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ZS Associates
I have a couple of questions for ZS fishes-
1. Is it possible to turn down a promotion at ZS? I'm currently happy with my responsibilities as a Decision Analytics Consultant and don't want any added responsibilities in the near future (next 5 years)
2. Is it possible to shape up a career path in the BC stream which doesn't involve business development? I don't want to get into working on SOWs and RFPs.
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Hi,
Is anyone facing same situation?
Additional Posts in Account Management
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Building and maintaining relationships is key. I would investigate where your current role overlaps with account management. Read a few articles and make lists of the skills that are mentioned within. Soft skills are super valuable in the field -- communication, strategy, leadership, negotiation, etc. IMO, account management is more of a farmer role vs. a hunter role.
This is a great description, farmer vs hunter. Love it
Being able to deal with finicky clients and not lose your patience - that's major. But you're getting some solid advice here, all jokes aside. The best AMs are those that are able to communicate the value of services without being crazy upselling or alienating clients. Being a hunter is great, of course, but don't do it at the expense of a relationship
Thank you so much for sharing your valuable thoughts❤️
Communication skills is very important. At the same time, you need to learn to listen. You will have conversations, demos, and meetings to close a deal. So communication and listening skills makes it the top most important skill you need to have. Then strong sense of leadership. An account manager is accountable for the overall management of sales and relationships with customers of the company. Account Managers are always on the lookout of developing and maintaining a strong relationship with the customer by addressing their concerns and needs.
Thank you so much for sharing your valuable thoughts❤️
Absolutely crucial. The Account Manager is the mediator between the client and the rest of the agency. Understanding how to negotiate between the clients' needs and your own expertise as an agency is the mark of a great Account Manager
Be an expert - this includes your client's brand, their category & competitors, the industry, marketing trends, packaging trends, digital trends; everyone comes to you because youre the expert of whatever it is everyone is working on. How? Basically live your client's category and product as much as you can.
Be honest, knowledgeable and professional. Respect people and keep your word. There are a lot of people giving them bs everyday, you have to own their trust. Really try to help them. If you can't, say that. Don't just try to sell. Always smile :)
Add to the above comment, problem solving skills, dealing with stressful situations, presentation skills, CRM, and Microsoft Office knowledge (especially Word, Power Point and Excel).
There's a huge range of positions out there, so it might be easier to look at a few job descriptions to determine which companies you want to work for and tailor your resume and interview answers to that.
Thank you so much for sharing your valuable thoughts❤️
Think critically about when you need to force a creative change through on behalf of a client, and when you need to simply say 'no' to them. Lots of marketing teams cover a broad range of responsibilities, so they won't be creative experts... educating them is really important.
As an account manager, good communication is key to your job. Make your emails to clients, creatives, etc as clear and easy to understand as possible. If you need to get an answer on something, make sure you specify that in the subject line. For example, "please reply: artwork options."
When working with clients - be proactive!
This is my #1 tip, it will help you not only stay ahead of the curb for client needs but it puts you in a position to anticipate client needs before they even ask. Now THAT, gives you awesome leverage to succeed. They’ll always appreciate it!
My top tip is to always be solutions focussed with all stakeholders. It’s about managing peoples expectations to mitigate any unwarranted surprises. Hope this helps!
Be dependable, reliable, trustworthy, etc. Whether that just means to meet deadlines, having every detail memorized, or be available every minute of the working day, your client should feel their work is in good hands. Sometimes this means doing extra shit that does nothing to help the work, but will put your client's mind at ease.
The best account executives know there customers really well. By going as deep as you can, you are not only providing good customer service, but you can also be an asset to your marketing and product teams. Companies that are worth their salt want clients that have higher lifetime value.
A lot of good points have been put out here. Apart from normal relationship skills I think real loyalty to your customer is especially important. Show your interest. Ask questions.
Use their product privately if you can. This way you can come up with a lot of good ideas (possibly to sell to them) but also unrelated possibilities to your business but that might help theirs.