Revealing Our Gold Standard Account Management Playbook
The Gold Standard of Account Management: Five Years in the Making
Welcome back to The Happy Clients Podcast! Today, we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting tactical with what we call The Gold Standard of Account Management. If you’re an agency owner or account manager, this is the episode you can’t afford to skip.
I’ve invited back Jillian, one of our senior department managers, who played a key role in shaping this standard into what it is today. But let’s rewind a bit—this didn’t happen overnight. The Gold Standard is the result of five years of refinement, learning, and putting pen to paper to define exactly what makes an exceptional account manager. Spoiler: It’s not fluff—it’s tactical, tangible, and game-changing.
How This All Started
Before we had the Gold Standard, we developed CAM School—a seven-module training program designed to take everything we’ve learned and turn it into a repeatable system for training account managers. But we knew training wasn’t enough. We needed a way to consistently measure success, set expectations, and ensure our team members were delivering top-tier service across every agency we worked with.
Enter: The Gold Standard. This became the benchmark for excellence, guiding not only our team’s performance but also how agency owners manage their account managers effectively.
The Backbone
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about who we are at our core. The Gold Standard isn’t just about tasks—it’s about how we show up. Here’s what we stand by:
Driven – We take ownership and push for results.
Approachable – We build trust and rapport effortlessly.
Persistent – We follow through (and then some).
Bubbly – We bring energy and enthusiasm to every interaction.
Supportive – We work with agencies, not just for them.
With these values as our foundation, let’s walk through what it actually means to be a Gold Standard account manager. Grab your notepad—this is the real deal.
1. Clear & Consistent Communication
It sounds obvious, but here’s the truth: If clients don’t hear from you, they assume nothing is happening. A Gold Standard account manager prioritizes timely, transparent, and proactive communication—both internally and with clients. This means: ✔️ Regular touchpoints ✔️ Anticipating client questions before they ask ✔️ Keeping agency teams aligned on deliverables
2. Proactive Problem-Solving
The best account managers don’t wait for fires to break out—they prevent them. This means spotting small beige flags before they turn into full-blown client crises. Whether it’s flagging a reporting anomaly or identifying workflow inefficiencies, Gold Standard AMs are always two steps ahead.
3. Strong Relationship Management
Beyond emails and Slack messages, this is about people. Gold Standard AMs take the time to build trust with clients by remembering personal details, sending thoughtful check-ins, and making clients feel valued—not just like another invoice.
4. Strategic Thinking
Here’s where agency owners sometimes get tripped up. How much strategy should an account manager really bring to the table? The answer: enough to bridge the gap between client goals and agency capabilities. Gold Standard AMs zoom out to see the bigger picture, ensuring campaigns align with the client’s actual needs—not just what’s on the project plan.
5. Detailed Project Management
Project management isn’t just clicking buttons in ClickUp. It’s about ensuring every task, deadline, and deliverable is accounted for—and more importantly, that the team actually uses the system in place. (Because let’s be real, too many agencies have gorgeous project management setups that no one follows.)
6. High-Level Understanding of Marketing Channels
Gold Standard AMs don’t need to be specialists, but they do need to understand how different marketing channels work together. This allows them to: ✅ Guide clients toward the right services ✅ Translate marketing data into insights ✅ Keep up with industry trends (because digital marketing changes daily)
7. Client Advocacy
We’ve seen it too many times—agencies that put their internal team’s comfort above client experience. Gold Standard AMs advocate for the client, ensuring they’re heard, their goals are prioritized, and their experience with the agency is seamless. After all, happy clients = agency growth.
Becoming the Go-To Person
At the end of the day, the best account managers are the go-to person for both the client and the agency. This means being resourceful, solution-oriented, and always one step ahead. When clients and teams know they can rely on you to get things done, you’ve hit Gold Standard status.
Final Thoughts
The Gold Standard isn’t just a document—it’s a way of operating that separates good agencies from great ones. Whether you’re an agency owner or an account manager, implementing these principles will elevate your client relationships, streamline operations, and ultimately drive long-term success.
And as always, stay tuned for more tactical insights right here on The Happy Clients Podcast!