I have been part of the Guerilla team for almost a year now with the initial role as Account Executive. After 9 months of hard work, determination and building client trust, I was given the opportunity to progress to the role of Account Manager. My promotion and the completion of my IPA Commercial Certificate have been a focal point of my client service career so far.
Working for an agency for the first time, I was eager to learn and fully immerse myself in the industry. Like starting any new job, there is a lot to learn and get your head around. However, I am my own worst enemy and I wanted to know how to do everything from the offset. My perfectionist tendencies meant I’d feel disappointed in myself if I made an error. But I soon learnt that with that approach I wasn’t going to progress to where I am today.
On reflection of the transition from Account Executive to Account Manager, here are a few key lessons I learnt along the way:
- Be patient with yourself. Things take time to learn and you won’t learn everything overnight. Don’t get frustrated with yourself if you get something wrong. We are only human, and humans make mistakes!
- Learn from your mistakes. Make a mistake in to a positive, by learning from it and creating a solution to avoid it from happening again in the future.
- Take your time. Don’t rush your work as that is when the mistakes will happen. Your working speed will gradually increase as you start to feel more comfortable and gain more confidence.
- Be prepared for anything. Start your day with a positive attitude and expect the unexpected, whether it be covering unfamiliar accounts or being faced with a demanding client.
- Organisation is key. However you organise your work and work-space, whether it is to-do lists, spread sheets, day-by-day agendas, you will feel more prepared at the beginning and throughout each day.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions – the more the better! At Guerilla we have a lovely bunch of friendly faces who are always happy to help and support one another. At the end of the day, we are a team and we will only create happy clients and positive results together.
Working in Client Service isn’t all fun and games. It’s fast paced, unpredictable, pulls you out of your comfort zone, and certainly tests your patience. However, the trusting relationship you build with your client and the satisfaction you feel when they are happy with their work gives you the worthy feeling of pride and appreciation at the end of every project.
