BF/CM Account Management Best Practices For 2024
This time of year always approaches so quickly, then it’s over in a flash - believe it or not, it’s already Black Friday (BF) and Cyber Monday (CM) season! This is an exciting time to capitalize off massive traffic to produce some staggering results for your clients, but it’s also one of, if not the, busiest time of the year, meaning there’s lots of potential for project blindspots, or disaster. This time of year is particularly challenging for you as a Client Account Manager, so make sure you are well-prepared to take on any obstacles that come your way.
This year, get ahead of the curve and make sure you're prepared to take on the BF/CM storm!
Here are our top tips for the best way to prepare, execute, and excel during this BF/CM season:
1. Be Prepared and Anticipate your Clients’ Needs
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” - Benjamin Franklin
Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. We can’t stress that enough! Before BF/CM season is fully underway, make sure you take the time to map out exactly how all phases of your BF/CM plan will go. Communicate regularly with your clients to ensure that you’re meeting targets and that everyone is on the same page. Run through different scenarios of both likely and unlikely situations, so you can ensure you have the extra time, resources, and skills in your back pocket if something doesn't go as planned.
Pro Tip: Make sure to also prepare adequate reporting systems to track your progress and results - BF/CM is a unique opportunity given the amount of activity and can be a case study in and of itself!
2. Have a Contingency Plan
When all else fails, you have to have a backup! (And then also have a backup to your backup!). Having your client’s site crash from too much traffic or drastically underestimating product supply and selling out too quickly are things that quite frankly, just can’t happen. As a seasoned Client Account Manager (CAM), you need to do everything in your power to ensure that this season runs as smoothly as possible. Speak to your clients about what went right, and what also went wrong in previous years (if you’re new to working with them) to get an accurate picture of some potential pain points for this year.
3. Explore Unique Revenue Opportunities
As a CAM, it is your responsibility to find exciting, new revenue opportunities for your clients. Maybe there’s an upsell they’ve never tried before, or a new product just waiting to be launched. With so many folks shopping and looking for deals during BF/CM, why not capitalize on testing out new revenue streams? According to a recent article on the Exploding Topics blog, US consumer activity increases by 512% compared to a typical shopping day on Cyber Monday alone. So why not strike while the iron is hot and convert your clients' consumers via multiple streams?
4. Enrich Campaigns Through Tailored Market Research
You’re not a one-size-fits-all CAM, so why would your clients expect a one-size-fits-all service? Yes, there are general products and systems that can be used across the board to ensure project success, but you’re brought on to an agency or team to find the latest and greatest, undiscovered, cutting-edge products and systems that are custom-tailored to your client. Understanding what makes your clients unique presents a one-of-a-kind advantage; finding and leveraging these qualities only helps their agency or brand stand out in a sea of similarities. Considering all the noise happening around BF/CM, capitalizing on everything and anything that makes your clients unique will help them stand out from the crowd.
5. Keep Yourself Happy by Putting Systems in Place and Practicing Self Care
Organization is a massive key to success. Make sure you have all of your systems in place before entering into BF/CM season and clearly define all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). SOPs can be used throughout all segments of an agency, from onboarding to maintenance, client communication to retention. SOPs put standardized functions, responses, and operations in place to ensure consistency and follow-through. When BF/CM madness hits and things might start to go awry, lean on your SOPs to know how to best handle things if they emerge out of the blue.
SOPs can help a CAM with the following:
Provides a straightforward and clear blueprint for how essential functions need to get done.
Minimizes errors and mistakes, especially when communicating with and working alongside your clients.
Reduces the amount of clarification or feedback needed, which is crucial when making decisions and acting quickly in a BF/CM emergency.
Once you’ve done all you can to prepare, know that even then things might not always work out the way you planned. Be kind to yourself throughout the process and remind yourself that this is a learning opportunity and a chance to improve and do better in the future. Practice self-care to give yourself a break and truly disconnect through an activity like reading, taking a walk outside, or meditating. Then you can feel recharged and ready to take on the next BF/CM challenge.
Conclusion
BF/CM is an anomaly; a special week throughout the year where the pressure of added traffic can either create diamonds or disaster. Make sure your preparation, organization, and clarification game is on point so you’re headed into the storm equipped with everything you need. You can also use this season as a time to test and learn; with so many shoppers looking for opportunities, it’s the perfect time to roll out something new that you need to collect some serious data on. Overall, don’t forget to be kind to yourself in the process - it’s undoubtedly a stressful and challenging time of year, and adding more stress to your plate by being too hard on yourself will not do you any favors!
Does the challenge of executing a flawless BF/CM campaign get your heart racing? Refine, renew, and upgrade your CAM tools by joining DOT & CO’s CAM Community; a monthly membership where you can gain access to the latest and greatest features to take your CAM career to the next level.