Welcome to Episode 58. This episode is for you if you're wondering how an Account Director in an international network agency operates, and how they lead a team. Faizan Ali is an account director at VMLY&R, and he shares with me:- what makes a successful agency account manager- what each level of account management should do (account exec, account manager and account director)-  typical challenges you encounter in the role and some tips for how to overcome them. - why he likes to share tips about account management on LinkedIn- and his advice for anyone wanting to progress in an agency account management role. This is jam full jam packed full of tips, so I really hope you enjoy it. I'd also like to remind you that if you want to join me for my next nine week Account Accelerator training programme, it starts on 10th May 2022. I help you increase your confidence in the account management role. add more value to your existing clients in a repeatable way and grow your accounts. You get coaching from me, a system you can copy and adapt for your agency as well as the online programme to see if it's a good fit for you or your agency. You can find out more about the programme and book a 20 minute call with me by going to my website, www.accountmanagementskills.com. 

Welcome to Episode 57. What's the metaverse? How is it different to Web 3? What do agencies need to pay attention to? I chat to agency owner Ben Fryer from Diverse Interactive who has been helping his clients create virtual experiences for years. He gives us his take on the Metaverse and the opportunities for agencies of all disciplines.

Welcome to Episode 56. I chatted to the author of 'The Art of Client Service',  the legend that is Robert Solomon. If you haven't listened to his previous episode, number 46, I'd highly recommend you go back and have a listen because we talked about so many things relating to the account management role, including:-  why there are fewer account managers doing more with much less experience- why some people believe the account manager role is becoming extinct- and why often the work of great account management isn't recognised. In this episode,  Robert shares what to look for when hiring a great account manager, what he says to people who think the role of account manager is easy, and how to get respected by your colleagues as an account manager. And he shares some fantastic tips for how to manage challenging situations, which he's brought to life by telling a couple of his own account management stories.  As an account manager, I think you'll find this both informative and entertaining. If you haven't bought his book, please go and grab a copy of the updated third edition of The Art of Client Service, so many people in account management have found this book highly valuable. I'd also like to remind you that my next Account Accelerator training programme starts on 15th March 2022. The programme helps those in agency account management with a systematic approach to adding more value to your existing clients and growing the accounts in nine weeks. You join a group of peers in other agencies where you can share best practice, you get group coaching from me, as I walk you through the different strategies, plus access to an online programme so you can go through the content at your own at your own pace. So if you'd like a quick 20 minute call to see if it's the right fit for you or your agency team, send me an email to jenny@accountmanagementskills.com or book a call on my website www.accountmanagementskills.com. 

This episode is going to be particularly useful for you if you are managing your agency team remotely and want some tips and ideas for how to keep the team engaged. Today's guests Fiona Edwards and Katie Langdon have been running their very successful healthcare communications agency, Skin and Blister, remotely years before it became something we were forced to do in 2020 due to the global pandemic.They share:* Why they decided from the beginning to have this remote working model* The key areas they focus on to make remote working successful* Some practical advice and tips for you if you're struggling to manage your team remotelyand lots of ideas you may find useful for developing your leadership skills.I hope you enjoy my chat with Fiona and Katie and come away with some ideas for managing your team.If you'd like to receive weekly tips about agency account management and get notification of the topics I'm covering on the podcast then please sign up for my newsletter by going to the website www.accountmanagementskills.com.I am now taking bookings for my next Account Accelerator programme in March.  If you want to expand your current client relationships and you're working in agency client service, my Account Accelerator programme is designed specifically for you. By the end of nine weeks working with me, you'll have a repeatable client centric strategy and a plan to help add more value to the client business and increase revenue from existing accounts. Drop me a line at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com or find more details at www.accountmanagementskills.com/training

Welcome to Episode 54.  I spoke to Jessica Bowler and Iris Gatzweiler, two senior procurement clients who shared some insights into the pitching process. It's particularly useful for you if you want to know why clients typically pitch out for business, procurement’s role in the whole pitching process, how the brief is developed and some insight into how the final decision is made. There are also some shared examples of where agencies have performed particularly well in the pitch process. Don’t forget to go back to Episode 9, where Jessica and Iris talked about how to approach and develop relationships with procurement. And if you want to expand your current client relationships and you're working in agency client service, my Account Accelerator programme is designed specifically for you. By the end of nine weeks working with me, you'll have a repeatable client centric strategy and a plan to help add more value to the client business and increase revenue from existing accounts. Drop me a line at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com or find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyplant/

Welcome to Episode 53. On today's episode we  talk about making client relationships more profitable.Business growth consultant, Chris Merrington, shares some golden nuggets of advice about how agencies can be more commercially savvy.We covered so many different areas including:What clients really value and how to talk the client languageWhy you need to raise your prices and how to do itWhy you need to establish and nurture senior client relationshipsand so much more...At the end of the podcast, Chris makes a special offer to send three copies of his book to 3 people selected randomly who sign up to his monthly bulletin. This offer is valid until the end of January 2022 (although we do say the end of the year, because we recorded this episode in December 2021).So I'm going to give you a spoiler and suggest while you're listening to this fantastic episode, you go to Chris's website and be one of the first to sign up to his business insights bulletin. Please email him at chris@spring8020.co.uk to let him know you've signed up as a result of listening to this podcast.  http://spring8020.co.uk/.

Welcome to episode 52. Today we're taking a deep dive into the power of words with linguist Eloise Leeson.  Eloise works as a freelance communications consultant and copywriter for both agencies and brands and I think you'll find this interesting whether you're thinking about copy in the context of your client's business or your agency's business. She shares with me:1. How to recognise inherent bias in the copy you read 2. Some common mistakes businesses make with their copy and some practical tips to help you avoid them3. What holds us back from asking our clients for honest feedback about our business proposition and messaging4. Insights about what it's like to work as a freelancerAnd loads more nuggets of copywriting usefulness. I really enjoyed this chat, I learned a lot and felt I needed to completely overhaul my website copy afterwards!Please do get in touch with her if you think she could help you in your agency or for your brand communications. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eloiseleeson/If you don't want to miss an episode of this podcast and want to receive tips for improving your agency account management skills, then please go over to my website and sign up for my newsletter at https://www.account managementskills.com.  And make sure to connect with me on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyplant/Drop me a line and let me know who you'd like me to interview on this podcast.And finally if you're an agency account manager or director responsible for growing your existing client accounts and firming up the forecast but you haven't got a clue where to start, my Account Accelerator training programme might be for you. It's a repeatable client-centric approach to adding more value, being more consultative and ultimately increasing revenue and improving forecast certainty for your agency.  It starts on January 27th 2022 and if you'd like more information you can book a call with me to see if it's a good fit for you by going to my website https://www.accountmanagementskills.com.

Welcome to Episode 51. This chat is going to be particularly interesting for you if you're curious where agencies will be headed in the next 10 years. From everything I've researched over the last couple of months, the biggest change coming for agencies in the next decade is web3. Web3 is the next evolution of the Internet. And here to enlighten us about what web3 is, and how agencies need to be prepared for it is Jeff Kauffman Jr, Founder and CEO of Parachute, which builds and invests in web3 solutions for marketers and advertisers. If web3 is an area you want to keep your eye on, then join the Jump community and hundreds of other agency people and marketers who also want to stay ahead of what's changing. There's no such thing as a silly question in the community either. I've asked a few. We’re all learning together as web3 unfolds.  If you're an agency account manager and you want to invest in your career, and upgrade your account management skills, my next Account Accelerator programme starts on 27th January 2022. You'll work with me for nine weeks and gain the skills and a repeatable client centric approach to adding more value to your existing clients business, and growing your accounts. If this sounds interesting, then drop me a line at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com and we can see if it's a good fit for you. 

Welcome to Episode 50. This milestone episode is with Tom Ollerton, Founder of Automated Creative. If you're interested in seeing how artificial intelligence is being used by agencies right now, with some of the world's biggest client brands, to improve advertising performance, I think you're going to love this episode. If you're an account manager, you're looking for a new role, who likes the sound of working with such cutting edge technology and making an impact with his blue chip clients please visit my website and sign up for my newsletter at www.accountmanagementskills.com. You'll be sent regular updates about each of the podcast episodes, and tips for improving your account management skills. 

Today's episode will be particularly beneficial for you if you're an agency owner looking to grow. I chat to ‘Agencynomics’ co-author, Peter Hoole, about some common challenges faced by agency owners today, when it comes to business growth. We also talk about:·         the importance of looking at your team's skill set to make sure everyone's sitting in the right seats·         what point in the agency's revenue growth does an agency typically employ their first account manager?·         And the implications of having a hybrid account manager (someone who plays the combined account manager and project manager role, versus keeping the roles separate)Peter shares so many tips and lots of value during this interview. Don't forget to grab a copy of the book ‘Agencynomics’. I really don't know any agency owner who hasn't said it was a brilliant read.If you're an agency owner, and you want more certainty on your forecast when it comes to existing client growth, or you're an ambitious account manager who wants to know how to grow a client account, without being pushy and salesy, then my nine week Account Accelerator programme might be for you. You'll come away with a client centric system and repeatable approach to client growth. Drop me an email at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com and we can see if it's a good fit for you or your agency.