Brian Sheppard - Account Director
Account Management - Influencing Without Power
What is advertising? —> Solving business problems.
Everything you do/don’t do costs a lot of money.
Stupid people think complicated things are clever.
Creative —> suit —> planner
What is account management?
Strategy - bringing new solutions that are on brand —>
Leadership —> not being fazed by meeting the CEO of a company
Building relationships - be yourself and be honest —> also be able to say no.
Commercial acumen - risk management.
A defined sense of self.
More passion, energy, optimism, focus and logic than anyone else in the room.
Flexibility (more board rooms).
Presence.
The best skill to have.
The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. - Rachel Naomi Remen
It doesn't really matter what you start doing as long as you start.
You will be blissfully unaware of what is actually happening around you.
You will be tested with little tasks.
Requirements for the job.
Communication.
Leadership.
A sense of humour.
People person.
Respect and work with client and agency management. Planning, TV production, creative services, studio, outside suppliers. Artists, technicians, 3rd party stakeholders.
Bouncers/security guards, parking attendants, police men etc.
They are specialised in their job - get on with them so they can share knowledge and resources.
“Jack of all trades” - multi-tacker extraordinaire.
Acquire then deploy a range of skills to make things happen.
Think creatively and draw on your diverse talents and skills.
Believe anything is possible if you work hard in pursuit of a creative solution.
Be calm in a crisis, while still being passionately committed to your cause.
Never expect to get the credit but always be prepared to take the responsibility.
Be bigger than your departmental job.
have empathy and understanding of other people’s jobs around you.
starts with respecting what other people do and asking ‘can I help?’
CAN I HELP?
The more you understand what everyone else’s job is, the more you will know if you are working with good people.