Performance Evaluations: What Ours Look Like
One thing about DOT & Co. is that we love to share! We love to share our resources, share support for Client Account Managers, and share tangible solutions and suggestions for agency life. An important element of sharing is through our performance evaluations.
When it comes to performance evaluations, think of them less as a haunted house and more of a friendly ghost tour! We're here to take the "spooky" out of it and make it a treat, not a trick. In this article, we'll unwrap the mystery of our performance evaluations, highlight the value they bring, and showcase how they're all a part of an Account Manager’s professional growth. Ready to embark on this spook-tacular adventure? Let’s dive in!
What Is A Performance Evaluation?
In the early days of a budding career, performance evaluations can make Account Managers quiver.
Many look at a performance evaluation as an intimidating, scary event, where one would bravely journey to their supervisor’s office, armed with a year's worth of anecdotes, coffee-stained reports, and glittering achievements. With bated breath, Account Managers listened as work was recounted, and downfalls or challenges were sprinkled in with goals they should conquer in the future.
It was all very scary. But in today’s remote world, it doesn't have to be this way!
Our performance evaluations are a chance to catch up, discuss wins, chat about the future, and discover best practices.
The best part? During these meetings, our Client Account Managers are never presented with something they haven't heard before. This is because we share feedback with our Client Account Managers on a regular basis. An open communication and feedback loop decreases anxiety and stress and makes the process less intimidating for our Account Managers because they know what to expect.
DOT & Co. Performance Evaluations
When we offer a new Account Manager a spot at DOT & Co., we begin a thorough onboarding process that we’re pretty proud of! It covers everything from agency workflows and goals to what their future at DOT & Co. will look like.
From there, we host a formalized performance evaluation at six months and again at twelve months.
The evaluation process includes a self-evaluation, performance review, and a professional development plan. The Client Account Managers that thrive and succeed with DOT & Co. are the individuals who are open to constructive criticism, intending to grow and expand on their Account Management skill set and their career DOT & Co.
A Client Account Manager’s evaluation will be completed by our very own Agency Director, Katie! All of our Client Account Managers have an established working relationship with Katie and feel comfortable chatting freely with her.
The six-month performance evaluation will evaluate how the Client Account Manager is working with an agency(s), how they are incorporating DOT & Co.’s values into agency life, and their next six months as a Client Account Manager.
Some may find six months for an evaluation a little early, but we think it’s an important starting point. We understand that Client Account Managers may still be finding their groove and perfecting their Account Manager skills after only six months, and that’s totally fine, we get it!
The reason we start the process at 6 months is to establish the performance review cadence early so that our team understands they have support from the get go and that DOT & Co. is truly invested in their professional growth.
Our performance evaluation will ask questions based on the most relevant, updated version of our Account Manager job description. We use the following seven key performance indicators (KPIs):
Working with clients
Developing reports
Working with the internal teams
Coordinating tasks, priorities, deliverables, and project management
Routing the projects through the appropriate team members for approvals
Leading their internal team, leading client meetings, and making sure that clients feel the love
Taking ownership of a portfolio of clients
Client Account Managers will be asked to fill out their self-review using a scale of one to five (poor-great) based on how they feel they are meeting, exceeding, or needing improvement on the KPIs above.
Again, during the six-month evaluation, no feedback a Client Account Manager hears should be new. It’s an easygoing meeting! Like we said, we are in constant communication with our Client Account Managers from the start and we value open communication.
So, how do Client Account Managers rate themselves, and how do they see their performance? We encourage each person to rate themselves as openly and honestly as they can. This is a time to showcase all of their hard work after all!
Before we finish up, we will discuss the Client Account Manager’s goals for the one-year evaluation. This helps form tangible, actionable items that Client Account Managers can reach for that are aligned with their career goals. We also encourage Client Account Managers to share with us what they’re enjoying, what’s working in their day-to-day, and things that they need support with.
Then it’s our turn! We are hype people for our team, and we love to support them through their career. We offer Client Account Managers tons of work achievements, highlight their strong points, and, hopefully, motivate them! Before completing the performance review, both parties sign and agree to the performance evaluation being kept on record.
Later, it will be time for the one-year evaluation. It’s similar to the six-month evaluation but with more information about goals that have been achieved, what requires more attention, and goals and plans for the future. We will then fill out a professional development plan together, highlighting goals for two to five years down the line. We’ll discuss long-term goals in detail, focusing on concrete action plans and timelines.
Conclusion
While the season might be filled with ghouls and ghosts, our performance evaluations aim to take the "spooky" out of the process. Think of them as friendly signposts on a foggy night. They're essential for guiding our Client Account Managers towards long-term goals, shedding light on areas for continuous learning and skill enhancement. By identifying strengths and pinpointing areas for development, we ensure that no one's left in the dark. So, while there might be a chill in the air, with our evaluations, it's all about clarity, growth, and navigating forward with confidence.
As we mentioned earlier, we here at DOT & Co. love to share our resources! You can find our Performance Evaluation templates here. Explore our Employee Self-Evaluation Form, our Annual Performance Review template, and our Professional Development Plan outline as well!
Finally, don't forget to check out our free podcast episode How To Create A Performance Evaluation For Account Managers for additional content on Account Manager performance evaluations!