1. A sense of anticipation
To be a great account manager, you need to be, almost naturally, one step ahead. If any issues come up on a project, account managers should have already spotted and handled them before the client even thinks something is wrong. They achieve this by staying cool, calm, and collected.
2. Ability to form relationships
An important aspect of account management is building solid relationships with key people. Customers, stakeholders, agencies, and the account manager’s team need to trust the account manager and their decision-making skills. Trust is essential for closing a sale, and it can only be developed by spending enough time with your client. Consequently, strong relationships can lead to new sales opportunities down the line.
3. Individuality
A good account manager will fulfil their job description and manage their team satisfactorily. Exceptional account managers will bring a unique skill set and add value to the project and team.
Companies sometimes take an attitude of “this place would be great if we had a hundred of him/her”, and seek out their attributes when recruiting. However, what works on one account may not work well on another.
4. Passion
There will inevitably be down days, when nothing seems to be going right and clients are on at you for one thing or another. This is when an account manager needs to dig deep and remember their passion for the job. When an account manager genuinely enjoys their profession and is motivated by their passion, they tend to be more satisfied with their work and more psychologically healthy.
5. Well Organised
Dealing with multiple projects, accounts, stakeholders and unforeseen issues is to be expected in an account manager’s daily workload. Things will happen fast and you need to have the ability to think ahead. Preparation is key!
6. Excellent communication and leadership skills
An account manager must be able to connect with people instantly, building good rapport and trust. Clients need to know that they will be informed and kept up to date regularly with clear communication. Having personable qualities that get people to accomplish tasks is crucial. Genuine enthusiasm and the ability to share clear vision and goals are great leadership skills.
7. A positive presence
As an account manager, a positive presence is vital in order to keep your team motivated and energised. Being a negative presence is extremely draining and will drive your employees away. Having a positive attitude rubs off on others and will make a big difference on those tougher days when things can get stressful.
8. Knowledge
Account managers must have exceptional knowledge about their clients and projects for them to be a success. To be able to switch between multiple projects and communicate knowledgably with various agencies takes a great deal of skill and attention to detail. Account managers must have a rudimentary knowledge of marketing / marketing communications. This is vital for effectively understanding and meeting the client’s brief and needs.
9. Good Sales Techniques
As an account manager, you must be able to make and close sales in order to maintain and grow business. Another goal is to maintain existing relationships with clients so that they will continue using the company for business. A valuable account manager will also try to identify potential new clients and business opportunities in order to persuade new customers to place business with the company.
10. Persuasiveness
Part of a good sales technique is the ability to be persuasive and convince clients that they need your service. The ability to influence and convince others that a project is the right way to go is one of the measures of the success or the failure of an account manager’s job.