You might be wondering why this is even a question.

I’ve seen client management done a few different ways. The common method being a team of account managers.

However, there are some downsides to this.

Here’s why and some alternatives.

The case for account managers.

Let’s be fair and give the positives first. After all, there are people who literally base their careers on this.

Here are some of the plus points:

1. A dedicated AM makes the client feel loved.
2. Client management is a tricky beast and a lot of delivery staff aren’t willing or able to do it.
3. Clients can be demanding, so AMs free up time for the delivery teams.
4. An AM team usually has some oversight of the whole client base, so someone can take over if the client’s main AM is unavailable.

So far, so good. Looks like AMs are a wise choice.

But wait.

The case against account managers.

In my experience, a lot of AM teams are largely made up of juniors.

This means it’s full of people who actually don’t understand marketing.

Even the senior AMs might not have a deep understanding of how digital marketing is actually done.

So we hit problems. Clients ask difficult questions and get vague answers. Sometimes they just get plain wrong answers.

Stuff gets promised that doesn’t make sense, or has unreasonable timescales.

AMs leave and clients get angry that they have to build a relationship with a new person.

Alright, so it’s not all sunshine and roses. So what’s the solution?

The way I see, there are three approaches.

1. Hire marketers as account managers.

This one is tough, but it’s possible.

These guys are the holy grail, as they get marketing. There’s really no downside to this, other than the skillset being quite rare.

2. Train your account managers in marketing.

Seems like a “well, duh” kinda thing to say. You’d be surprised how many agencies don’t do this though.

If you have to have an AM team, make sure they understand what they are managing. Send them on a few courses in SEO, PPC, Social, PR, or whatever else you sell.

Not only will it help their professional development, it’ll also convince clients that their AMs know what they’re talking about.

3. Integrate client management into your delivery team.

This can cause strain if you don’t manage it carefully.

Allowing clients direct access to your delivery team can be a nightmare for project management.

They love to sneak work into your team without the team manager being aware. This causes backlogs for other clients and burnout in your delivery staff.

A way to manage it is to have a dedicated point of contact in your delivery team. Usually someone with strategic oversight, like the team leader or head of department.

They can filter requests and make sure they are briefed into the team properly.

The benefit here is that the clients talk directly to the team doing the work. This massively reduces communication issues, and gives the client reassurance that their contact knows what they are talking about.

So which one is best?

That’s for you to work out. I’ve given you the options – it’s your job to figure out which one is the best fit for your agency.

I’ve seen all of the above work. The main thing is that you’re honest with your clients and you teach your company representatives to do the same.