iv been working in the digital advertising industry for the past 3 years in account services (or client services), climbing from Account Executive eventually to Account Manager. now that im a strategic planner and no longer have responsibilities with client service iv decided to do a quick wrap up.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE (AE)
basic expectations of a new AE: schedule meetings, make sure everyone attends said meeting, attend meeting and write meeting minutes, make sure everyone knows what theyre supposed to do, make sure everyone does what theyre supposed to do
some AE are also expected to do basic research and summarize accordingly. iv done plenty of brand audits and competitive landscape reports.
AE usually are not expected to contact or communicate with clients but in some cases (if youre more reliable, or if your boss is too busy) you will be introduced to clients to follow up items directly.
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE (SAE)
basically the same as what an AE does with more expectations and less room for mistakes.
ASSOCIATE ACCOUNT MANAGER (AAM)
skipped this role cause it's the same shit as SAE, no idea why this position exists.
ACCOUNT MANAGER (AM)
at this point youre expected to be the driver and lead any meetings or conversations. youre the one that tells everyone why they are in the meeting and what needs to be done. in some cases the account director will do this, but if you are a GOOD account manager then the director will rely on you to do this (best to make this your standard otherwise youre basically an SAE, you need to step up as AM).
if you have an AE under you then you dont have to manage meetings anymore, instead you take more time to study and learn in terms of leadership and taking more responsibilities.
account manager should also have a better grasp of timing and budget expectations. AE is not expected to revise or feedback on timelines and quotations, but as an AM you should have more experience and have some idea of a benchmark. AM and AD will usually work together to communicate to client and negotiate the right terms for both parties.
account manager should also have a better grasp of timing and budget expectations. AE is not expected to revise or feedback on timelines and quotations, but as an AM you should have more experience and have some idea of a benchmark. AM and AD will usually work together to communicate to client and negotiate the right terms for both parties.
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER (SAM)
basically the same concept as AE jumping to SAE. at this point the AD will supervise less and expect the SAM to be more independent.
CONCLUSION:
in my opinion the role of account is underrated amongst other departments. our main role is to maintain relationship with client and ensure their expectations are met. more importantly that involves setting that expectation (a lot of times even the client is not 100% sure on what they want, and will rely on our expertise to advise them). the key to a good account is to balance standard and expectations of client AS WELL AS internal teams. your teams work and morale is almost as important as clients'. a creative designer that hates you will not be a good asset.
if i had to summarize a good account person in one line, id say "a likable someone who knows everything there is to know about the brand and client".
CONCLUSION:
in my opinion the role of account is underrated amongst other departments. our main role is to maintain relationship with client and ensure their expectations are met. more importantly that involves setting that expectation (a lot of times even the client is not 100% sure on what they want, and will rely on our expertise to advise them). the key to a good account is to balance standard and expectations of client AS WELL AS internal teams. your teams work and morale is almost as important as clients'. a creative designer that hates you will not be a good asset.
if i had to summarize a good account person in one line, id say "a likable someone who knows everything there is to know about the brand and client".
