3 reasons to love working with your account manager

By HGB , Sep 21 2016

Over the years, I’ve come across a small percentage of clients that, for unknown reasons, give off the impression they’ve been forced into working with an agency or marketing consultancy.

Typically, they’re short in their answers; there’s very little conversational banter; and you can just tell they’re looking for an ‘out’ – any small stuff up that they can use to terminate the working relationship.

Sometimes it’s a simple case of having had their hands burnt by another agency in the past. Other times, they’re working under a directive from higher up the food chain. Either way, for someone like me, these clients represent a challenge to be taken head on. I mean let’s face it, who doesn’t want to prove someone’s preconceived ideas wrong?

Here are three fundamental reasons you should embrace working with your marketing consultancy and agency account managers:

1. They look and they listen

Even when the lights go down and the day is done, your account manager is constantly looking and listening out for opportunities to help generate leads and grow your bottom line. To the casual observer it may seem they’re just going about their day-to-day business – you know, catching the bus, reading the news online over a bite of sushi. All these perceived ‘down times’ are in fact little touch points with opportunity. A news story read can trigger an ambient stunt idea; passing a ‘for lease’ sign on the way to the sushi shop can trigger thoughts of a pop up shop for another client. In all facets of our hustle and bustle life there are countless opportunities – your account manager is hard wired to find them for you.

2. They aspire to be second

Yep, you read that right. In agency and marketing consultancy land the tables have to be turned – to be successful, they first need to have successful clients and campaigns. It’s in their best interest to make sure every post is a winning one, because a failed campaign can lead to other marketing partners being given a sniff of an introduction. For this reason alone a client’s success will always come first to an account manager, otherwise repeat business dries up pretty quickly. Now why would you choose not to work with a consultancy that worked on that philosophy alone?

3. Networking is their middle name

One of the most valuable assets an account manager invests their time into is networking. Be it clients, suppliers, media, researchers or other marketing managers, they’re constantly looking for ways to grow their contacts. Over time their contact list will become one of their most prized possessions. Why? Because they look to use it wherever possible to help their clients. It might be that a client has a new product to take to market, but has no distribution channels in place. Queue an introduction from your account manager to another one of their clients who does and is happy to discuss a profit sharing arrangement. Whilst you’re only paying for the account manager’s services, their robust network of contacts is a great example of added value.

At HGB we live and breathe these fundamentals of account management here in Hamilton.

If you’re looking for a marketing consultancy partner that will put your success ahead of their own, click on the link below to see what services HGB can provide for you.