Creative Agency Account Manager Podcast

Welcome to Episode 82. Emerging technologies like AI are taking the world by storm at the moment with the likes of Microsoft's Chat GPT, for example, and today's guest, Soumya Mohan, is the Co-founder of Poised, an AI-driven app that I've been using for a couple of months now. I believe it's pretty game changing for account managers to help them communicate on a much more deeper level with their clients. I invited Soumya to talk to me about it and share the features and benefits so you can decide for yourself. When using video conferencing tools like Teams, Zoom and Google Hangouts, it really is a very discreet and helpful way to improve your communication skills, and it will enable you to connect with your clients on a much deeper level. If you're in an agency account manager or director role, and you'd like to enhance your client growth skills, check out my Account Accelerator training programme. It's specifically designed to help you in your agency role and will give you a more systematic approach to client retention and growth. You can find all the details on my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills./training. You can also schedule a short call with me if you'd like to chat about whether this is a good fit for you.

Welcome to Episode 81. This episode is for you if you're looking for inspiration on how to enhance your clients' experience and lead them into the future. Katherine Strachan is the founder of Copy House, an award winning B2B content marketing agency for fast growing FinTech and Tech brands. In 2020, Kathryn was a freelance copywriter and just three years later, in February 2023, she has an agency with a team of 25 people. Her client base includes some of the biggest names in Tech and FinTech. She shares with me:- how she built the agency so fast- what she thinks it takes if you want to do the same- what's happening right now in the tech space and how she's supporting her tech clients- why she's building a client advocacy programme- how she's leading her clients into the future through education, and lots, lots more. 

Welcome to Episode 80. My guest is Mark Sainthill, an agency M&A expert. If you're an agency owner, you're thinking about selling either now or at some point in the future, Mark talked about the main things you need to consider if you want to sell and why market conditions and timing are really key. He also talked about what's most attractive to a potential buyer, and the actual process of selling. We discussed the future, and why agencies need to keep evolving their services to keep ahead of changing data protection rules, and helping clients explore different advertising channels. If you want to know what your agency could be worth, or if now could be a good time to sell, contact Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-sainthill/or perhaps get in touch with one of the team at Cactus: https://www.cact.usIf you have an account manager in your team, or perhaps you are an account manager and you're looking to upskill, my next agency Account Accelerator (TM) training programme starts on March 28th 2023.  You can read more here: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/training

Welcome to Episode 79. We're talking about personal branding, what it is, what it's not, and why my guest thinks many people are approaching it in the wrong way. Who better to talk about this topic than the founder of personal branding agency Great Influence, Ash Jones. Ash is the person who started working with Steven Bartlett on his personal brand when he founded his social media agency, Social Chain. Steven has  gone on to become one of the most influential voices in entrepreneurship. If this makes you think about your own personal brand, whether you're an agency owner, or agency account manager, and if you are an agency account manager and you've never received any formal training in account management, you might like to read more about my Account Accelerator training on my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/training.

Welcome to Episode 78. Today's episode is for you if you're an agency owner, busy running an agency, but also facing challenge or adversity in your private life. Rebecca McIntyre-Smith is director of digital agency Primate, and founder of the Lemur Foundation. She has a remarkably touching story of tragedy, adversity and resilience. She also shares her practical tips for other agency owners. If you'd like to be a guest on Rebecca's own podcast to tell your story, then you can contact her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccamcintyresmith/https://www.lemurfoundation.org/aboutAnd if you're listening to this at the beginning of 2023, and you want this year to be the year that you not only retain your agency accounts, but you grow your accounts, you can also connect with me on LinkedIn and let's talk about training for either you in your account management role, or a member of your team. You can also visit my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/training

Welcome to Episode 77. On this episode, I chat to Dan Archer, a marketing expert for agencies. This episode is packed full of practical tips to help you with your own agency's marketing. Dan shares with me:- the biggest challenges facing agencies when it comes to marketing their services- practical and actionable advice for how to approach it- what the most successful agencies right now are doing to market themselves- and why you don't necessarily have to be the agency personality on LinkedIn. If you're not already a member of the free Agencynomics community, then go to https://agencynomics.com. See all the benefits of joining, it's absolutely free and for the value that you receive, you will not be disappointed.Growing your existing accounts is one of the most overlooked sources of new revenue. If your account managers are proactively looking for ways to help your clients reach their goals, you will grow your revenue too. So if you have one or more account managers in your team and you want to make sure that they have the skills to retain and grow their accounts, then make sure you're setting them up for success by investing in formal training. You'll find more details about my training programmes on my website https://www.account management skills.com/training. You can also book a quick call with me to talk about your specific needs. 

Welcome to Episode 76. This is part two of a two part episode about raising your account management game. If you haven't listened to part one, I'd recommend you go back and give it a listen, it's episode 74. This two part series is relevant for you if you're in a more senior account manager role, and you want to either be promoted to account director, and you need to know what you need to do to get there, and you don't understand what tasks you need to do, how you need to be behaving differently to get that promotion. You might be sitting there frustrated that you aren't being recognised by your agency. So you want to raise your profile, or you're not really sure what you can do to be more effective in your account management role.I hope you enjoy this episode. If you'd like to raise your account management game, increase your confidence with your clients, add more value to your clients and be seen more as that trusted advisor that an reactive order taker, check out the details of my Account Accelerator programme. From January 2023, we not only have a nine week programme, where I work with you to help you not only with the core training principles, but also to implement what you've learned, we also have a taster version, which is a one week format. You work with me for 3 x 90 minute sessions over one week and you also get access to my online programme. Once you've been through that programme, you can join me in my Account Academy where you can connect with other people, and you have ongoing support with me. If any of this sounds interesting for either you or a member of your team, then go over to my website www.accountmanagementskills.com/training. 

Welcome to Episode 75 with my guest Beth Sharma, Client Services Director at Hallam.  This episode is for you if you're interested in any of the following three areas:You'd like to know what the Client Services Director does in an award-winning digital marketing agency.You'd like some tips on how to get more client recommendations.What it means for the client services team if you work for a B Corp agency.After listening, check out Hallam's impressive profile on The Drum Recommends.Given the current unstable economic climate, client retention for agencies is a real top priority right now. If you'd like some training for you or a member of your client-facing team in how to manage your client relationships, so you'll be seen more as a proficient proactive advisor, rather than a reactive audit taker, check out the details of my Account Accelerator programme. You can book a quick call with me to see if it's the right fit.

Welcome to Episode 74. I get to speak to a lot of account managers who work in creative agencies. And I get a lot of questions about how they can progress their career, how they can be better at the account management role, and some of the key things that are most important when it comes to being more efficient and more effective in the role. And I sometimes get people who are frustrated that they're not progressing fast enough, that they really want to get promoted. Perhaps they're at senior account manager level, and they want to go to an account director. So this episode is for you, if you're in more of a senior account management role position in an agency, and you're looking to step up to raise your game.Listen out for part two. If you'd like help raising your account management game, then take a look at my Account Accelerator programme, where you work with me for nine weeks. I help you with the tools, strategies, and all the support you need to implement a repeatable and systematic approach to account growth for your agency. For more details, please go to my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/training

Welcome to Episode 73. Are you asking your client for referrals to get more business, or does the very thought of it make you feel uncomfortable or awkward? If it does, you're definitely not alone. And you're also in for a treat because my guest, Stacey Brown Randall, will be providing guidance on how to get referrals without asking. Stacey has been helping agencies and service-based businesses for over 10 years, through her business, Building a Referable Business™, as the Award-Winning Author of Generating Business Referrals…Without Asking, and as Host of the Roadmap to Grow Your Business podcast.In this chat, she provides lots of tips, lots of reframing, and lots of different ways that you can approach the process of referrals. We all know it's cheaper and easier to get referrals rather than chasing new business, so these are some really special tips that Stacey shares.If you'd like to chat to me about account management training for you or your team, then head over to my website, https://www.accountmanagementskills.com/training and book a no-obligation call with me.