This series of articles looks at the world of the account manager.
This time we talk to Akshay Raja, Smith St – Coles Best Buys Engagement Manager
How did you end up account management? Was it by design or a cosmic accident?:
It was most definitely a cosmic accident. I landed my first account management role via on-campus uni recruitment. I did my undergrad in financial markets (in India) only to realise that I had no appetite for a career in finance. A media agency in India was hiring freshers for a junior account management role and with no formal education in advertising but only with interest and curiosity to do something different, I got the job. I realised that I really enjoyed communications and I was able to authentically express myself in the work we did. That made me feel confident and realise that this is where I want to grow.
I moved to working as an Account Manager in a creative agency in India on the Netflix India social account when they were launching in India for the first time!
Soon after, I realised that I wanted to formally hone my knowledge in the fields of advertising and communications so I moved to Melbourne and did my Masters in Marketing Communications which helped me land account manager roles in digital and creative agencies working across entertainment, retail and pharma clients.
From there, I applied to work at Smith St as an Engagement Manager for Coles Best Buys – which I believe has helped me hone my account management skills even more authentically with the opportunity to make it my own when it comes to ways of working.
Balancing clients’ objectives and creative vision can be challenging. How do you deal with that?
A key principle for me is to hold the line. Holding the line between a client’s expectations and creative output is critical.
I usually start by screening the client brief and asking questions. Once aligned, I believe the most crucial step is the first internal team briefing session. I break down client objectives into a debrief that works for the internal team – where goals, the ask and the timelines are clearly laid out. By this point, the expectations are set internally and with the client. This allows me to work with complete transparency and set the right tone for the entirety of the project.
Holding the line doesn’t mean being rigid – flexing between expectations and vision when it helps deliver a much better alternative is always a good thing! As an account manager, it’s important to note that while I work to achieve the client’s goal, I’m also the guardian of the creative team’s vision which inherently is meant to improve outputs. Establishing and continually building that trust with the internal team, allows me to also propagate creative visions clearly to the client.
What strategies do you employ to clearly convey creative ideas to clients and address client feedback?
Show and tell – cliched but relevant. The creative ideas developed for the client come from a journey – a journey of strategy, creative builds, iterations, scratches and then made into the output we see at the end. It’s critical to be a part of this journey to tell the story of how creative ideas were born. The best way to do this is to present creative ideas over a call with the client or in-person. This not only allows the creatives to showcase and talk through the journey but also allows the client to receive, react and respond in real time (oh, and witnessing the look of excitement on the client’s faces when they love the ideas, is priceless!)
We often work on tight turnaround times and this approach can also help speed up the feedback process as it reduces the back and forth that could otherwise arise.
How to build strong relationships with clients?
While every account manager has their own communication style, the one thing that everyone can agree upon is the power of check-ins.
Check in on the client’s expectations of you and the agency, check in on their objectives, future plans and most importantly, check in on them. It shows that you care. Clients also their own company KPIs to hit, juggling multiple campaigns and vendors. Having that check-in can sometimes be one of the most refreshing meetings in their stacked-up day where they get to chat with you and see exciting work that they can take pride.
I believe employing empathy in regular check-ins is a really good way to build trust with the client. Sometimes, just picking up the phone and rounding up the week’s updates over the phone on a Friday afternoon while chatting about the weekend plans and beating the ol’email check-in can be a welcome change!
Do you have any go-to tips for navigating challenging conversations with clients? And effectively selling an idea.
One of my hot tips would be to listen, absorb and then respond to a challenging conversation, with a reverse brief. When there is pressure of KPIs, that pressure is felt across client and agency teams alike. (Remember to hold the line!) It’s not personal when there’s a disagreement or challenging conversation. For example, it’s best to listen to the client's new brief, discuss it with the team, and once you’ve aligned internally, replay the ask and your understanding and implications/flags via a reverse brief. This shows that while you are putting your point forth clearly, you’re okay to work from a new place to achieve a common goal.
I think insights sell ideas. Always. The power of basing ideas in insights, truths, facts and relatable contexts helps the client to clearly see the creative’s point of view.
If your creative team wants to pitch something that is left field, leading with the expected creative response that answers the brief could work well! This puts everyone in the room at ease as they know that there’s always an idea that they have up their sleeve in case the ambitious idea is a bit too soon. At the same time, this allows the team to take pride in proactivity and the client can appreciate the creative journey even more.
Are there any emerging trends or challenges in the industry that account management teams should be prepared for?
The most obvious trend is the use of generative AI models, like ChatGPT and Mid Journey. in creative agencies.The key thing to note about this tech is how well do we, as account managers, embrace it. We need to approach AI as a supplementary tool to existing creative brilliance and to simplify processes.
AI models work on input which it takes as its ‘brief’. I strongly believe that if the briefing isn’t strong enough, any AI tool can fall flat.
Account managers can use AI tools with a solid brief to further improve workflow and conduct preliminary research to put all relevant data points in front of the creatives.
What advice would you give your younger self when you first started out in account service?
No one knows everything, it’s okay to ask for help as we’re all figuring it out. As a fresher, working in a fast-paced environment, you can often get caught up in the race to constantly prove to yourself and to others that you are on top of it. But sometimes, it’s probably okay to ask those silly questions, be open to feedback, decipher the cryptic brief to the best of your understanding and then some ask more questions to get it right.
Account managers have the responsibility to set the tone and the processes for a smooth functioning team, and to do so, you yourself need clarity. Seek help and guidance where needed, you will get the hang of it and then build on it, soon enough.
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