As an agency leader, your account management team is one of your most valuable assets. They are the face of your company, the orchestrators of your client relationships, and the key to unlocking long-term retainer growth.
Yet at many agencies, the account management function is set up to fail. Account managers are overworked, undersupported, and spread too thin to be truly effective. The result is stressed out employees, frustrated clients, and a lot of missed opportunities.
Having worked with hundreds of agencies over the years, I‘ve seen the same patterns emerge again and again. In this article, I‘ll outline four of the most common ways agency leaders unintentionally sabotage their account teams and share some hard-won wisdom on how to structure the role for success.
Mistake #1: Overloading Account Managers with Too Many Accounts
One of the biggest challenges I see is agencies that simply ask their account managers to handle too many relationships at once. When AMs are stretched too thin, a few things happen:
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Communication suffers. Response times start to slip as AMs struggle to keep up with the volume of emails and requests coming in from multiple clients. Balls get dropped, details get missed, and clients start to feel neglected.
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Strategic thinking goes out the window. When AMs are in constant fire-drill mode, they don‘t have the bandwidth to step back and think strategically about their accounts. They‘re too busy reacting to the day-to-day to proactively look for growth opportunities or anticipate future needs.
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Burnout sets in. Overloaded AMs start to dread coming into work every day, knowing they‘ll be playing an endless game of catch-up. The constant stress takes a toll on their mental health, job satisfaction, and eventually, their performance.
So what‘s the right ratio of accounts to account managers? It depends on a few factors, like the size and complexity of the accounts, the scope of the AM role, and the experience level of the team. But here are some general guidelines:
| Agency Size | Accounts per AM |
|---|---|
| Small (<10 employees) | 4-6 |
| Mid-size (10-100 employees) | 6-8 |
| Large (>100 employees) | 8-10 |
Sources: 2022 Agency Pricing & Financials Report by HubSpot, SoDA‘s Agency Outlook Survey, Promethean Research
Of course, these are just averages. The key is to be realistic about how much time and attention each account really requires and staff accordingly. It‘s better to have a few well-serviced accounts than a dozen neglected ones.
Mistake #2: Making Account Managers Wear Too Many Hats
Another common issue I see is agencies that expect their account managers to play multiple roles – relationship manager, project manager, new business development, even copywriter or designer in a pinch.
The thinking goes that since AMs are already talking to the client regularly, they might as well handle all the various tasks and requests that come up. But this jack-of-all-trades approach rarely ends well.
For one, it leaves account managers with less time and mental energy to focus on their core responsibilities – understanding the client‘s business, identifying areas of opportunity, and orchestrating the right agency resources to deliver results.
It also tends to create a lot of internal confusion and duplication of effort. Projects get held up as the AM tries to chase down answers or assets from various team members. Valuable information gets lost in the shuffle as it flows through a single bottleneck.
The solution is to create clearer swim lanes and empower your account managers to be orchestrators, not order takers. Some tips:
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Separate account management from project management. Let your PMs own the timelines, budgets and deliverables while your AMs focus on the relationship and the strategy. They should work closely together, but each role should have distinct responsibilities.
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Make AMs the main point of contact, but not the only one. Clients should have regular check-ins and access to the subject matter experts actually doing the work, whether that‘s creative, media, technology or strategy. These direct lines of communication lead to better work, fewer misunderstandings, and more opportunities to spot additional needs.
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Provide AMs with sales support. Don‘t expect your account managers to also be lead generators and closers. Equip them with compelling case studies, thought leadership content, pricing guidelines, and competitive intel to support their growth efforts. Let new business hires take the lead on pitching and negotiating the details.
By setting clearer expectations and enabling your AMs to play to their strengths, you can make them much more effective in their core role of growing the business.
Mistake #3: Not Empowering Account Managers as Strategic Client Partners
Far too many agencies still view their account managers primarily as client liaisons and project shepherds. They‘re there to keep the trains running on time, relay feedback and keep the client happy.
But in today‘s environment, that‘s simply not enough. To really deliver value and fend off competition, your AMs need to level up from order takers to strategic partners.
That means going beyond surface-level requests to really understand the client‘s underlying goals, challenges and aspirations. It means proactively bringing ideas and recommendations to the table, even when the client hasn‘t explicitly asked for them. And it means focusing not just on what the work is, but why it matters and how it ladders up to the bigger picture.
Of course, this is easier said than done. It requires account managers to have a certain level of business acumen, creative curiosity and problem-solving chops. But it also requires agency leaders to give them the tools, training and permission to be more proactive.
Some ways to empower your AMs to be strategic partners:
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Involve them in the initial account planning. Don‘t just hand your account managers a predefined scope of work to execute. Get their input upfront on how to structure the engagement, what KPIs to measure, and where they see untapped potential to expand the relationship.
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Give them access to client data and insights. Make sure your AMs have visibility into the client‘s business metrics, customer research, competitive landscape, and other key inputs. The more context they have, the better equipped they‘ll be to connect the dots and add strategic value.
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Encourage them to challenge the brief. Train your account managers to ask probing questions, push back on flawed assumptions, and reframe client requests through a more strategic lens. Reward them for spotting opportunities to take the work to the next level, even if it means difficult conversations in the short term.
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Invest in their professional development. Send your AMs to industry conferences, enroll them in business strategy courses, pair them with mentors, and expose them to different areas of the agency. The more you broaden their horizons, the more valuable they‘ll become to clients.
By empowering your account managers to flex their strategic muscles, you‘ll elevate the role from relationship manager to growth driver.
Mistake #4: Neglecting Your Account Management Team‘s Career Development
Finally, one of the most damaging mistakes I see agencies make is treating their account management team as second-class citizens.
In many organizations, account management is seen as a support function, not a driver of growth or innovation. AMs are rarely involved in key decisions, big pitches or important initiatives. They‘re left out of the spotlight and passed over for promotions in favor of flashier roles in creative or business development.
Over time, this leads to a vicious cycle. Account management becomes a revolving door as smart, ambitious people leave for greener pastures. The ones who stay become disillusioned and disengaged. And the agency struggles to build any lasting equity in its client relationships.
The solution is to start treating your account management team as the valuable asset it is. That means investing in their ongoing development, celebrating their successes, and creating clear career paths for growth.
Some ideas:
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Provide ongoing training and coaching. Help your AMs sharpen their client relationship skills, business acumen, and leadership chops with internal and external learning opportunities. Pair them with senior mentors who can offer guidance and sponsorship.
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Involve them in agency leadership. Invite your top account managers to be part of key decisions around agency strategy, capabilities and culture. Solicit their input on how to improve processes and create a better client experience.
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Recognize and reward their contributions. Celebrate the impact your AMs have on client retention, account growth, and agency reputation. Give them a seat at the table in important meetings and a share of the credit in big wins.
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Create pathways for advancement. Build career tracks that allow account managers to take on more responsibility over time, whether that‘s managing larger accounts, mentoring junior staff, or taking on agency-wide initiatives. Have frank discussions about their professional goals and help them chart a course to get there.
By making account management a destination rather than a pit stop, you can attract and retain top talent, build deeper client relationships, and unlock new avenues for growth.
The Bottom Line
Your account managers are the unsung heroes of your agency. They are the ones in the trenches every day, fighting for your clients, your work, and your reputation.
It‘s time to start setting them up for success, not failure. By right-sizing their workload, clarifying their role, empowering them as strategic partners, and investing in their long-term development, you can turn your account management team into your agency‘s secret weapon.
Because when your account managers thrive, so do your clients and your bottom line.