Written by Mihai Dragan on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 ( 5 responses )
Tags: account management, account manager, Interactive Advertising, interactive agency business, tips
Being an Account Manager (or Account Executive) in an interactive agency is not easy. You have to deal with clients, creative people, sales people and pretty much everyone else. So – what does an Account Manager really have to know ?
1. You work for the agency AND the client.
Please notice I’ve put the agency first because that’s the people you work for. Do try to solve as many as problems as possible, serve the client as best as you can, understand as much as possible about the business the client runs and offer the best solutions. But … as a member of the agency you work for.
2. You manage an account, not the creative team
This means you are neither superior or inferior to the creative team. You are colleagues and part of the same team. You have the same goals but use different means of getting there. Let the creative management to the creative director. Feeling creative? Offer your feedback to the team but don’t force them to follow it.
3. Avoid conflicts at any cost
You do not want people being pissed of at you. Yes, I am being a little harsh but that’s the truth. An account manager’s main purpose is keeping things running smooth. Conflict does not define “things running smooth”.
4. You are the client and the agency
In front of the agency you represent the client. As the client is concerned you are the agency. Find a balance and try to offer the best of both worlds.
5. Know your client better than he knows himself
Try to find out everything there is to know about the business the client is in. Be proactive. Find solutions for the problems they had for years. Give them answers before they ask and always, always be prepared for the unplanned.
Written by Mihai Dragan on Sunday, November 9th, 2008 ( 2 responses )
Tags: interactive agency business, targets
When I have started the agency, less than two years ago, I’ve thought to myself that if I were to dream something I should dream far.
So I’ve set up a target for the agency, a rather courageous one: be the biggest and most influential interactive agency in the world. This is the vision that now drives me to overcome the daily, monthly and yearly problems and stay strong when the times get rough.
When I tell people about this plan (it is a plan, not a dream) they always respond with a rather condescending smile. I couldn’t blame them. The world we live in teaches you to live in fear of “bigger than average” dreams. It teaches you to take your condition as given. It teaches you to stay small and humble.
Yet the time has passed, the agency has grown at a fast rate, and what once seemed an improbable dream now looks like a distant target. Distant but reachable. After all – what is a dream but a path you haven’t walked on yet ?
Written by Mihai Dragan on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 ( Start discussion )
Tags: clients, interactive agency business, tips
An advertising agency, be it interactive or conventional, cannot exist without clients. What is the proper attitude regarding the client and the services you are offering?
Does the client know best?
Yes he/she does. I know it’s tough but live with it: the client knows what is best for it’s business. But not his advertising. That’s why they hire an agency. That’s why they need your advice. The client can probably run his business as good as it gets but when it comes to advertising the agency is supposed to know how things should be done.
Unfortunately most of the agencies focus too much on “means” (art, copy, implementation etc.) and too little on “goals” (client’s brand awareness, sales, profits etc.) . I am yet to find an interactive agency, for example, that actually knows financial, business processes or other details regarding the client. If they do know something it is not enough to understand the true business objectives the client is actually paying for.
I know this sounds a little too corporate. Maybe I do sound cheap and a little like a sell-out for actually bringing out this kind of not important details ( like client’s needs ) but we, the interactive agencies, won’t accomplish our true potential until we start trying hard(er). Learning harder. Doing research a little more. Listening more to what the client wants and understanding more what the client actually needs.
So – should I make the logo bigger?
Just because a client says something doesn’t make it right. But before you jump to conclusions think twice and try to see if you have all the data.
An agency has an “birth – given” right to say what is best in terms of advertising. However, saying it doesn’t mean jack unless it’s backed up by research, deep understanding of client’s business, continuous communication and yes … an open client.
Choose your clients carefully
The trouble with getting to be one of those agencies that “make the logo bigger when they want” is trust. Trust is hard to get. You have to work hard and deliver results. Yes, it’s frustrating and yes it takes a lot of time and work. Sometimes you work hard, do your job, create successful campaigns, help the clients and it just doesn’t work out.
Mainly because advertising is a people business and humans are not generally logical creatures. You have to take into account egos, corporate politics and many others.
Look for numbers. Set targets. If you achieve them you’re good. If you go beyond targets you’re great. If you do achieve them and you still don’t have a happy customer improve your communications. Constant reporting is a key factor to gain client trust.
Once you are good enough you can choose your clients. Don’t take any account. Choose the ones that best suit your company and to whom your agency is best suited to. Don’t think money unless you really, really, really ,”Ican’tpaythebills-really” have to. Think opportunities.
Once you chose to work with a client identify your success with his. If their business grows, so does yours. If they are successful, so are you.
What a client wants may be different from what a client needs
Sometimes you have to chose between doing the right thing for the client and doing what the client wants. What do you do then?
First of all you should look for all the possible approaches and try to see the problem from the client’s perspective. If it actually makes sense, do it. If it doesn’t – try explaining it to the client. Try to change his or her mind with logical, sustainable arguments.
If it doesn’t work out and you know the results can be disastrous step aside and inform the client you will not work against his interests. If you are a responsible company you will do this to help the client at all costs, even if this means loosing an account.
Don’t be afraid to speak your mind and sustain it with logical arguments. Doing that you will show some respect for the client’s business and yours.
