Definition of a Client/Account manager: We may not sport tattoos and long hair like the designers; we may not talk in flowery language or be fueled by spirits and keyboards like the content and copy guys. But we are not the sidekicks either. They call us Client/Account Managers and we are here to change the world (ok maybe not the world!)
Synonyms: We are the bullet takers, the bullshit swallowers, the pleasant faced people, the crisis managers, and the bomb (read awkward silence at client meetings) diffusers. We are the Durgas of the organization.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We save the art and copy team from the wrath of the client and the client from the innocent blunders of the art and copy team. Come rain or shine, we are always expected to meet the EOD and ASAP deadlines. We are at all times armed with a smartphone and ergonomically designed thumbs that can type away 5 Whatsapp messages, 6 emails, and accept a handful of meeting invites, all in a matter of minutes. We can talk business at 3 in the morning and give pitches while stuck in traffic on a motorbike.
Our diplomacy and politeness will put the Queen of England to shame and the length of our TO-DO li
sts will make the Qutub Minar look tiny! We are people pleaser (by choice or by force). We walk a tight rope, cannot afford to get into the client’s bad books, do not want to piss off the team back home.
Professional acrobats could take a lesson or two from us for we have mastered the art of balancing! We balance the art guy’s ego, the content writer’s sentiments, and the client’s temperaments. We are always on the top of things, overdosed on caffeine, and spend every waking minute brainstorming for ground shattering and soul stirring ideas. Our dreams are made up of perfectly designed ppt decks; clear and concise excel sheets, and reports with positive figures.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO:
The art guy is driven by dots and lines, the copy guys are inspired by words and phrases, we are driven by the pure desire to get things done! We like to see things through; through the multiple iterations, feedbacks and suggestions, long nights and client persuasions. We probably don’t figure in anyone’s list of favourites but at the end of the day, when a creative gets approves and the team is celebrating and the client is rejoicing, we know we did a good job! A job well done is what gives us a high (also some Old Monk in coke). And we live for these moments!