Agency Account People: Learn How the Sausage is Made Even if You Are Not Making Sausage.

Excellent account people understand how every function of the agency works. Not just what every department outputs, but how the work gets done. 

Account people are generalists, but really good account managers take their agency knowledge to the next level.

This knowledge is usually gained through hands-on experience while managing real-life client projects (aka making the sausage). For example, a young account person will learn how a video gets produced when her client requires a video to be made.

However, not every client requires every agency function. I’ve worked with account people who were not exposed to media, production, strategy, etc for years because their client had no need.

So how does one learn how an agency works if you are not working with every agency function (aka not making sausage)?

By conducting your own MEET, GREET & LEARNS.

Below is the playbook. Seem obvious? It’s not. Most account people do not do this.

Step 1:
Schedule 30-minutes with a senior AND mid-level person in every department within the agency. 

Step 2: 
Make clear that the agenda is for you to learn how they do their job.

Step 3: 
Make it a 1:1 meeting so you can get to know the individual and vice-versa.

Step 4: 
Ask, at minimum, the following questions:

1. What is every step of your process?

2. What happens at each step?

3. What technology or platforms do you use in the process?

4. Can I observe you using the platform?

5. What is your ideal timeline for doing what you do?

6. Of typical client requests and projects, which ones are the easiest and which are the most time consuming?

Step 5: Send an email, slack, teams, text, TikTok dance or whatever the hell it is you do to thank them for their time.

Why take the time to learn every function of the agency?

Empathy - sucky account managers dump and run assignments without having lived a day in the shoes of the person who needs to do the work. Not cool, man. Not cool. Learn how work gets done and stay in the foxhole with your teammates. Feel what they feel.

Respect - when is the last time an account person sat with a programmatic media buyer to watch them use Trade Desk? Probably never. When you show interest and genuinely want to learn your teammates' craft, you demonstrate respect for what they do and they respect you for taking the time.

Knowledge - smarter is better, unless you're a politician.

Fast Track - knowing more will get you farther, faster, unless you’re a politician.