In this blog, we’ll share with you a glimpse of the day-to-day work of an account manager in a digital marketing agency. Let’s dive in!
The main goal: nurture and maintain long-lasting relationships with clients
The account manager is the point of contact for my assigned accounts, and the liaison between them and the sales and customer service teams.
The job is not just about retaining clients and providing service, but also about growing their accounts and delivering value-added services that make them stand out from their competitors.
To achieve this goal, you have two main responsibilities: account management and service delivery.
Account management: the strategic part of my job
It involves planning, analyzing, and executing growth opportunities within the accounts.
To do this, follow a four-step account management process:
- Simplify: Customer improvement is about helping clients improve their business outcomes with the agency’s services.
- Enable: Drive growth conversations with clients. Provide them with strategic guidance and recommendations on how they can improve their business with the agency’s solutions. Use data, research, best practices, and industry expertise to support the arguments as well as using stories, testimonials, case studies, demos, etc., to show them how solutions have helped other clients achieve customer improvement.
- Structure: Clarify account management roles and job definitions to avoid confusion and conflict among team members.
- Validate: Make sure that clients are on board with the proposed solution, and that they understand the value proposition, the benefits, the features, the differentiation, and the return on investment of the solutions offered. And address any concerns or objections they may have, and negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract.
By following this process, you can grow accounts strategically through upsells and cross-sells.
Service delivery: the operational part of my job
Service delivery is the operational part of the job. It involves managing, coordinating, and executing the services that we provide to our clients.
To do this, follow a three-step service delivery process:
- Manage: Set clear expectations with clients about what they can expect from the agency, what are the timelines, milestones, deliverables, budgets, etc. Also, monitor the progress of the service delivery process, track the performance metrics, report on the results, and collect feedback from my clients.
- Coordinate: Elaborate the service delivery process with the internal and external stakeholders. Communicate regularly with the clients about the status of the service delivery process, any issues or changes that may arise, and any requests or suggestions they may have. Also communicate regularly with the team about the client’s needs, expectations, satisfaction level, etc. Coordinate with any third-party vendors or partners that may be involved in the service delivery process.
- Execute: Ensure that you deliver high-quality services that meet or exceed the client’s expectations as well as what you deliver on time and within budget. Make sure that you follow up with clients after the service delivery process is completed to ensure their satisfaction and loyalty.
Why to do it: enjoyment and reward
Account managers enjoy working with different clients from different industries and backgrounds. They enjoy learning about their business, their goals, their challenges, their needs, and their opportunities as well as enjoy helping them improve their business with digital marketing agency solutions and services.
It’s rewarding to see the results of the work, to see how solutions and services help the clients achieve customer improvement, and to see how clients appreciate the work and trust the agency as their partner.
Being an account manager is not easy, but it’s fun and fulfilling. It’s a role that requires a lot of skills, tools, and passion.
A knowledgeable account manager is a key factor in choosing a digital marketing agency. They will act as the link and the mastermind between you and the agency.