A smart book about one of the most challenging jobs in business - account management. Perfect as a core text for a management course, or as a supplement for your student agency.
The new, 2nd edition of the Key Account Manager's Pocketbook gives practical advice on how to keep and develop important customers, thereby maximising ongoing revenue streams, reducing sales costs, improving investment planning and increasing market knowledge. It opens by describing the key account manager's role and then goes on to describe how to rise up the so-called customer perception ladder, moving from a simple commodity supplier to developing a solid, long-term business partnership with your key customers. The author next explains how to develop the 'key account development plan', how to increase your influence with the decision-maker in your key account (relationship management) and how to win new business. The final chapter runs through the essential steps of key account handling. There are short exercises throughout which, if carried out, will help to reinforce the key learning points.
A practical guide for providing exceptional client service Most advertising and marketing people would claim great client service is an elusive, ephemeral pursuit, not easily characterized by a precise skill set or inventory of responsibilities; this book and its author argue otherwise, claiming there are definable, actionable methods to the role, and provide guidance designed to achieve more effective work. Written by one of the industry's most knowledgeable client services executives, the book begins with a definition, then follows a path from an initial new business win to beginning, building, losing, then regaining trust with clients. It is a powerful source of counsel for those new to the business, for industry veterans who want to refresh or validate what they know, and for anyone in the middle of the journey to get better at what they do.
Key account management just got easier 'This little book is a real gem' Professor Malcolm McDonald Key account management is increasingly important and must keep pace with its customers as they continually develop and evolve, often resulting in increasingly sophisticated buying structures. The key account manager therefore requires a wide variety of skills in order to be successful; this is not only an important job role in its own right, it is often a stepping stone to career development, leading to more senior management jobs. Successful Key Account Management In A Week is a week long course. On Sunday you are encouraged to Know your customer as success depends on a relationship that is both rewarding and valuable. On Monday you will Analyse your growth opportunities. The competitiveness of the company must be appraised to enable the identification of sales growth opportunities and all major accounts should be compared in appeal and position to give an indication of the strategy to be adopted for customers. On Tuesday you will Measure profits by account. You will be shown how to measure the profitability of major customers and to draw up league tables to enable profit improvement strategies. On Wednesday you will Plan for success, building on the analysis of growth opportunities and profit measurement already considered, to result in a best judgement final plan. On Thursday you will learn to Negotiate to win-win; success relies on understanding the difference between negotiation and selling and being able to conduct negotiations to produce a win-win situation in which the objectives of both sides are considered. On Friday you will look at Control activity levels and the monitoring of standards of performance to enable the presentation of plans and progress, allowing the measurement of success against these plans. And finally, on Saturday you are reminded to Manage relationships with an introduction to the Relationship Model which describes how business with a customer changes as it moves from a transactional or short-term sales achievement, to collaboration with long-term customer value and retention. 'This little book is a real gem, which you should read, use and keep handy for continuous reference. If you follow the straightforward guidelines in this book, your company's future is assured' Professor Malcolm McDonald, Former Professor of Marketing and Deputy Director, Cranfield University School of Management
The second edition of Media Strategy & Planning Workbook: How to Create a Comprehensive Media Plan is now available from Racom Communications. This edition features four significantly upgraded chapters (11 total), 94 new content pages, 112 new exhibits and illustrations, 3 new tear-out exercises, "a 50 percent larger glossary and one completely new chapter focusing on how the media industry operates. The book includes how a media buy is actually made in each paid medium; media plan pretesting; ad agency media department operations; detailed term project specifications for instructors; instructor's guide featuring a course syllabus, exercise answer keys, proposed mid-term and final exams, PowerPoint files to support chapter exhibits and illustrations, and PDF files of exercises and tests. This new book is designed to teach students how to create a comprehensive media plan. It is the most how-to teaching tool available and focuses on teaching marketable skills.
You're up to 55% more likely to win business with an existing customer than with an outside prospect. Mastering Account Management is your blueprint for winning long-term business with your highest potential buyers (your customers). From selling millions in high-end video services and managing projects in the New York advertising world, Dan Englander learned that most companies don't take the right steps to farm repeat business. Instead of focusing on time-consuming lead generation tactics, a replicable account management process will produce better and faster returns. Englander's 102-step guide will show you how to create one for your business. Learn what the top account managers do: Systematize repeat business. Achieve flexibility and freedom by keeping a barrier between sales and customer or client service. Build long-term partnerships by prioritizing experience over output. Make life easier by leveraging new apps, tools, and high-tech shortcuts. Maximize networking referrals. Mastering Account Management will give you the right framework for winning more deals, delighting your customers, and achieving peace of mind. It's equal parts sales and customer service, with a healthy sprinkling of technology. Those who enjoyed Spin Selling and The Art of Client Serviceare sure to gain a lot from this book, as will fans of the The 4-Hour Workweek. Order Today and access a library of digital resources!
Become an account management superstar! Acclaimed by industry experts as the most comprehensive guide for agency account managers of all levels, 'How to Wrestle an Octopus' is the #1 choice for anyone with client-facing responsibility in the advertising, design, PR, experiential, media, and print industries. Learn about the seven facets of account management: AGENCY LIFE: All about AgencyLand - and how to survive it. ALL ABOUT YOU: All about helping you to be the best account manager you can be - covering topics that affect you personally. CLIENT LOVE: All about interacting with your clients - deconstructing the concept of 'client service', and helping to show you what that means in your everyday work life. KA-CHING!: All about the money - how to navigate your way through the account management minefield of sales, business accounting, profitability, and more. MISSION CONTROL: All about the 'paperwork' - helping you to identify what needs to be done, and the best-practice ways of keeping it all under control. NUTS AND BOLTS: All about the technical bits - understanding production requirements, and demystifying industry jargon. THE FUN BITS: All about the execution and how account managers bring projects and campaigns to life. Sarah Ritchie, founder of AM-Insider.com shares her wealth of experience from a 25-year career in advertising and design agencies; plus insights from over 800 interviews with account managers and agency managers from 30 different countries. Packed with case studies, quotes from industry leaders, and 300 essential topics to empower, enthuse, and educate. 'How to Wrestle an Octopus' covers the 'what', the 'why', AND the 'how' - pretty much everything you need to do your job well and become an account management superstar!
Great on the Job offers a much-needed "people skills" primer and masterclass in all facets of workplace communication Do you know how to ask for help at work without sounding dumb? Do you know how to get valuable and useful feedback from your colleagues? Have you mastered your professional elevator pitch so that every time you meet someone, they remember and are impressed by you? If you answered "no" to any of these questions, you need Great on the Job. In 2008, Jodi Glickman launched Great on the Job, a communications consulting firm whose distinguished client list includes Harvard Business School, Wharton, The Stern School of Business, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup. Now, Glickman's three-step training program is available in book form for the first time. With case studies, micro strategies, and example language, readers will learn communication skills that can be practiced and implemented immediately. In today's economy, it's not typically the smartest, hardest working or most technically savvy who succeed. Instead, the ability to communicate well is often the most important precursor to success in the workplace. So whether you're a star performer or a struggling novice, Great on the Job will give you the building blocks you need for every conversation you'll have at work.
The must-have resource for media selling in today’s technology-driven environment The revised and updated fifth edition of Media Selling is an essential guide to our technology-driven, programmatic, micro-targeted, mobile, multi-channel media ecosystem. Today, digital advertising has surpassed television as the number-one ad investment platform, and Google and Facebook dominate the digital advertising marketplace. The authors highlight the new sales processes and approaches that will give media salespeople a leg up on the competition in our post-Internet media era. The book explores the automated programmatic buying and selling of digital ad inventory that is disrupting both media buyers and media salespeople. In addition to information on disruptive technologies in media sales, the book explores sales ethics, communication theory and listening, emotional intelligence, creating value, the principles of persuasion, sales stage management guides, and sample in-person, phone, and email sales scripts. Media Selling offers media sellers a customer-first and problem-solving sales approach. The updated fifth edition: Contains insight from digital experts into how 82.5% of digital ad inventory is bought and sold programmatically Reveals how to conduct research on Google Analytics Identifies how media salespeople can offer cross-platform and multi-channel solutions to prospects’ advertising and marketing challenge Includes insights into selling and distribution of podcasts Includes links to downloadable case studies, presentations, and planners on the Media Selling website Includes an extensive Glossary of Digital Advertising terms Written for students in communications, radio-TV, and mass communication, Media Selling is the classic work in the field. The updated edition provides an indispensable tool for learning, training, and mastering sales techniques for digital media.
From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together