This series of articles looks at the world of the account manager.
This time its Lexlab's account manager Lara Saseve.
How did you end up account management? Was it by design or a cosmic accident?
A bit of both! I started my career in ad operations in New Zealand, and three years later, I moved across the ditch into an activations role where I worked closely with media partners and clients to deliver addressable strategies. This felt like a natural progression into account management after my fourth year, and I was lucky enough to land a role with the lovely team at Lexlab.
Balancing clients’ objectives and creative vision can be challenging. How do you deal with that?
Balancing art with science! At times a tough one, but often it only needs a sprinkle of common sense and some data-driven results. I often balance two approaches - a creative one and a conservative one. That way, I give the client pros and cons to then weigh up and give them a visual of both paths and the confidence to make an informed decision.
What strategies do you employ to clearly convey creative ideas to clients and address client feedback?
I always start with framing the concept around their business goal and audience insights. This is a great way to set the premise of the idea, demonstrating that it is not just a new fad or trend or feature, it's a way to deliver business outcomes. It’s also important to show visuals through examples or case studies so the client can see the idea and not just hear about it. I also make the feedback rounds conversational and collaborative, so I can find the client's perspective and give my rationale as well. I always have alternatives in my back pocket, too!
How to build strong relationships with clients?
Speaking their language, not overusing buzz words and acronyms we all speak every day. Clear and open communication is super important.
Do you have any go-to tips for navigating challenging conversations with clients? And effectively selling an idea.
Make sure you have data to back yourself up. Clients love ideas, so long as there’s meat on the bone with tangible results that speak to your new idea. Every impactful conversation needs a story with structure, data and a destination.
Are there any emerging trends or challenges in the industry that account management teams should be prepared for?
I’m not sure if everyone else is terrified of how rapidly AI is changing literally every aspect of our lives or if they’re excited for what’s to come. Either way, we can’t ignore the way it’s transformed how we plan, buy, and optimise media. For me, it’s difficult to keep up with all these evolving changes. It feels like every other week there’s a new change to the platforms we use, from Meta’s auto-enabled optimisations to Google’s AIO/AEO models. These platforms are increasingly automating decision-making and stripping the levers from account managers like me that we have traditionally controlled.
I think it’s really important as account managers that we evolve with emerging tech. I see two shifts already happening:
- More pressure from clients for strategic guidance to creative storytelling and really navigating the why behind performance that goes beyond just how!
- Clients feel uneasiness about these ‘black box’ AI systems. We, as account managers need to build confidence by explaining platform automation clearly and balancing AI-driven efficiencies with a human element on brand goals.
Ultimately, the challenge isn’t whether AI is changing our industry - it already is at lightning speed - but how account managers evolve in their roles to stay indispensable: acting as the translators and strategic partners who ensure this new-age tech delivers against business outcomes. We got this
What advice would you give your younger self when you first started out in account service?
I think the number one thing that comes to mind is not to get caught up in knowing everything and having all the answers right away. Leaning on your team, media partners, and friends and proactively seeking clarity with clients builds more trust than pretending to know everything.
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