Creative Agency Account Manager Podcast

Janet Murray, a seasoned business strategist, copywriter, and founder of an education company, shares her insights on creative marketing strategies for agencies. She dives into 'campaignomics,' revealing how strategic planning can boost lead generation and sales. Janet discusses overcoming mental barriers in marketing outreach and the importance of nurturing client relationships. She highlights the value of impactful testimonials and audience-focused marketing efforts, all while advocating for engaging public speaking to maximize agency growth.

Welcome to episode 131. If you are a healthcare communications agency owner, or an account manager working in healthcare communications, and you're looking to stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of pharmaceutical marketing, then this episode is for you.I'm joined in the studio by Jonathan Gwillim and Kate Eversole from PharmaBrands. They are the organisers of the upcoming Age of AI Europe event, which, if you're listening or watching this at the beginning of 2025, is happening on March 4th in London.This is Europe's leading conference in GenAI in healthcare marketing and it features expert speakers from companies like Google, AstraZeneca, Novartis, ITV, Novo, Nordisk, Boehringer, Ingelheim and many more. In this episode, Jonathan and Kate share of insights about how healthcare agencies and their clients are using GenAI right now.They also share how creative directors feel about Gen AI's impact on the industry, and Kate also shares practical steps you can take as an account manager to confidently embrace AI in your role and some tips for having conversations with your clients.You can connect with Kate and Jonathan via LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateeversole/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jongwillim/There were several resources and links mentioned in our recording:The Age of AI event, March 4, London: https://www.pharmabrands.ca/age-of-ai-europePharmaBrands report on AI literacy: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65b7dd23f5d4facb3c95fdf7/678e3106eb089ba6a175a282_AI%20Literacy%20Report_2025%20(3).pdfFree webinar on Gen AI 101 : https://www.pharmabrands.ca/webinarKlick and Guardrail reference: https://www.klick.com/news/ai-compliance-breakthrough-wins-klick-prize-results-signal-industry-trendsRecommended newsletter from Klick on all things health marketing: https://www.klick.com/klickwireSyneos Health reference: https://pmsociety.org.uk/results/pm-society-digital-awards-2024-results/pm-society-digital-awards-2024-digital-agency-of-the-year/& their trends report: https://www.syneoshealth.com/insights-hub/2025-health-trendsPfizer and Publicis reference: https://digiday.com/marketing/with-charlie-pfizer-is-building-a-new-generative-ai-platform-for-pharma-marketing/Sanofi reference: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexzhavoronkov/2023/06/21/sanofi-goes-all-in-on-ai/Novo Nordisk reference: https://www.novonordisk.com/content/dam/nncorp/global/en/investors/irmaterial/cmd/2024/P10-Data-Science-and-AI.pdfAI driven Video - Cires 21: https://www.cires21.com/Text to speech leader - Eleven labs: https://elevenlabs.io/Great content on marketing AI - Marketing AI institute: https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/Tool to reduce meetings - Loom: https://www.loom.com/

Welcome to episode 130. I’m joined by Leadership Coach and People & Culture Consultant, Theresa Carter.  Agencies are people businesses, so it's essential to the success of the agency to attract and recruit the right people with the right skills for the right roles. And this also means that, as the agency grows, the needs of the business change.  For example, you might start your agency with small national clients, and then as you expand, you might begin to serve multinational clients that are much bigger, that operate differently. You might need different team members with different skills and experience that suits the agency's evolving needs.  All of this starts with aligning your business goals with a solid people and culture plan.  In our chat, Theresa Carter shares:  ·         how to create your people and culture plan from your business goals·         what happens when some of your team members are in the wrong seats·         how to deal with that·         how to create some accountability for delivering your people and culture plan·         and lots more.   If you want some guidance to build a really strong and successful agency team that's totally aligned with your values, then please do get in touch with her via email: theresaaustincarter@gmail.com or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresaaustin/ And if you're responsible for the retention and growth of your existing client relationships at the agency, then you can go to my website, https://www.accountmanagementskills.com and sign up for my newsletter where I share agency account management tips, strategies, mini trainings, and also key points covered by my expert podcast guests. 

Welcome to episode 129. In this episode Jenny breaks down the three key areas to focus on if you want to maximise the growth of your existing client accounts in 2025:1. Finding COMMERCIAL CLARITYAgencies who predictably forecast revenue growth from existing accounts are clear where to focus their team's efforts and provide sufficient time and support for developing an account growth strategy. They have client development plans in place and work differently with 'growth' clients than ‘maintenance’ clients.2. Having CONSULTANCY CAPABILITYSpotting account growth opportunities and proactively developing ideas and solutions for them requires a consultative skillset and entrepreneurial mindset. Client-facing team members need to be able to have conversations about adding value and ask for testimonials and referrals comfortably.3.  Embedding CULTURAL CONTINUITYTo make account growth systematic and scalable it needs to be embedded as a defined repeatable process in the agency that’s followed by everyone. A process helps new joiners hit the ground running and ensures client-centric behaviours are ‘hard wired’ into the business.She shares soundbites from participants of her Account Accelerator programme who provide tips and examples of how they’ve implemented strategies in each of these areas.If you’re considering improving your client retention and growth skills, check out the training options on our website, https://www.accountmanagementskills.com and if you’d like to discuss your training needs with Jenny you can book a 20 minute call here: https://calendly.com/jennyplant/account-accelerator-discovery-callSign up to receive our regular newsletter where we share account management tips, and notify you of upcoming podcast guests and trainings.

Welcome to episode 128. This conversation is going to be particularly interesting for you if you’re keen to develop your leadership skills.It’s for you if you’re currently in charge of the agency and leading the whole team OR you’re leading an AM team within the agency - and you want to go from being a ‘good’ leader to being a ‘great’ leader.Founder of Navigate The Journey and author of ‘What If There’s More?: Finding Significance Beyond Success’, Traci Schubert Barrett shares actionable tips and advice on how to lead with purpose, navigate the complexities of scaling an agency, and foster authentic connections both with your team and your clients.Whether you’re an agency owner grappling with leadership challenges or an account manager aspiring to step into a leadership role, this chat is packed with wisdom and practical takeaways to help you grow.You can connect with and find out more about Traci Barrett here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracischubertbarrett/Book: https://a.co/d/184VveLWebsite: https://www.navigatethejourney.com https://www.tracischubertbarrett.comIf you’d like to stay updated with more tips and resources to enhance your account management skills, be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter at https://www.accountmanagementskills.comYou'll receive updates about new podcast episodes, expert guest announcements, and information about training courses designed for creative agency account managers at all levels.Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast, leave us a review, and share this episode with a colleague who could benefit from these insights.

Welcome to episode 127. Thank you for listening in 2024. Looking back at this year, I’ve been reflecting on the superb guests I’ve had on the show. I thought I’d select a handful of soundbites from this year’s podcast episodes to share with you.This isn’t a comprehensive list - there have been so many standout moments - but these clips include tips, advice, or insights that stayed with me. I’ve shared 10 soundbites that I hope you find as useful or insightful as I did.Stick around until the end to hear a clip from one of the most popular episodes and one that I received the most positive feedback from listeners! You can also read more about each of these guests by visiting this episode's page on my website here: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/top-10-tips-insights-from-the-podcast-in-2024-with-jenny-plantThese episodes are mentioned:1. Episode 125: Dan Pfister, "How to Win Back Clients for Exceptional ROI"2. Episode 120 & 121: Carey Evans & Simon Rhind-Tutt, “What Your Client Don’t Tell You”3. Episode 116: Jack Skeels, "Why Agencies Need to Rethink Project Management"4. Episode 117: Tim Williams, "Why Time-Based Pricing Doesn’t Work"5. Episode 114: Gareth Healey, "Stand Out or Die"6. Episode 115: Tim Riesterer, “Why selling to client and prospects is different"7. Episode 109: Michael Farmer, "Why the Agency Business Model Isn’t Working"8. Episode 91: Sharon Toerek, "How Agencies Are Navigating the Legalities of AI Use"9. Episode 111: Alison Coward, "How a Workshop Culture Builds High-Performing 10. Episode 105: Benjamin Dennehy & Marcus Cauchi, "How to Sell"If you’d like to be kept up to date with who is coming on the podcast, the topics we’re covering, receive tips about agency account management or to be notified about trainings I’m doing, you can sign up for my newsletter at my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com

Welcome to episode 126. In this episode, I chat to Brian Jacobs (Founder, BJ&A) and Crispin Reed (Founder, Skyscraper Consulting) about what’s wrong with the advertising industry.  And what specifically prompted the launch of their ‘Who Cares?’ initiative, aimed at tackling the pressing issues affecting the advertising industry today.We cover:·         what's actually wrong with the industry itself·         the need for greater creativity and transparency in advertising·         how Brian developed the ‘Who Cares?’ idea·         how a one-off event has turned into a well-supported movement·         how industry stakeholders can get involved to collaborate on initiatives I do hope you’ll listen to this important discussion and visit https://www.advertisingwhocares.org to find out more and get involved. If you’re an agency owner and would like to discuss account retention and growth training and coaching options – or would like to reserve a spot for the next Account Accelerator (January 2025) - you can schedule a no obligation call with me to discuss your needs, via my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/account-accelerator

Welcome to episode 125. Have you ever considered contacting your old clients to see if they’d like to work with you again? If not this episode may change your mind. Dan Pfister is the master of running client winback campaigns and here’s what he shares with me:·       The compelling reasons why WinBack campaigns could be the most successful and profitable thing you ever do to grow your business (the ROI is staggering)·       A step by step guide to how to approach running a client winback campaign – and what to avoid·       Results and examples of campaigns from many companies who have been successfulDan is very passionate about this topic and he had me gripped with this episode, I hope you’ll end up putting some serious thought into running a client win back campaign after listening to this compelling chat. If you haven’t already you can find his book “Million Dollar Winback” on Amazon now. You can also connect with Dan here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmpfisterhttp://winbacklabs.com/If you want to receive weekly tips on agency account management, learn strategies for client growth, get notified for any trainings I’m running and stay in the loop about our upcoming podcast episodes, be sure to sign up for my newsletter at https://www.accountmanagementskills.com

Emily Brown, Client Services Director at Receptional, has over 12 years of experience and previously worked at IPG Media Brands. Joining her is Matt Loughlin, Partner and Commercial Director with 16.5 years in the field. Together, they delve into the transformative role of a head of client services, sharing insights from Emily's impressive first 90 days and the significant impact on the agency's operations. They discuss evolving client service strategies, the shift towards accountability within teams, and the importance of networking in enhancing client relationships.

Welcome to episode 123. This episode will be particularly interesting for you if you're responsible for your agency's internal operations. You might be the operations director, head of project management, or even a client services director, but if you think your internal agency operations could be more efficient and streamlined, then this episode is for you.  Harv Nagra is an agency ops consultant, a former in-house agency ops director, and Head of Brand Comms at agency work management platform Scoro. He's recently launched The Handbook: The Agency Operations Podcast. Here’s just a flavour of what Harv shared in our chat:·         how to assess how developed your operations are using a five-stage business maturity model·         what you should typically have in place at each of the five stages and what actions you need to take to move to the next stage. ·         and some of the key trends Harv is seeing for agencies when it comes to operations.  Please do follow Harv on LinkedIn because he shares really good insights and tips about agency operations and project management.  http://linkedin.com/in/harvnagra  The Handbook: The Agency Operations Podcast:Podcast on Apple: https://apple.co/3y2R8DNPodcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Lrg9f0 If you'd like to hear about my upcoming podcast episodes, account growth training sessions, tips about account management and news about the agency industry, you can sign up to receive my regular newsletter by going to my website, https://www.accountmanagementskills.com, or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyplant