Everything You Wanted to Know About Account Management

All you ever needed to know about Account Management

All you ever needed to know about Account Management(from a media guy)

Be Professional• Be respectful of people’s time: Show

up to meetings on time, end on time• Be present, be engaged – not

checking email, phone or doing other work in the meeting– Computers closed (unless you are

taking notes)• If you can’t make a meeting, give a

reason as to why, in advance• Splel check. Small errors can distract

from the bigger picture of what you are presenting/communicating.

(Strong) Relationships

• Be honest, communicate often– If you have a solid foundation,

and have build trust, it is easier to have the difficult conversations when you need to

• Celebrate the “wins” and openly talk about any issues

• When communicating, consider your tone. Often, email correspondence can be misinterpreted

No One Has All the Answers

• Learn to say: “I don’t know, but I can find out”– Answer questions that you know, but don’t

fake it if you don’t know– *Give a date as to when you will get back to

them with the information• Always look to deliver the message in a

positive light– “I’m happy to do that but I’ll need to

reprioritize this to a later date…”

Communication• Touch base regularly with your account teams

and/or clients; develop an ongoing dialogue• Email is no substitute for face to face

conversation– Get up, walk over to their desk, speak in person

• Don’t assume that someone else is taking care of something. If you are on point, you are accountable

• If you are unclear ask – internal teams first, if no luck ask the client

• Document phone conversations with follow-up email and clear action items– “Thanks for speaking with me today… we agreed

that I would do XYZ by Friday and you would provide me with ABC by Tuesday…”

You’ve Got eMail• Who needs to be included in your response?

– Use “Reply All” sensibly• When differences of opinion arise in email –

connect face to face• Be thoughtful when you send emails. Avoid

shooting off quick messages• If you anticipate a few questions, collect

them all into 1 email• Organize the email so it is clear and concise

– A. – B. – C.

• Splel check and reread the email (out loud) before you send it

Sharing is Caring

• Share what you know and find with the team and clients– Makes us all smarter and

demonstrates thought leadership

• But before you do, add commentary - show how it applies or could apply to a client’s business– Demonstrates understanding and

provides business value

Dates ensure things move forward

• Provide dates and timelines – it aids in prioritization and keeps the team accountable. If the client doesn’t provide one, ask for one

• If you aren’t given a delivery date, ask for one/or recommend one

• Always give a date as to when you will follow up or what the next step is and when

Prep for Meetings

Share…in advance when possible, always at the start of the meeting

Agenda / ContextPurposeOutcomesPre-meeting requirements

Where is your meeting?

• Many times meetings occur at the client location– Be present whenever possible

• Customary for us to travel

– Use v-dash access to determine client and room availability

• Do you have travel time baked into your schedule?– Is it during rush hour?– Who is traveling with you?

• Do you have a room booked?• Do you have a dial in number?

In Meetings

• Be present – if you are going to be in the meeting “be in the meeting”

• Limit phone usage (phones down)• Take detailed notes for yourself -

designate a scribe if necessary• Determine action items• Assign responsibility and delivery

dates

Post Meeting (TPS Reports)

• Capture notes and send out a conference report to attendees (especially clients) - at minimum, document your “to-do” list with dates and send to participating parties and stakeholders• All decisions should be

documented and filed for future purposes