'Train the trainer' isn't new.
But it is fairly new for agency owners who want to keep 'rising star' account managers but have tighter training budgets.
Let me explain..
Why 'train the trainer'?
Ambitious account managers / directors are hungry for self-development and/or career progression.
I hear agency owners say:
They are being 'pushed' to promote an account manager in their team
They worry they may lose a top performing account manager to a competitor
They want to provide career development opportunities
'Train the trainer' in practice
Many people join my one year Account Accelerator[TM] with a 'train the trainer' hat on.
i.e. they are the agency's 'rising star' or a Client Services Director who goes through the programme and then shares the learnings with the wider team e.g. they run internal 'lunch n learn' sessions.
Benefits of 'train the trainer' for the agency and individual
The agency:
Invests in one individual who shares knowledge with whole team
Reduces overall spend on training
Whole team benefits from new knowledge
Locks in the individual for the duration of the training programme
Reduces staff turnover
Keeps top talent
Avoids recruitment costs
Gives this individual an opportunity to perform
They practice their presentation skills in front of their agency team
They're elevated in front of their peers (a good step towards promotion)
It allows them to demonstrate their continued dedication to the company
Keeps the agency 'current'
Learns what strategies are working for other agencies
The individual:
Has a professional-development opportunity
Teaching others embeds their own learnings
Fulfils their intrinsic motivation for career progression
Raises their profile within the agency
Teaching their team provides an opportunity to practice leadership
Networks with their peers around the world
Joining the Account Accelerator[TM] has opened up a peer group in the US, UK and South Africa to share the latest client retention and growth strategies
The programme is attracting more rising star account directors as well as Client Services Directors (and Managing Directors) than ever before.
Listen to this episode of the Creative Agency Account Manager podcast "Mastering client centric account growth in 2025" to hear from some of them.
