're hoping for - and where are the opportunities for you to proactively bring ideas or offer help?
2027 budget planning
For clients on a December fiscal year end, 2027 budgets get fixed in September. If you're not in those budget conversations between now and then, the window closes.
Account management is the agency's commercial engine
I wrote a longer piece on LinkedIn last week about a pattern I've been seeing across four PE-backed agencies in the last year. The short version is that account management has quietly become the commercial engine room for the agency - and in many agencies, the AM team hasn't been told yet. If you've been feeling that pressure (or watching your client services director carry it on behalf of the team), it's worth a read. Read the full article on LinkedIn →
Some suggestions if you lead an agency:
Block out an hour this month and look at your top ten accounts. Where is the relationship strong, where is it drifting, where could you be doing more? Are there any proposals that need following up?
Pick your top three accounts with the most potential upside between now and the end of the year, and agree what 'good' looks like for each one. Is it a client conversation, a written proposal or asking for an introduction? Whatever action it is, agree it with the team.
Have one honest conversation with your client facing team about the commercial side of their role. Forecast, margin, renewal dates - not as pressure, but as context. The team that understands the numbers will make better decisions on the agency's behalf.
Some suggestions if you're in a client facing account management role:
Pick one client this month and walk into your next meeting having done some research. Form a point of view about what needs to happen next. Use AI to prepare two or three hypotheses about their business beforehand - what's changing, what they might be planning, where you could add value.
Look at your client list and pick the three you'd most regret losing this year. They're the ones to actively invest in before the summer slowdown - a face-to-face if you can, a senior conversation if you can't.
If your agency owner or team leader hasn't talked to you about the commercial side of the role - the forecast numbers, the renewal cycles, what 'good' looks like for your accounts financially - ask. It's the part of the job that you might not have been exposed to yet - it's going to get increasingly important if you stay in account management.
Account growth readiness diagnostic
If you read the agency owner list and recognised that you keep meaning to do those things but never quite get the time, my Agency Growth Readiness Diagnostic might help.
It's a paid 90-minute session where we look at where the growth opportunities are, where the risks are building, and what's getting in the way of the team acting on either.
We'll identify some next steps and actions you can take straight away. The point is to give you an evaluation of where you are before you invest in any team training - with someone who's worked with many different agency types and sizes.
I'm running these sessions through May and June while there's still time to act on what we find before the summer drift sets in.
If any of this was useful just email me at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com tell me what you're looking for and I'll send the diagnostic session outline so you can see exactly how the session runs.
