Agency Account Handling strives to distinguish between good account
handling and great account handling.
This book will help you understand the wider picture of client
servicing, give you satisfied customers and allow you to go home at
night with a smile on your face. In reality it may not avoid all
the ’blood, sweat and tears’ but it will certainly reduce them to a
manageable level.
Good account handlers know instinctively most of the principles
associated with effective client servicing. What results in great
account handling is the difference an individual makes, all those
little agency touches that add up to a competitive advantage and,
essentially, the decision by an individual to concentrate on the
right mix of priorities which will produce the most effective
results.
It should inspire people to strive for satisfied clients, fulfilled
professional lives and strong client service departments.
’This book is a beacon for account handlers, giving insight,
confidence and experience, whether you read it cover to cover or
dip into relevant sections.
It shines a light on the path to success for burgeoning careers and
wily old dogs alike.’
–Steve Aldridge, Creative Partner, Partners Andrews Aldridge
’Indispensable! A soup-to-nuts analysis of all aspects of account
management. A must for any ambitious account handler, from any
discipline, who wants to further their career.’
–Suki Thompson, Managing Director, The Haystack Group
’There is much to recommend Mike’s book. First, it fills a gap in
the market. I haven’t come across anything on great account
handling practice, previously. Second, it has terrific depth and
breadth. But what makes Mike’s book really special is that it is a
book to learn from. Having worked with Mike a lot over the last
five years I know that he knows his stuff. What I hadn’t realised
is that he has a rare gift for imparting his stuff in the
infectious way that is a pleasure to learn from.’
–Malcolm White, Executive Planning Director, Euro RSCG London
Innehållsförteckning
PREFACE xi
1 CHOOSING AN AGENCY 3
Preparing for the Search as a Candidate 4
Why Do You Want to Leave? 4
What Do You Enjoy/Dislike about Your Job? 5
What Sort of Person Are You at Work? 5
What Sort of People Do/Don’t You Get on With? 6
What Do You Think of Your Current Agency Culture and Style? 7
Where Do You Want to Be in Five Years’ Time? 7
What Position Are You Looking For? 7
How Have You Made a Difference in Your Current Job? 8
What Type of Agency Environment Are You Looking For? 8
How to Work with a Recruitment Consultant 9
As an Employer 9
As a Candidate 11
How to Prepare Yourself Mentally and Physically for the Interview 12
Before the Interview 12
During the Interview 13
After the Interview 15
How Agencies Could Improve Their Interview Process 15
Before the Interview 16
The Interview 17
Unacceptable Questions 19
Selecting a Candidate 20
Making an Offer 20
Selecting an Agency 20
2 STARTING TO WORK WITH A NEW CLIENT TEAM 25
How the Agency Can Ease the Induction Process 26
Not so Unusual First-Day Howlers 29
Starting off on the Right Foot 29
Doing Homework on Your New Client(s) 29
Your First Few Weeks 30
Getting Organized 32
How You Can Help Your Team and Clients to Work with You Better 37
3 THE DAY-TO-DAY RELATIONSHIP 43
What Clients Want 44
Managing the Client Relationship during Campaigns 49
Producing an Effective Creative Briefing 51
Creative Presentations to Clients 54
Managing Problems with a Creative Concept 58
Moving Concepts Effectively to Campaign Execution 60
Effective Campaign Communication with Internal Departments and Clients 62
Working with the Creative Product 63
4 CLIENT SATISFACTION 69
The Value of Focusing on Client Satisfaction 70
Customer Orientation 71
Instituting a Satisfaction Review Process 75
Improving Satisfaction through Performance 79
5 MASTERING THE MOMENT 83
Managing Difficult Situations 84
Exploiting Excellent Situations 94
Extending the Honeymoon Period 94
Extending the Success of a Campaign 95
Improving Your Presentations 95
Getting Involved in Pitches 98
6 LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF 105
Being the Master of Your Own Destiny 106
Setting Your Own Goals 109
Enhancing Your Performance Appraisal Process 110
How an Agency Can Maximize Personal Career Development 112
7 TAKING CARE OF THE FINANCES 129
The Principles of Running Campaigns Cost-Effectively 129
Campaign Budgeting 131
Securing Costs from Third Parties 134
Preparing an Estimate 134
Monitoring Costs 137
Invoicing the Client 138
Understanding a Campaign Financial Report 140
Reconciling Campaign Financials 144
Understanding an Account’s Financial Metrics 144
Agency Profit and Loss 144
Time Utilization/Billability 146
Work-in-Progress Analysis 147
Debtor Analysis 148
Budgeting and Forecasting 148
8 STEPPING UP AND OUT 153
Spotting Your Next Destination 154
Removing the Obstacles of Hard Work and Stress 158
Five Myths about Hard Work 158
Managing Stress 161
Equipping Yourself Well 164
Moving from Managing to Leading 167
EPILOGUE 175
REFERENCES 177
USEFUL INFORMATION SOURCES 179
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 181
INDEX 183
Om författaren
Mike Sims is Client Services Partner at Partners Andrews
Aldridge, London UK. He is responsible for agency resourcing and
overall agency delivery to clients. He has worked in both big and
small agencies and has been involved in all areas of account
handling, heading large and small client services departments.
Since his arrival at Partners they have become the first agency to
secure Campaign Direct Agency of the Year, the DMA Grand Prix and
Precision Marketing Agency of the Year at the same time.
His sector experience covers automotive, telecoms, IT and financial
services. He has worked on traditional and digital campaigns,
consumer and b2b brands, and has led pan-European accounts.
Prior to working in agencies he was a teacher and worked in
training and development in the marketing industry.
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