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I have worked on account management for over 20 yrs. Large international agencies, small boutique agencies. It can be very rewarding on a lot of ways. Developing strategies, managing through development and execution to ongoing optimization and increasing performance - whatever the goals are.
I will also tell you it can be the most thankless job in any agency. Rarely get credit for driving successful outcomes, or handling ongoing daily challenges to keep the business on track. Clients expectations can also be unreasonable - so have to balance between delivering for the client and taking care of your team (all depts) within the agency
AM will always be responsible for failure or problems and never get credit for success- we have to carry the weight and responsibility of any and all problems from both sides.
My advice would be -
1 - get a job with a larger agency in AM that is full service and manages integrated multi-channel campaigns.
Strategy, research, audience targeting and consumer behavior, product management and creative development, production, media planning and buying, analytics, events, etc.
work your ass off for 2 yrs and don’t turn down any assignments- in fact volunteer for things other people don’t want to do. Learn the fundamentals and foundations across every and all disciplines that you can and how they work together.
Be inquisitive but not needy and become a person that a Sr level person can count on to come to. You will get more opportunities that way than years of just doing your job.
2 - find a business category you love (is it B2C or B2B) within those is it CPG products, retail, pharma, e-commerce, etc.
filter it down to what you find interesting and get a job on the client side and leave agency life
You will have no life for 2 yrs while you are working as a jr AM within an agency - but those 2 yrs will put you so far ahead from a skill set and range of experience against your peers when you go to the client side.
Good luck!
This is great advice (from another person who’s been doing this for 20 years).
I'd say building relationships and connections with clients. There are a lot of possible career paths for this role depending on your goals. Why are you transitioning though if you don't mind me asking?
Thank you for your input! It sounds great.
To answer your question - I had to leave my previous employer because I relocated, and while looking for new opportunities, I was presented with an exciting AM role, but very new to me, so wanted to know more about it.
I just enjoy working with people, so it's a great fit for me. Plus, I love my team and my manager, so that helps with job satisfaction as well.
This job has the best work life balance I've experienced, despite the occasional late night. I've worked roles in business development, tech implementation, and operations.