More Than One Account Manager On An Account? Here’s What Not To Do

In our final Happy Client Podcast episode of 2022, we're wrapping up the year by talking about a very important topic for growing agencies: what NOT to do when you have more than one Account Manager.

So you’ve just hired an awesome new Client Account Manager, hopefully you’ve provided them with some awesome CAM training, and they can’t wait to hit the ground running. Awesome! That means you’re doing great things for your clients, building that trust that’s so critical to long-term success in this industry. 

But we’ve seen it happen time and time again: unless you bring on extra CAMs in the right way, they’re just as likely to make things more (not less!) hectic and confusing in your agency. 

Not sure if you need more Account Managers for your digital marketing agency? See our advice on how many clients one CAM can work with here. 

Otherwise, if you want to ensure a simple transition to multiple Client Account Managers, be sure you already have these three factors in place. 

1.Solid Roles

We all know the risks of too many cooks in the kitchen, and Client Account Management is no different. Namely, if you are going to have more than one Account Manager on an account, then everyone needs to know exactly what their individual roles and responsibilities will be. 

For example, it’s normal for everyone in this situation to be in contact with the client. But there still needs to be one specific CAM who is the dedicated go-to for the client. They’re the ones who are always going to be super responsive and ultimately responsible for the relationship. They’ll likely also be the ones responsible for client onboarding (snag our free Onboarding Checklist here).

Having one person in charge of the relationship and who acts like the client’s advocate is the key to building up trust. And in our experience, it’s that trust that leads to the strong, referral-worthy client relationships that help grow your business. 

So to extend the metaphor, it’s ok to have more than one cook in the kitchen … as long as one cook knows they’re responsible for chopping (and only chopping), and another for mixing (and only mixing), and so on. You’re all working on the same project, but everyone needs their own role, without any overlap or paths crossed. 

2. Solid Project Management

Speaking of roles, there needs to be one Client Account Manager per account who is solely responsible for project management. While every CAM is responsible for keeping the client happy, it’s going to be the dedicated Project Manager who is responsible for keeping things moving along smoothly. They’re going to be responsible for keeping everyone happy, including all team members and other stakeholders. 

For example, your all CAMs will probably have regular meetings with your clients. Agency owners often want to sit in on these calls to talk to strategy, too. But while everyone needs to ‘show up’ and put their best face forward, it’s up to the Project Manager to take notes and then delegate out new tasks in the project management software 

Ultimately, having this solid project management is the best way to keep everything running smoothly and ensuring projects don’t fall through the cracks. 

3. Solid Communication

Finally, communication needs to be clear and effective if multiple CAMs are going to be able to work together and provide a united front to clients. Of course, solid communication is necessary in every agency all the time! But forewarned: without best practices already in place, communication between multiple CAMs and your clients can get unwieldy fast. 

More Than One Account Manager: What NOT To Do!

By this point, you might be able to guess our one big ‘no-no’ when it comes to multiple CAMs. And that’s letting boundaries and communication blur. 

Having more than one Account Manager is entirely do-able—as long as boundaries stay clear. 

In fact, as you grow, having more than one CAM is likely going to become a necessity. Getting clarity and getting these elements right is what’s going to set everyone on your team up for long-term success.

If you’d like help building out your team of unicorn-status CAMs, please reach out! We offer a host of full-service client management services for growing marketing agencies. 

Are you ready for happy clients? Let’s chat!

Taylor