This isn’t one of those straw man provocative blog titles – it is actually a question I get asked occasionally by startup or small specialist agencies – e.g. tech or design specialists.
‘Why do we need an account handler? We can be our own account handlers’
.. is the gist of the conversation.
Which on the surface could make sense for a few reasons (lower overheads, streamlined client communication etc.), to a point.
But as you are charting your agency growth think about the benefits of having the account handler role in the mix.
I just wrote a new guide for the Agency Toolkit on Smart Insights that looks at the role of the account handler.
Account handlers have been around as long as the advertising and creative services industry itself, from around the 1800s.
As soon as any of the sole trader design or media buying operations got beyond one person they would have looked for an account handler, account manager or client services person for the same reason agencies do today.
Where there was creative work to produce or (initially, print) media to plan and book – there was the ‘suit’.
Account handlers fulfill role a range of functions inside the agency, to my mind the key ones are:
- Effective communication (internal and external)
- Strategy development
- Account growth
- New Business development
- Profitable financial management
- Project Management (with a small ‘pm’)
- Agency / team professional development
Add to the above: mentor, counselor, referee, cheerleader… it’s a demanding role.
Have a look at the Smart Insights guide if the role is one you’re considering for your agency or you want a refresher benchmark for yourself or colleagues.
And please give me a shout if you want support growing your team and wider agency services.
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