Unwritten Rules of Account Management

1. Say, "I don't know" when appropriate. It's okay not always to have all the answers. Often you won't have the right or best solution. Don't leave the question open-ended. Offer to do the research and bring back the answer.
2. Look for what is missing. It's easy to improve what's in front of you. Few are good at seeing what is missing and what will impact when added. This is what it is to "push the envelope" and "think outside of the box."
3. Communicate good and bad news with the same speed. Don't forget to celebrate our wins with clients. Yet, at the same time, don't bury adverse outcomes. Being an expert means-testing and pushing to get outcomes others rarely do. That will cause some failures. Walk the client through those bad outcomes and grow their trust and confidence as a result.
4. Constantly review outcomes against objectives. This will ensure alignment and help you quickly spot opportunities and deterioration in your strategies.
5. Persistence and tenacity are prized. Push through the challenging parts to deliver. Being a solid finisher is more valuable than simply being a good starter.
6. When working on a project, don't wait for others; go after them and make sure it gets done. Don't be passive. Make decisions and act. Ask for help if you need it. Follow-up is essential and helps us get to the finish line with the best results. When we're done, make sure to share the credit and success with your team.
7. Confirm objectives and commitments. Do it in writing. Don't assume clarity without writing it down, thinking through the process, and getting the client's confirmation. This holds the client and you accountable for our shared goals.
8. Don't be timid. Speak up and promote your ideas. Creative and critical thinking is our fundamental value proposition to our customers. Given your experience and expertise, render an opinion when you see an opportunity or a hazard - your success depends on it.
9. Be a contributor with substance. Your contributions should be backed by experience, research, data, and your resulting expertise. You are highly influential in your clients' eyes. They are investing in your ideas and opinions. Take the time and make the effort to become an expert. When a client takes a bet on your advice, there should be an exceptionally high probability of success.
10. Strive for brevity and clarity when speaking and writing. Clients and co-workers are horribly distracted in today’s digital world. If you want to be effective, you must boil complexity down to the essential principles. Then you need to take those principles and craft them into a logical argument, accompanied by actionable steps, that will yield the client’s desired outcome(s). Take the time and do the hard work of thinking and synthesizing your recommendations before presenting them to the client.
11. Be accurate and truthful in your statements. This should need no explanation. To some degree, being comfortable with saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll do my best to find out” will help you avoid this peril.
12. Don't forget you are working for the client. Keep the clients informed. Do whatever they want, within the bounds of integrity. Their desires and goals take top priority over your own.
13. Schedules and estimates are essential to a well-run business. Don't avoid them with clients. This is lazy and self-serving. Learn to create them and increase their accuracy.
14. Handle complaints directly and quickly. Learn to analyze and resolve complaints as astutely and expertly as marketing objectives. Avoid elevating and escalating them.
15. You are always representing your company. Be mindful of your actions, statements, and commitments. You are the brand. Our people define our agency.
16. Learn to simplify. Keep asking why. Refine your counsel down to the essentials. You’re the marketing expert, not the client. If you force clients to have a comparable understanding and expertise, your value and effectiveness will significantly decrease.
17. Don't get excitable in crisis. Seek calmness. Slow is fast. I like to remind folks: “No one is shooting at us.” Take the time to assess, understand, and work on the problem.
18. Make decisions quickly and clearly, whenever possible. Most decisions are not unique or complex, but leaving them decided creates complexity and confusion. Generally, make decisions quickly, using your best judgment, with clear action steps, and expected outcomes.
19. Every decision has cons; don't ignore them. Whenever you’re making a decision, there are pros and cons. And all decisions have consequences—plan for the cons and unintended consequences whenever possible.
20. Seek the shortest, most straightforward path to a solution. Complexity causes friction and waste. This will delay and dilute your success.
21. A person that is nice to you but rude to others is not a nice person. Everyone deserves dignity. We don’t hire or work with people that believe that.
22. Never be afraid to try something new. We’re in the business of attention. That takes creativity and some degree of innovation and risk. Try something new occasionally.

Essential qualities of an outstanding account manager: Confidence, Curiosity, Initiative, Dedication, and Integrity.

Sources and Inspiration

Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management: https://fs.blog/2013/06/the-unwritten-rules-of-management/

Rumsfeld's Rules: https://www.rumsfeld.com/rumsfeld_rules/

Unwritten Laws of Engineering:

https://rotorlab.tamu.edu/me489/README/2010%20ASME%20Unwritten_Laws_of_Enginering.pdf

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