The unsung heroes: How account managers make (or break) the agency/client relationship

The role of an account person is often underappreciated. There are awards for creative excellence, and praise for the results of tactical deployment. But account managers rarely receive credit when things go right – and often shoulder the blame when things don’t. 

But account managers are far more than just a point of contact – they’re experts in elevating strategies and masters of juggling resources. And the best of them make it seem effortless.  

A great client/account manager engagement can be the difference between an engagement ending after a single project – or being productive and profitable for years on end. 

We spoke to several longstanding Show and Tell clients about what they expect from the role, and what sets a good account manager/client relationship apart from a great one. 

The table stakes of account management 

When an account manager has a strong grasp of your organization, they go beyond parroting information back and forth between your team and their agency’s internal departments. Communications skills, among other assets, are simply table stakes. 

Ian Proven, Director of Business Intelligence at Value Partners Investments, agrees. “[Account managers] must be great communicators, organizers and team players. They must have a great understanding of the solutions that their organization provides for clients, and they understand the complexity and timelines with which those solutions can be deployed. They must be adept budgeters... And finally, they must be creative thinkers... to see and solve problems from many types of businesses and apply and adapt solutions from one account to another.”  

That’s a tall order.   

But when an account manager delivers, it results in what Proven describes as a ‘win-win-win'. “First, [account managers] ensure that the client wins: that the problem they want solved, gets solved,” explains Proven. “[Second], they engage their in-house team with meaningful, challenging and well-defined projects that foster teamwork, accountability and pride.” And, as an account manager becomes engrained in a client’s business, “they also periodically engage clients in discussions that root out strategic direction, pain-points or opportunities and bring forward ideas that will drive client success.”

Understanding your business the way you do 

In other words, knowing your business implicitly comes with the territory. While every member of an agency team has the business side of marketing on the mind, that’s an account manager’s primary purview. 

“A great account manager is business-minded, understands the constant trade-offs that go with the allocation of budget, and knows that ROI is king,” says Megan Adams, COO of Careica Health. “They need to understand the numbers. Marketing is not just advertising – it is the infrastructure that supports all sales activities, and it is this fulsome perspective that I value in an account manager.”

Address the problem, achieve the goal, on-time and on-budget. Account managers are accountable for making sure every agency suggestion, concept and solution meets that standard.

Their focus helps hone the efforts of the entire agency team – a task that requires some serious people-management skills. After all, an agency is a collection of subject matter experts – in digital marketing, creative execution, media placement, public relations, the use of artificial intelligence, etc. Directing the capabilities of all of them towards one integrated client solution is a job worthy of a ringmaster.

“A strong account manager becomes an extension of my internal marketing team,” explains Adams. “It is someone who understands my business and has a clear view to what we are trying to accomplish in a given year.”

Daniel Samphir, former Senior Marketing Manager with Univar Solutions, echoes this. “A good account manager,” he says, “should take ownership and recognize they are a valuable extension of the client's marketing team.”

“You,” when you’re not in the room

That’s what you’re on counting from your account manager. They'll embody your voice and vision within their agency. They’ll ensure your objectives, priorities and expectations are consistently represented. They’ll deliver solutions finely tuned to your needs – ideally getting it right the first time. 

“The importance of a strong account manager should not be taken for granted,” says Samphir. “As a marketing professional that has been involved in multiple brand and business launches, partnering with a fully integrated marketing agency with strong account managers has been critical to achieving strategic objectives and KPIs.”

This speaks to the tremendous level of trust that’s inherent in the account manager/client relationship. Clients need to know what they share with the agency will be represented accurately, their businesses interests will be advocated for, and their company’s performance will be prioritized – even when they’re not in the room.

What makes Show and Tell’s account team among the best

Sure, we’re biased.

But Show and Tell prides itself on having an outstanding account team that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of them. And the fact that our clients are willing to sing their praises in this article proves it.

We get your business

Our clients who have worked with other independent agencies like ours have noted what sets us apart from those peers: the level of business acumen our account team provides. While that kind of expertise is expected, it’s not always delivered, they’ve told us. And as their comments show, an account manager’s expertise and insight are valued highly.

We don't have a "B" team

For clients who’ve worked with larger, national and multi-national agencies, they’ve noted they feel they’ve often been assigned to the “B-team": that is, the senior folks who pitch their business, don’t actually work on it. By contrast, the team you meet is the team you’ll work with at Show and Tell. Even when your business grows to require multiple account contacts, we always ensure at least one senior team member serves as your ‘prime’ to align all your projects to your budget and strategy.

We've got a strong bench

Show and Tell’s account team runs the gamut from experienced, seasoned veterans to ambitious, emerging talent. They all share a commitment to exceeding our clients’ expectations – in how efficiently their projects will be managed, and how effective those projects will be in achieving results. And it’s common for them to help turn a single project into a multi-year strategic partnership.

We forge real client relationships

And – not that this is captured on a balance sheet, but...

Our account managers have been seconded for (multi-year, senior) positions within clients’ businesses. They’ve been invited to mediate contentious discussions within clients’ organizations. They’ve even been invited to clients’ weddings, had their clients throw baby showers for them, and been asked to participate in their clients’ elaborate marriage proposals.

None of these (real) examples is ‘typical’ of what’s expected in a traditional account manager role. None of them has ever been listed in the criteria in an RFP.

And though we can’t guarantee BFF status with your account manager, the relationships we’ve formed – over and over again – with our clients are testimony to how matching the right account manager with the right client can transform a business – yours, and ours.

If you’re looking for a great agency partnership – anchored by an outstanding account relationship – reach out.