One of the hardest transitions in the creative industry is from the account manager up to the huge shoes of an account director. It's not because the role itself is challenging - the experience level differs by only a couple of years. However, the step up to managing the client accounts of business while mentoring a team at the same time is a big one to take. You'll need to be a multitasker who acts like a swan: smooth and calm on the surface, even when a lot is going on behind the scenes! Before reading further, please view our London based Account Director Jobs if you are a senior account manager or in the role now and looking for a fresh challenge.
Account Director Responsibilities
When you're an account director, you're going to be the best of the best at dealing with people. Building relationships from nothingness, nurturing them into loyal clients, bringing their business success and subsequently building your own. You're going to be in charge of the revenue of your client base. There is an emphasis on your communication skills and your ability to demonstrate your knowledge so that you can find and build on new business opportunities. You will get the chance to mentor a whole team of account managers just like you once were, dealing with creative briefs and strategizing carefully to help your clients to develop. It's a busy role!
Skills You Need to Succeed
No matter what, as an account director, clients are your priority. To make the role yours, you need a particular set of skills. The skills listed below will make you a total rockstar, whether you base yourself in branding or marketing, let's take a look:
Knowing Your Clients
From the competition to the pain points, you need to know your clients' business. Anticipating their needs as a business is essential, and this is what your clients are going to be paying you for. Being open and honest with your clients is vital for success, and when you know their business, you can identify the opportunities that they need for them.
Leading A Team
Your job as an account director will mean being in front of the rest of the team and leading them to success; both personal and professional. If you are missing something in your organization, identify it and fill the gap. A strong team is one that is successful, and you want to be valuable for your clients.
Thinking Ahead
As an account director, being able to anticipate the needs of your clients is essential. There are too many account directors out there that flit to the next thing on the list without investing the necessary time in existing projects. Don't be that account Director!
Have Your Own Methods
When you were an account manager, you would have had some grand ideas about how you would make the marketing team a success over the director you had in place at the time. A great account director will challenge their team while inspiring them. Be a few steps ahead and have your own methods for looking out for your clients and team alike; you'll learn what makes them tick!
Have Fun!
The last thing that you should do is turn into a 'boss'. There is a way to lead and direct with authority while having fun with the role. You could be stressing out and worrying, but you still need to inspire confidence! Know when to delegate and learn to use the skills of your team for success.
You're already a good account manager - therefore, if you have key accountabilities in your current role eg managing budgets, involved in business development, contact us today regards careers advice and any account director job search you maybe undertaking.
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