We plan client campaigns, we create new business plans, and we have a plan for the growth of our agencies, but rarely do we create a roadmap for a client relationship.
Campbell suggests writing what she calls a client leadership strategic plan, which prompts the account manager to consider the health of the current relationship and the future opportunities in the relationship. Wild Blue Yonder has developed a template for this analysis that includes sections on opportunities, threats, and goals. It covers questions such as:
- Is our work for the client measurably effective?
- What is the state of our financial relationship?
- What new needs might our client have in the coming year?
- What new opportunities exist in other departments or divisions of the client’s company?
- What situations within the client’s organization could adversely affect our relationship?
- What relationship issues need to be resolved?
This forces account managers to think like leaders and consider not just how well things are going now but what direction they want to take the client’s business: Where does the client need to go to meet or exceed their goals? What could the agency do to make themselves indispensable to the client.
And while this is a seemingly simple exercise, it’s one that is overlooked too often due to client fires and other distractions.
This is especially easy to ignore if everything is going well. If the account manager and the client have a good relationship and the client seems happy, then why cause issues by over-analyzing the account.
“The fact that we do things for clients is very nice,” said Campbell. “This agency might do it a little nicer than that agency, but it's not hard for a client to get people to do stuff. It's the thinking that really makes the difference -- that is what adds the value to the relationship.”