About Us

Meet the Team

Hi, I’m Jenny Plant. After 20 years working mostly in agency account management and a few years client side, it wasn’t until I was General Manager of a global healthcare comms agency I received sales training.

I realised then what I should have known when I was an Account Executive in my first agency. Selling is helping. Selling is proactively taking an interest in the client’s business and looking for ways to add value.

Account management skills started as a blog where I shared with others in agency account management what I had learned. It morphed into a training company.

It’s a joy to receive testimonials for the Account Accelerator programme like this one:

“This programme was an eye opener for me personally. As someone who has worked in account management for 13 years, the practical guidance to strategically growing an account was invaluable and I would recommend that regardless of experience, this course is a must” – Ash Rishi, Owner, Couch Communications

If you think either the one week Account Booster or one year Account Accelerator programme might be right for you or a member of your account management team, message me at jenny@accountmanagementskills.com.

Jenny Plant speaking at Agencynomics event

Agencynomics Big Event: Back to Basics

Future of Account Management presentation in Manchester

Jenny interviews Ben Fryer, Diverse Interactive on Web3

Jenny presenting at David C Baker's MYOB conference

Meet Our Team

Jenny Plant

Client management & development for agencies

I am the founder of account management skills. I believe acquiring 'non-pushy' sales training should be mandatory for all those in agency account management. Apart from a few years in marketing, I’ve worked agency side in account management for various independent and global creative agencies such as Publicis, WPP and Havas at all levels (from Account Exec to General Manager) for most of my career.

I feel passionately that if I'd have received sales training when I was a young Account Executive I would have been able to add much more value to the client's business and also add money to the bottom line of the agencies I worked for.

Why was it I only received it at General Manager level? Why then did it make such a huge difference and yet no-one was even talking about sales training much earlier in my career?

Some believe sales skills are only for those in pure new business roles. I disagree. I have seen too many examples of those in traditional client service roles using simple effective selling techniques and getting huge results in terms of retaining and growing accounts.

I'm usually invited in by creative agency leaders to work with their account management teams on my long standing Account Accelerator programme. I also run courses for the Pharmaceutical Marketing Society (PM Society) for those in healthcare communications.

Jackie Harris

Marketing consultant and trainer

Jackie is a former agency Group Account Director who led programmes with clients such as IBM, Lotus Software, Hewlett Packard, Dell Computers, Blackberry, Cap Gemini, Capita Group and many ambitious tech start ups.

She went on to became a European Analyst Relations specialist for 8 divisions of IBM where she forged relationships on behalf of the client with Gartner, Forrester and all the leading analyst firms.

In the early 2000s she was invited by Weber Shandwick Technology run some in-house training sessions for new account executives and AMs. From there she went on to run ‘boot-camp’ training programmes for Edelman, Hotwire, Diffusion and other smaller agencies.
She runs in-house copywriting training for B2B organisations, and mentors student entrepreneurs via the University of Central Lancaster (UCLAN).

Jackie’s business, Brightspark Marketing focuses on B2B content marketing & training. She holds a BA in marketing and an MA in creative writing.

Gerry Crawford

Trainer & Coach

Gerry has over 30 years of integrated global, regional and local marketing experience on both agency and client side in the UK, across Europe, Canada and the United States.

She started her career in FMCGs and retail, but has spent the last two decades, focusing on healthcare across a range of therapy areas including immunology, dermatology, rheumatology, psychiatry, vaccines, thrombosis, oncology, diabetes, medical devices, pain management, and women’s health.

She is renown for her natural and infectious enthusiasm for her subject, exuding energy and inspiration drawn from her vast experience. Gerry is a trusted and valued mentor to both clients and agency staff.

Gerry has a BA (Hons.) degree in Business Studies, specialising in Marketing with additional diplomas in Marketing, Market Research, Advertising Layout & Design, Digital Marketing and Adult Education.