This blog post has been written by a human with experience in Account Team Coaching. Because while some things can be automated within the Agency Account Services job description, securing sales and developing solid human relationships requires the critical thinking of a real human.
It’s mid-September. Your clients are starting to plan their budget requirements for next year. They will have to submit budgets for approvals in November to their management. As an agency owner/leader, are you confident your account team understands the monumental task ahead of them this year? Organic growth! Grow agency billings and MRR for next year – all while the client’s budgets are getting cut back by their management.
Marketing is an Investment – Not an Expense
There are a lot of bad attitudes toward the importance and value of hiring an agency these days. Partly because there are a lot of agency ‘bad actors’ out there. Reputable agencies, like yours, need to show value and benefits for continuing to grow the client’s business while also meeting our own financial needs. With a potential recession coming, every dollar is being scrutinized by the CFO at your client. That marketing budget has to achieve the goals set out by the client – or it will be allocated somewhere where it’s useful.
Account People are the Lead Singers of Your Rock Star Band!
Being an Agency Account Manager is a huge responsibility! They are tasked with developing a strong relationship with various levels at the client. They get to deliver both good news and bad news to the client. They are responsible for leading and guiding the agency team to deliver results that meet client objectives – on time and on budget. It’s a lot!
But, for some reason, many account managers, directors and even VP’s today don’t understand the most important aspect of their job: They are responsible for paying the rest of the staff’s paycheques. They are expected to retain healthy accounts but also grow existing accounts with the goal of securing billings for the agency well into the future. They directly impact the success of failure of the agency.
So why do so many account people think of themselves as order-takers and project managers instead of scrappy, creative relationship managers acting like entrepreneurs who the client trusts to deliver results? Why is no one asking for more budget any more?
The answer is: The industry as a whole got lazy during the good times of healthy projects and cashflow. Now that we have to fight for budget, we have untrained account teams who don’t know what to do.
RainMaker Can Help with Account Team Coaching!
Strategic Account Planning is a multi-step process that takes some time – but it is possible to continue to grow your accounts for 2026. Strategic Account Planning is a lost art that is part strategy, part sales and part client service – with the goal being to secure as much additional revenue for your agency as possible into the upcoming calendar year.
Kelle has vast experience growing large and small accounts and offers Account Team Strategic Planning Coaching sessions for your agency team. Any type of agency. Any size of agency. And any location (we do our coaching remotely).
For a tiny investment in coaching session, Kelle will lead your team through strategic planning group learning sessions. Then, each account manager will have a 1:1 session to discuss individual accounts. Kelle will work with the account managers, directors and VPs (and potentially your clients) to review their upcoming goals and what services the agency can offer to help the client meet and exceed those objectives. Documents will be produced and presented to the client for approvals and signoff. When all is said and done, your tiny investment in the coaching service should pay for itself many times over.
And Kelle will leave you with a full report of future potentials and an audit on your account health.
You Can’t Afford NOT to have Account Team Coaching
If you want insurance that your Account Team can achieve the all-important task of maximizing your billings into next year, Contact Kelle to discuss a customized Account Team Coaching Session for your agency.
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