This series of articles looks at the world of the account manager.
This time we talk to Victoria Venardos, group account director, BMF
1. How did you end up account management? Was it by design or a cosmic accident?
It wasn’t so much a comic ‘accident’, more like cosmic ‘shepherding’, the universe (or perhaps my subconscious) guiding me to do things I’d enjoy and arguably was good at.
I actually started Publisher side, progressing through a few different roles there, from production to sales and finally landing in Project management. I loved it and my penchant for spreadsheets and organisation came in great use.
Wanting to diversify my Mediascape experience I then jumped ship and came agency side, working in account management. Apart from getting the shock of my life when I had to start doing timesheets, I knew I’d found the right place. It was everything I loved about project management, the operational and strategic elements, mixed with a relationship-orientated role that I felt really comfortable with. And my passion for creativity was found in the output.
I’ve not looked back since.
2. Balancing clients’ objectives and creative vision can be challenging. How do you deal with that?Challenging indeed. As the Suit you can find yourself in the middle of some pretty ‘fun’ situations. Note the sarcasm there.
No doubt you’ll experience that ‘stuck in the middle’ feeling, but I don’t think clients’ objectives and creative vision are mutually exclusive. In fact, I think an Accounts person’s job is to keep those things as close together as possible, aligned in the common goal of creating effective work that moves the emotional dial and yields a commercial return.
That is the northstar.
Yes, there are times when those things pull apart. There’ll be some curly feedback from a stakeholder or something provocative or innovative that creatively pushes the bounds. So as the Account person it’s about steering to find the common collaborative ground.
3. What strategies do you employ to clearly convey creative ideas to clients and address client feedback?
For me this is all about ongoing communication with the client to effectively manage their expectations. Expectation management is key.
The sell-in begins before the presentation and ends well after. Making clients feel comfortable and confident in what they’ll see and what you’re delivering is so important. It means they won’t be disappointed or surprised and gives your ideas the best platform.
For that platform, I like to frame ideas with a strategic narrative, deliberately emphasizing and demonstrating how the creative idea solves the client’s problems, meets their objectives and addresses their feedback.
Speaking of feedback, documenting and agreeing upon changes throughout the process is equally critical. It means expectations are managed when it comes to revisions, externally and internally. It’s important to manage creative expectations too, so both sides know you’re pushing for the best outcome.
Again, no surprises.
Also, I’m not afraid to deploy the specialists in my agency. As Suits we’re not the sole relationship holders - it’s important to have the right people in the room, on the Zoom or just generally inputting - to communicate and sell-in creative ideas in the best way possible.
4. How to build strong relationships with clients?
Having a background in project management my answer might be slightly biased but you can absolutely build and nurture client relationships through consistent project delivery.
When you deliver quality work, on time and within scope and are consistently meeting or exceeding expectations you are building trust.
And with trust you can unlock great things.
With trust you can connect.
With trust you can influence, explore and collaborate.
Trust is the bedrock of strong enduring client relationships.
5. Do you have any go-to tips for navigating challenging conversations with clients? And effectively selling an idea.
Not to give any secrets away (if any of my clients happen to be reading this…) but I think fundamentally clients want to feel heard and understood. So it’s important to prepare for conversations, listen actively and empathetically.
Acknowledge and understand their perspectives and emotions.
Be respectful.
And avoid being defensive, the focus should be on finding a mutually beneficial solution.
Communicate their concerns back to make sure you’ve understood correctly and you’re aligned.
What’s critical is coming out of a conversation with defined next steps, mutual agreement and clear expectations. A documented action plan, with clear roles and responsibilities.
All of this is you doing your part to sell an idea.
Just to also say, you will no doubt have challenging conversations that ultimately do not go well.
Where you come off the phone and think arghhhhh.
These conversations are the most important because you can learn the most from them. Reflect back, identify areas of improvement and use learnings to communicate better with that client.
6. Are there any emerging trends or challenges in the industry that account management teams should be prepared for?
Not that this is specific to Account Management or even just the advertising industry, the rise of AI is presenting both challenges and opportunities for the world at large.
Whatever your opinion of it is, AI is transforming the creative industry.
Things can be done quicker.
Things can be done cheaper.
And for clients, that sets a whole new expectation precedent for account service to deal with.
For all the great things AI can offer, it’s immense potential in enhancing creative and efficiency,
AI cannot feel. It cannot cry. It cannot laugh.
At its core, that is what human creativity offers that AI can’t. Experiences, emotions and consciousness that shape the depth and richness of creativity.
As an industry, as accounts people, we need not undervalue that. The value of human creativity in the age of AI is something Suits will need to be prepared to fight for.
7. What advice would you give your younger self when you first started out in account service?
I remember when I first started out I’d find myself in situations where I felt really stressed, overwhelmed and not quite sure how we’d get out of the situation.
I’d then find myself in a situation quite similar.
And then another.
And another.
But each time I’d know how to better handle it. How to better navigate it.
Thus, to my younger self I’d say - feeling overwhelmed is ok, it means you’re learning. With time and experience confidence will come.
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