Welcome to Episode 58. This episode is for you if you’re wondering how an Account Director in an international network agency operates, and how they lead a team.
Faizan Ali is an account director at VMLY&R, and he shares with me:
- what makes a successful agency account manager
- what each level of account management should do (account exec, account manager and account director)
- typical challenges you encounter in the role and some tips for how to overcome them
- why he likes to share tips about account management on LinkedIn
- and his advice for anyone wanting to progress in an agency account management role.
This is jam-packed full of tips, so I really hope you enjoy it. I’d also like to remind you that if you want to join me for my next nine-week Account Accelerator training programme, it starts on 10th May 2022. I help you increase your confidence in the account management role, add more value to your existing clients in a repeatable way and grow your accounts. You get coaching from me, a system you can copy and adapt for your agency as well as the online programme to see if it’s a good fit for you or your agency. You can find out more about the programme and book a 20-minute call with me here.
Transcript
Jenny 00:01
Today, I’m delighted to be joined by Faizan Ali. Faizan is an account director at VMLY&R. Now, the reason I invited him onto the show today is because I’ve been following him for a while on LinkedIn. And I’ve been really, really impressed with how many tips he’s been sharing about account management. So, this is my opportunity to dig in a little bit further, to kind of understand more about who he is, why he enjoys sharing so many tips and tricks for account management, and to get to know his background. So, Faizan, a very warm welcome to you.
Faizan 00:36
Thank you for having me, Jenny. It’s an honour and pleasure, and I’m super excited to be here. And a bit nervous as well.
Jenny 00:44
Please don’t be Faizan. Honestly, this is a really informal chat and I know that you’re going to share so much value. So, no pressure whatsoever. Do you want to start by just spending a few minutes just telling us a bit about you? And particularly for those listeners that want to get into account management, how you found yourself in account management. So, give us a bit of a background?
Faizan 01:05
Sure. So, I don’t know if you can see it clearly in the background? This is what I wanted to be back in school days- an astronaut. But I soon realised that this is not going to happen because of various reasons. So, I have worked in account management, in advertising agencies mostly. And it’s one of those careers that you get to know when you’re not in school or university. So, you don’t talk about account management at all, like an astronaut. Because when you think of an ad agency, the first thing comes to mind is creative, right? But I was fortunate to take this part. And here I am. I have worked in a few famous global agencies. And then currently, as you mentioned that I’m currently working as an account director at VMLY&R. I worked in Pakistan, where I’m from, United Arab Emirates and now in Canada, which are three completely different markets. And I’ve worked on multiple categories. But the most unique for me was to manage a fruit brand, which was a kiwi. And that was fine and very different from the rest of the stuff that we usually do. And I absolutely love account management. And I consider it an integral part of the agency. And not many people take account management seriously. And that’s why my goal is to help account managers as much as possible and hence the LinkedIn posts as well.
Jenny 02:46
What an amazing story. So, you wanted to be an astronaut, but you ended up being an account director, that is the first time I’ve ever heard that. That’s amazing. That’s funny. You never know, one day, Faizan, your path might change. Listen, it sounds to me, like you’ve had a huge amount of experience as well, having worked in three different markets, multiple brands, and presumably in different levels of these global ad agencies. So, I’m really keen to dive in. And, I have to say that your passion does shine through about account management. And just before I dive into the questions, I want to understand what drives you to post on LinkedIn so regularly, and share your advice and tips?
Faizan 03:30
So, I started following you by the way. I truly admire what you do and how much effort you put in building account management so thank you for that. And I saw that whenever you speak to an account manager, they never said process or something that they can follow or somewhere that they can go and look out and try to figure it out, like how management works. So that’s why I thought that maybe these little snippets, I can start posting it, maybe that’s how someone might get some information that might help them in their career in the future as well. So that’s how it started. There is no other motivation or reason behind it.
Jenny 04:14
Fantastic. Okay. And even though there’s no other motivation around it, have you found that any of your current clients have kind of picked up on the fact that you are sharing advice. I mean, I know that you are followed by the account management community, but have clients picked up on this?
Faizan 04:34
I mean, I do get comments and messages from some of the other clients as well. And it’s mostly about how am I helping the account management team and sometimes they message like, we truly admire and we 100% agree that you’re saying these things and someone has to take a step on this and try to help others as well.
Jenny 05:05
Great. That’s brilliant. I mean, it’s good I think also to raise your personal profile, to be sharing so much. So many tips, I think, Faizan, so you’re not only coming to the attention of the account management community but also clients, colleagues. And I think what I’ve always tried to do is to encourage account managers to post and to be active on LinkedIn, for their own careers and networks, but also to help people like you say. So, going back to the account management role, what for you makes a successful account manager?
Faizan 05:45
Okay, so this is kind of a huge question. And I think there are quite a few points that can help an account manager stand out from others and be successful. I list them down, and then we can discuss it briefly, every one of them. So, the first one would be from my side, passion, clarity, proactivity, consistency, having the point of view as well, and the mindset as well. And I can talk about these briefly, and just please stop me if I take a lot of time, because sometimes I get passionate and I keep on talking!
Jenny 06:26
Faizan you can take as long as you want! Seriously, this is brilliant so far, carry on.
Faizan 06:31
So, as I said, the first and foremost for me is passion. So, passion for the job, because as you know, this is not an easy one. And I’m sure you would vouch for it. Passion to keep on going no matter what. Passion to help achieve the creative thinking, the best creative execution as well, which would also have an impact on the financial performance of the agency and the client business, because that’s why we’re here, right? The second would be the mindset of helping because that’s what you’re doing. You’re truly and genuinely trying to help the clients achieve their business goals by getting the right information from them. And then you’re helping the team, the internal team, as in by making their jobs easier by sharing, inspiring brief, communicating clearly, setting realistic expectations and above all, having their backs as well. So, for me, my team comes first and then the client because if they’re happy, then they will be able to focus more and do the job properly as well. The other would be proactivity. And this is huge for me because if you look at it, every account manager follows a somewhat similar process and delivers a project. But it’s just the little details and going that extra mile that helps you stand out and be proactive. And something as simple as scheduling your day, instead of letting your inbox define it. At the start of the day, or even before that, and I remember you mentioned it as well that you should know what you have to do.
You don’t have to wait for anyone to tell you what to do. In fact, you’re the one updating everyone on what’s next, because you’re the project owner. So, you have to own this. And in proactivity as well, it’s more about you have to always look for new ideas and opportunities to build and grow the business. And because sometimes we get so busy in the day-to-day stuff that we’re not thinking of new opportunities and all that. And it’s simple. It can be as simple as like if there is any new technology in the market that might interest the client, something you saw that you think would work for your brand as well. So, it’s just the little things, asking about new projects, updating the clients regularly. Following up with them, rather than they follow up with you. And which I think is one of the worst things when a client is following up on a project. That means that you’re not on top of your game. And it’s just that simple. So, it comes down to proactivity.
And there are so many things. But I think clarity is also one of the main important points because you have to make the information clearer, simpler and easier for everyone. And the clearer you are on what you want your team to do, the easier your life and their life will be. And it’s just that simple. I read somewhere that your account management is only going to be as effective as the time spent making the complex information simple. And you know, sometimes clarity takes time. You might have to get on calls with the clients multiple times, even for your internal teams as well, to clarify, and it’s kind of okay, because you’re actually helping everyone to reduce the back and forth. So, you have to be clear on that. And because we’re not hired as an account manager, you’re not hired to just deliver stuff. You know, you’re not a delivery person, because that’s what he does. He doesn’t check what’s inside the parcels. He just delivers the stuff at a given address. But for an account manager, once you get a request, you have to question and understand the ask, decode it, question it and then simplify it in the language that the team will understand and make it actionable as well. So, it’s not just about simplifying it, it’s about making direction and actionable as well. Because if you’re sending an email without next steps, it’s just an update email. So, you’re just making it clearer and easier for everyone. The other point of view, the account manager should have, because we have so much information, or should have so much information about the industry, the brand, competitors, clients, projects, budgeting, on and on. And with all this information, if you still don’t have a point of view, then there is a bigger problem, right? Because you have so much information. And
I think that account managers should always have a point of view. And they should always share their thoughts, their ideas, their recommendations, or something that they would know that the client might prefer, because of their past interactions with the client.
And the last would be from my side, is the consistency, as I mentioned. And I read this quote from Simon Sinek, a few days ago, and I’m not a huge follower of all his teachings, but this really struck me, and I think this can be applied to account management as well. He said, ‘What does brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes achieve?’ And he said, ‘Nothing unless you do it twice a day, every day’. So, it’s the consistency, the accumulation of brushing your teeth every day, that protects them and prevents them from falling out. And I think it’s the same that can be applied to account management as well. So, you have to be consistent. You have to be consistently helping the client and the team. Consistent in writing great briefs, organising your work properly, managing their time and your team and clients and their expectations. So consistently do the best work. And I was reading another article, I have started to read a lot on time management as well. So, I read this quote from Jamie Elliott, who is the CEO of The Gate. He said that “account management is a little like a football referee – when it’s all going well, no one notices you. But when shit hits the fan, then all eyes are on you”. So, I think this is absolutely true for our profession!
Jenny 13:07
That is so true. Honestly, what an inspiring list. Do you have anything else written down? Honestly, that was fantastic. Thank you so much. I think everyone listening to that was probably nodding along thinking, Oh, my goodness, yes of course, of course. So, tell me, what became clear as you were going through all that list was how multi-skilled an account manager needs to be, and those leadership skills that they need, because this isn’t just about the clients. To your point, this is also about the motivation of the internal team, your internal customers. So, no surprise, it’s one of the hardest jobs in the agency. So, I suppose the question probably people might be thinking is, how do you do it, Faizan? I mean, you’ve clearly got the passion. So, that’s probably your internal driver. But when you were going through the list of everything you have to do, do you have any tips that you can share with anyone listening about how you organise your day, from a really practical perspective, in order to get it all done?
Faizan 14:13
Yes, I think the first thing is getting up to speed or getting really good at project management. Because for an account manager, he or she has to be a project manager at heart. Because if you’re not on top of managing your projects, you will struggle because client relationships and internal relationships can definitely help but only to a certain extent because in the end, you have to deliver projects. So, you have to manage your day, manage your workload, fill the status properly, organise the file. So, it all starts with project management. And then you have to be clear, as I mentioned, what are you going to do today? What I do is that whatever is the hardest thing that I have to do on that day, I will start with that. So that gets over and then I focus on the rest of the stuff. So, it’s just little small things that I can do to help out.
Jenny 15:15
Do you use a physical list? Do you do lots of lists? Or do you have a time management process or system that you follow that’s online?
Faizan 15:29
There are a lot of tools. And by the way, I usually use Excel and PowerPoints, which might make me feel like an old school, but it just really helps for me as well. So, I don’t have to worry about the other stuff. Because I think it all comes down to the point that if you’re updating something, you have to do it regularly. If you’re not doing it, then I don’t think anything can help out.
Jenny 16:02
And do you have an internal project management system you use? Or do you still use Excel?
Faizan 16:08
So we use Excel a lot. And I was saying that there are so many tools – Monday, Asana and Notion – but whatever feels like fits your style, you just have to follow that, stick to it and update. Otherwise, you can do it on a notebook or a notepad or even on your walls as well. If you’re using it and updating it regularly, then you’re good. And once you’ve updated it, how are you benefiting the team and the client as well? How are you using that information?
Jenny 16:43
I think that’s really good advice. I think a lot of people get caught up in trying to, use a system that perhaps isn’t very easy to use, and they waste time, by trying to use a system where really simple is better, isn’t it? Because time is of the essence. So, you mentioned that being a project manager at heart is important because it, presumably you’re organised and you’re able to be so proactive and forward-thinking, as you’ve been describing. You also mentioned making sure that you’re bringing ideas to the client. However simple – you know, there’s a new piece of technology you mentioned. Tell me a bit about, because what I hear from account managers is because they struggle so much to do the day to day, coming up with new ideas that are relevant to the client’s business can be a bit of a stretch. So, they do some account development planning. How much time do you dedicate to kind of sitting back and thinking about the client’s business and coming up with those relevant ideas?
Faizan 17:52
I don’t do it as a separate timing frame. Because once you have something in mind, and you’re just going out and seeing stuff, or you’re on Twitter, or Instagram or anywhere. If you have the client and it might feel like you’re always thinking about work, work, work, but that’s what you’re doing as well. So, if you have that in mind, you’re always trying to connect the dots. So, if you see a piece, how can my client use that, or something related to that. So, it’s mostly about thinking in that perspective and trying to figure it out that if there is something because these little things help a lot, because every account manager delivers projects, as I said, but it’s these little things that help you not just in client side, but as an agency as well. Because if you’re bringing a new project, that’s a new opportunity, new business for the agency as well. So that’s how you will stand out.
Jenny 18:59
So having the client in mind, even when you’re not working. So, if you see something on social media and you think actually that’s relevant to their industry, or they might be interested in that technology, that’s an easier way to think about adding more value. Is that what you’re saying?
Faizan 19:14
Yes, rather than just thinking about, half an hour, I’ll try to figure it out. Maybe that would help someone. But that’s just how I do it. I just don’t put a time that this is the time I’ll have to go online and try to find something. It’s just everyone has their own style.
Jenny 19:34
Okay, some great tips. Thank you. So, you mentioned when we spoke briefly beforehand, that you’re helping your team get up to speed. So, how can you help the newer account managers get up to speed quickly, how do you do that?
Faizan 19:50
Again, it comes down to project management and I keep on saying it because I see that there is a lot of potential for the account managers or account executives to follow that. Because if you’re organised, if you know what you’re doing, then only you can add value, add strategic or creative input as well. But if you’re struggling to figure out, prioritise your work, then you will keep on doing that, you will not get out of that bubble as well. And then once you have that, I try to give the freedom to my team to make decisions, by not just troubleshooting for them, but asking them for their opinion as well, and how would they solve the problem? And it’s okay to make mistakes, but we just have to learn from it as well. And once I realise that where my team stands, maybe they need help from this class, like how to email, how to interact with clients, just being there, helping them out throughout the process, and taking fire for them so that they understand how it’s done. Because, if you look at it, it’s a very delicate job. One small mistake in a file that’s gone for printing can lead to a huge issue. And a new person, for example, in account management, we might take it super seriously and lose confidence. So, we just have to guide them throughout and help them understand the importance of this role.
Jenny 21:20
Great, you mentioned there you said things like, how to email the client, how to interact with the client? What are your tips for helping account managers interact better with the clients?
Faizan 21:33
So, in terms of emails, again, it comes down to the point that it has to be clear, what are you asking the client? Once you’re clear then only you will ask the same thing with the clients as well. So, what are you asking the client? What do you want them to do? And what are the next steps? So, if your email does not have the next steps, if you’re sending something, are you waiting for the client’s response? Is there a timeline that you want their response from it to be? So, it has to be actionable whatever you’re doing. If you’re speaking to the client as well, how are you trying to understand the problem? Because, and I was posting it yesterday in fact,
I was reading an article and it was from the Mad Men series that when a client says don’t write what I’m saying, try to understand what I want. You know, so it’s just not taking notes, but really understanding what is the issue, and what the client needs at that time. And then summarising it every time. So, if you have figured out what you have to do, just summarise it again, and again, in the call as well. So that everyone is clear.
Jenny 22:53
Lovely, nice tips there as well. So, just playing it back to you, not taking notes, really get into the hub and the heart of what the client actually wants and needs. So, would you think that the skill of questioning and listening is really important as well?
Faizan 23:10
It’s super important, because, as I said, it’s not just about taking notes. It’s about understanding, and it’s about listening and then decoding the information because the client might be using another language, which your team might not understand. So, you have to take that information, decode it and simplify it for your team as well. Because your team might understand in a different way. So, you have to think of not just understanding the information, you also have to take another step of decoding that information and giving it back to your team so that they actually really understand that issue.
Jenny 23:51
Talking about communication with clients, are you finding that your team members enjoy calling clients and having video calls? Or do you find that a lot is done by email? Probably a little bit of everything, but what are your views on how to communicate with clients?
Faizan 24:13
I think again, it depends on the markets as well because I’ve worked in three markets and the three markets have a different way of doing it. And again, it comes down to the point- what is the client comfortable in and what are you comfortable in as well because some of the clients, that’s why account management does not have a set formula. So, every client has a different way to deal so that’s how you have to mould yourself as well. Some of the clients might like to have emails, everything on email, some clients want to have or want to give feedback on calls. So, you have to be on the calls as well. For the other client, you might have to be on emails as well. So, it’s a mixture of both emails, calls and everything. But I think the fundamental thing is that once you are trying to understand something, it’s always better to jump on a call, understand it, and then put it in email, as I said, again, it has to be actionable as well that this is what we understood, and this is what we are going to do. So, it will always be a mixture and I was mentioning it the other day that sometimes it has to be a sandwich. Like the sandwich is that email that I get- Hi, client, I want to jump on a call to discuss blah, blah, blah, the agenda, and then you jump on a call, that would be the meat. And then the sandwich. The other would be, this is what we discussed, and this is what we are going to do.
Jenny 25:47
That’s a really hot tip, right there. Seriously. No, it’s good. Because I’ve seen account managers jump off a call with a client and not follow up. I mean, when I started in the early 90s Faizan, I mean, it was mandatory, you had a contact report for every single contact with the client, from a phone call to an email to a meeting to anything, it was always a contact report within 24 hours. How important is it for you to have timeframes for following up or getting an agenda in time? Do you have any kind of parameters around time?
Faizan 26:25
Yes, we also have the singular formula as well, that we also try to, and again it comes down to the point that how good you are with the client in terms of relationship, in terms of trust as well. Sometimes the client won’t mind. And the information is not that super important that you have to follow up in a proper contact report, it can be a Team’s message, it can be an email as well, with just a few bullet points. And sometimes if it is a bigger meeting or something that has to have a proper contact report or meeting minutes as well. And I think the timeframe of 24 hours is not to burden the account manager, but it’s more to help them understand and to help memorise whatever that they have, so that they can put it in the contact record because if you do it after two, three days, you might forget something. So, I think it’s more about that as well.
Jenny 27:27
It’s funny, isn’t it, we were talking about you wanting to be an astronaut before? And when we talk about account management, it seems like this isn’t rocket science. Yes, there’s a lot to think about. But it’s about a lot of what you explained at the beginning. You can’t really over-communicate can you in our role? You can’t really go wrong if the one thing you do is over-communicate, follow up, agreeing the next steps, getting feedback and listening and understanding what the client wants. It’s kind of a recurring theme. So, tell me one of the questions that I get asked a lot. And I’d love to your view on this, is what would you expect the different skills to be at the three levels of account management, for example, account executive, account manager and account director? How do you think those three roles are different?
Faizan 28:23
I think for the three roles, the roles are somewhat different in every agency, as per the team structure and how big or small the agency is. But in general and coming back to the point that for an account executive or fresh person to start it, they need to really understand the agency process and project management. First, they really have to understand what is the flow of any project. And it’s always good to start as an account executive or coordinator, so you really deep dive into the profession. Because at this stage, it’s less about giving strategic or creative inputs. It’s more about being organised and prepared, getting your hands dirty, putting in the hours, doing the types of work. And sometimes it looks monotonous but that’s how you really delve into account management. For an account manager, when you start to move and start to handle bigger projects on your own as well, you also start to share more creative and strategic input that you have been learning throughout the time. So, you’re levelling up, you’re showing that you understand the client preferences, the guidelines, what works and what doesn’t work. You know, it’s about taking charge and having more calls with the clients, individual and team interactions as well. So, I mean, it’s not a huge difference, but it’s just that how you progress slowly and gradually, and
for an account director, it’s when you start to move a little away from day-to-day projects and try to look at the account for a bigger picture. So, you’re delivering fewer projects and focusing more on troubleshooting for your team and client. I read somewhere, that everything is your responsibility, and everything is your fault. And I think it’s true for an account director because you’re leading the team and the work that is being created. So, every single thing becomes your responsibility and your fault, again, if it is not up to the mark, so you’re focusing more on relationships with senior clients, looking at finances, budgets, forecasting, strategic planning for the account. And also, you try to help your individual skills for your team as well. So, you’re not just looking at the status, you think beyond.
Jenny 31:09
I think that’s a really good explanation of the three levels. I think from a commercial point of view, the account director’s role is key, isn’t it? Because when you do have that overview of your team, and you’re not so involved in the day to day, it becomes a lot about the proactivity you talked about at the beginning. How are we going to add value to this client now this project’s coming to an end? What’s their marketing strategy? Are we co-creating their strategy with them? Are we involved in their marketing plan? And do we understand their market, their competitors, their environment, so that we can use our marketing understanding? Because I think this is the other thing, as you say, as you go through the levels, your level of understanding of marketing strategy increases, and you become a lot more valuable to the client, and to those senior clients as well. Do you have Faizan, because one of the complaints or the challenges I hear, is we’re now dealing with a very junior client, and we’re trying to speak to the more senior clients, do you find that that happens? That you are losing touch with senior clients sometimes and decision-makers?
Faizan 32:27
So I do this just to help out or just to get more face time as well. So, I do quarterly one on one with the clients, all of them, which really helps because I’m not talking about project-specific, I’m just talking about general relationships and generally how the agency is doing, and what are the big goals from your side? And what are we? How can we help, what are we doing good? And what are the pain points? And it’s not just about project-specific, but in general, like, if a project that did not go well, so how are we trying to solve it? Not just projects specific, maybe proofreading issues or design issues or something like that. So that really helps me, and it helps to get the face time with the clients as well. And again, if you’re dealing with a junior client, and I mentioned it in one of the posts as well, that your clients have clients too. Because your junior, whoever is briefing, you might not be the person who’s going to approve or has the final authority. So, you might have to team up with the junior client, that we are together in this and trying to get this approved or resolved through your senior clients. So, it’s about building trust and building that feeling that we are in this together. And we are working as a team to solve or get approvals from a client’s client.
Jenny 34:02
I love that. So, building a business case and supporting them with a business case that then they can go and present internally to support the initiative. I also love that you mentioned that regardless of what was happening on the account, you speak to your senior client on a quarterly basis to check in, to ask them what their priorities are, to update them on what’s happening on your side or sort out any problems that may have occurred. So that’s a great tip and really good practice for most people to listen to and to implement. Do you also on top of that quarterly check in, do you have a more formal yearly review of the client relationship?
Faizan 34:43
Yes, we do have that too, as quarterly as well. But as you mentioned, it’s more for where we present what we have done the last quarter. What are the projects that we have and focus more on the upcoming as well so that we can plan and resource and properly deliver those projects as well? So that’s more formal stuff. And this is more than half an hour check-ins with the clients, one on ones, how are we doing? Are there things that we can sort out from our side? Is there an if and again, I try to be super informal with the clients as well that if we are having a pain point as well because we have to explain or understand that we are also trying to help them as well. So, if we are not comfortable, if we are having some issues, we also have to raise and try to solve from client-side as well.
Jenny 35:35
Great stuff. So an informal check-in on a quarterly basis, but also a formal meeting where you look back at the projects that you’ve been managing, you also look ahead at the next client’s priority from a business perspective. And presumably, having that regular forum gives you the opportunity to present new ideas within that context? Absolutely brilliant. Is that across the board with all of your clients, do you work like that?
Faizan 36:00
Yes.
Jenny 36:03
Brilliant. Take note, everybody, because that’s absolutely key. So, tell me, I’d love to get your thoughts on some of the typical daily challenges that are faced by account managers in their role. Because I think this is always being asked about and I think it will be super helpful. How do you help your team overcome some of those challenges? And what challenges are they?
Faizan 36:29
I mean, to be honest, I’m sure you will know that there’s never a dull day for an account manager! And then that’s the beauty of it. If you like to take challenges, because it’s full of challenges, so every day is a new day, every day you’re solving a different problem. You think that you have solved one problem, and then again, you will have another email about something totally different. So, you think that you’re a hero and getting approval on something and then another client comes back and says, Okay, where is the cost or something like that? So, everything goes back to the same level? But yes, it’s mostly about problem-solving. And because that’s quite a big chunk of your job. And usually, it’s about managing workload, timelines, resources, getting the right brief. And I truly believe that everything can be resolved one way or the other. If you take a step back, think of what you’re trying to achieve, what is the end goal? What is the most favourable solution for your team and for the client? And maybe what is the second most favourable solution? And you know, if the team is stuck somewhere, I try to be there for them, be it timeline negotiations and presentations or having difficult conversations with the clients and internal team as well. So they should feel that someone has their back, no matter what.
Jenny 38:03
Great, so preparation for you is key. And as you say, to manage people’s expectations, this job is a series of problem-solving tasks. And I love the way you explain that. From one minute you go for the glory moment of having delivered a big project on time on budget, and then the next moment you’re receiving a call from another client where it’s all gone to the bad side of brilliant, brilliant! Love it! And to the point about having difficult client conversations. Any tips?
Faizan 38:37
Sorry, I couldn’t hear you properly.
Jenny 38:39
Oh, okay. So, the point about having difficult client conversations, any tips apart from preparation? Any advice?
Faizan 38:51
So difficult client conversations, there is no way out. So, you have to have those difficult conversations. It’s just how you frame that conversation. Sometimes as I was mentioning it’s about the most favourable and second most favourable solution. So, for example, the client has requested for something to be delivered today, that would be the most favourable solution, right? And your team might not be able to deliver today. So, you have to go back to the client, explain what is the issue, why are you not delivering it today. Maybe it’s about the workload, maybe it’s a new request that was not planned. Maybe it’s just that this request would take too much time. So, you have to think of the second most favourable solution would be that maybe you deliver it in batches. Maybe you try to figure it out, maybe reframing it that we are working on your projects which are these, these, these, these and these and that’s why we cannot deliver this. So, it’s about reframing the same conversation in trying to make it feel like this is the most favourable solution.
Jenny 40:07
Excellent. That was a masterclass Faizan, very good tips there. So, think about what’s the most favourable and the second most favourable solution, and also the context of why you’re not being able to deliver and reframing it. So really putting some thought beforehand. And presumably Faizan, I can see that you probably help your team before they’re going to have the conversation. Because you’ve just hit on something so important. It’s not what you say, it’s often how you say it. And the only way to really say it in the right way is to put some thought behind it first. So, preparation and rehearsal are so underappreciated, I think. So, thank you for bringing that to my attention. Now, what advice would you give to anyone thinking about a career in account management right now?
Faizan 41:05
I think the first would be to have a genuine inclination and desire to work in advertising or anything that is creative in general. Yes, that would be the first thing. If you’re not interested in the creative process, creativity, then this might not be the role for you. And yes, account management is less about creativity, but you’re actually trying to come up with or help the team to develop that creativity. So, you’re absolutely 100% part of that creative process. You will never get bored because as I mentioned, there are always new challenges or new things that you will work on. There is going to be new projects, exciting brands that you will never be able to work in any other field maybe that frequently. And yes, you will get the best of the agency because you will be working with all the departments. So, you would know more than any other person in any other department, because you would know about strategy, you would know about creative, you would know about the studio work as well. So, you would know everything about it. And you would work with the best and most creative people in the business as well. I don’t think there will be any other places. But in terms of what you can do as a preparation, I think that would be to work on your soft skills. Because you will be managing projects, clients, budgets, your team as well. And sometimes egos as well, yours and clients and teams as well. So that’s really important. So, it’s always helped to build your soft skills like teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, networking, and obviously leadership as well. But in the end, you just have to keep that in mind that it’s not going to be easy. They’ll be long and hard days. So, you just need to be prepared for that, because it is going to be a challenging career, especially in the beginning.
Jenny 43:17
Do you get involved in the hiring process for your team Faizan?
Faizan 43:21
I do. Yes. Thanks to HR, I have been hiring a few people for the last few months as well. So yes, I’m absolutely involved in it. In fact, thanks to my boss, I have the authority to hire from my side as well once the HR is fine with all the necessary paperwork as well.
Jenny 43:46
I’m going to ask you a strange question I think because I want this to be really useful for anyone listening. Perhaps they are listening, thinking they want a job in account management. If they were lucky enough to be in an interview situation with you, what is a big no-no, to either say or do in an interview when you’re going for an account manager’s job?
Faizan 44:10
I think it’s about how you structure the conversation. Let’s suppose you want to talk about five things, and you do only three. Obviously, you cannot judge anyone’s managing or organisation skills to an interview. So, it’s about those little details and how you structure the conversation and how you end that conversation. So, it’s about these little things. You’re not looking at what they have done in the past or if they have done in the past. How are they explaining that information to the person?
Jenny 44:50
Excellent. I agree with you 100%. This is something that I look for and I explain it in a slightly different way but it’s the same thing. It’s being able to follow a linear thought process. And you’re right, if you’re going to make five points, make sure you make five points, you don’t just stop at three because that just shows that there’s something that’s not working in terms of thinking logically and systematically. So, I think that’s a good tip. Any other things that you can think of that would be something you would look for?
Faizan 45:26
I think for an account manager, that will be the first one. The other would be just to show the interest, the excitement, the passion that you want to do this and when I’m hiring for a junior position, like an account coordinator, or account executive, I do take the time to explain what they’re getting into. Because it’s going to be challenging. So, I do raise the bar in the interview as well that this is going to be super challenging, you will be busy and all that, making them prepared so that it doesn’t come as a shock to them. And then it’s up to them to decide.
Jenny 46:08
Managing the expectations. What about their ability to connect and communicate?
Faizan 46:17
That’s super important as well, in terms of not just connecting with myself, or whoever is interviewing, but also the client, and the culture of the agency as well, because a lot of agencies have a different culture. So, you’ll have to see, will this person fit in that culture, or how we work? Like, sometimes the agencies are super-fast, like, bam, bam, bam, there are things going on. So do you think that this person would fit in because it’s not just about thinking that this person, he or she, will be a good fit for the client, but also about the internal team as well because 80% of the time, he or she will be spending with the internal team and 20% client-facing. So, if he or she would be struggling with the internal team, then obviously, he or she will struggle, not just in the client-facing wise, but in all aspects of the work.
Jenny 47:20
I love that. You’ve shared some really good pointers here. And I think the first one you said was that kind of passion and the desire for the job. And the energy that you exude, because we are front-facing, we’re ambassadors for the company. And we have to kind of represent their brand. And you have to have a certain level of energy I think, to be front-facing, because you can’t just want to kind of disappear to the background, because that’s not really what this job’s about. So, some really good points, I love it. What is your next step phase and for your career? How do you see your career evolving from the account director role?
Faizan 48:01
So, because I have only been working in the new market for 11 months, or I think one year, it’s a bit new for me. I haven’t thought about it, I just want to understand the market first. Understand how it works, because every agency, every client is different and coming from Dubai, which was completely different from Canada. So, right now I’m just thinking and trying to understand that market and then think of the future as well, because obviously, who doesn’t want to grow? So right now, I’m not thinking about this future, the near future. But it’s more about just getting my foot right in the market.
Jenny 48:48
Amazing. I think one of the things perhaps we haven’t focused too much on is the account manager’s ability to be adaptable and flexible. And you’re certainly showing that in bucket loads because of how many markets you’ve worked in, how many brands you’ve covered. So, I think you’re kind of walking the walk in that respect. I’d love you to share any resources that you think would help the account manager in their role. Anything that you can think of books, podcasts, videos, what kind of resources can you share that you think will be valuable?
Faizan 49:26
So, what I do is mostly listen to your podcast, definitely.
Jenny 49:31
I did not pay him to say that I swear! Ah, bless you. Good. Thank you.
Faizan 49:37
And I also try to and again because we are not the creative team, but you still need to read out about copywriting, you still need to understand how creative works. You still need to understand the strategy and planning as well because, in the end, you will have to sell the same stuff to the client. So, if you don’t understand it then you might have issues as well. So definitely not just focus on account management but focus on all of the departments of the agency as well. And what I do is I usually, and as I said in the beginning, that there is not much stuff for account managers to follow, maybe you can shed some light on this as well if there is anything else? But I usually try to follow people, the agency people, be it creatives as well, because they also share a lot of good stuff and not just about the creative process, but also how to sell that stuff or how to present that stuff as well. So, I’m quite active on LinkedIn. I have been trying to be active on Twitter as well. So, I honestly don’t know much of the resources of account management and hence my LinkedIn posts.
Jenny 50:55
Amazing. That’s fantastic. Well, from my side, I think for those who are interested in strategy, brand strategy, client business and strategy, I think someone to follow would be Zoe Scaman. She has worked for several different agencies in the past, she now has her own consultancy called Bodacious. I’ve had her on the podcast, she is absolutely incredible. And she’s very much at the forefront of how marketing and brands and business is changing. So, she’s really interested in the evolution of fandoms, web3, Blockchain, Metaverse, how brands are embracing all of that technology. So, I think she’s absolutely someone to follow. I think the other thing is, from a ‘How does the agency work’ perspective, you can read a fantastic book called Agencynomics by Spencer Gallagher and Peter Hoole, who talk about how the actual business works of an agency. Super useful, very, very easy to read. That’s an excellent read. And then from an account management perspective, I suppose I’ve had him on the show twice and this is Robert Solomon, The Art of Client Service. I know you know him because I’ve seen you connecting. He’s written a book. And I think he really articulates the nuances. Because as you said, it’s so multifaceted the role of an account manager, that it’s really helpful to go deeper and understand scenarios. And he’s a brilliant storyteller. So that book, The Art of Client Service is fantastic. And obviously, my podcast is specifically because I didn’t find what I was looking for. So hopefully, the guests, you can look back at past episodes, and see all the different types of guests I’ve interviewed. And just as I’ve done with you Faizan is to try to get out some nuggets, tips, actionable things that would help an account manager in their role.
Faizan 53:03
Your podcast and again, you did not pay me for this! But your podcast really helps. But if you go and try to look for all the episodes, there is so much variety. I mean, I saw one of your videos where you’re talking about procurement, which I would never find anywhere else as well. And not just procurement, but it is specific for the agency as well. So, yes definitely, I really appreciate your efforts.
Jenny 53:30
Thank you for saying that. So, listen, Faizan, I’m going to put all your details in the show notes so people can find you on LinkedIn and follow you because I find your posts inspiring. Thank you for sharing so much value. If someone wanted to chat with you about anything that you’ve discussed here, what’s the best way that they can reach you? Is it LinkedIn?
Faizan 53:53
Definitely. LinkedIn, it’s just easier and faster as well. And I always reply to people who have reached out. In fact, I do sometimes reach out to people, even if they are juniors as well who are looking at my profile because I’ve seen that a lot of people are shy to reach out to people, which should not be the case. 100%. I mean, the worst would be that the other person would not respond. Like that’s the worst that can happen. So, I also try to have those conversations as well. And then, once I reach out to them, they always respond. They’re always asking about questions and all that. So, I’m trying my best from my side as well.
Jenny 54:36
Thank you so much. Any parting words of advice for someone listening in account management?
Faizan 54:44
The parting words, so from all of that, what we have discussed is that, as you mentioned that it’s not rocket science. It’s definitely not rocket science. It’s just common sense. So, you have to have a lot of common sense. Like if you’re getting something, what would be the next steps? As thinking straightforward, there’s no creativity, there’s no strategy in it. It’s just common sense, like what would be the next steps? And that’s it!
Jenny 55:13
Perfect, absolutely perfect to finish on. Thank you so much for joining me, Faizan. This has been amazing. So lovely to have the opportunity to speak more, so thank you.
