A good account manager is always busy. When times are good and when things are slow, there’s always something to do for your clients. But staying on top of all that can be overwhelming. The key is to develop systems and habits that keep you on track. Here are some that have helped us.
The pandemic has certainly impacted how we stay in touch with clients. Some things have changed – like more video calls – and some things haven’t. Whatever methods you use, it still comes back to keeping in touch with your clients on a very regular schedule.
Our account managers typically check in with their contacts at least once every two weeks. Using a spreadsheet that lists all of your key client contacts is a good practice to employ. That way, you can check off when you last contacted them. A spreadsheet helps track activity, and if you get overwhelmed, you can come back to this for reference.
For the contacts that need a little bit of TLC, we put reminders on our calendar to make contact every two weeks or so. It’s especially important to do this when you’re not actively working positions for that company. It’s easy to focus on the clients who have immediate needs. But you can’t forget all the others who may provide you with jobs in the future.
Part of building a strong relationship is to communicate regularly not just when we need something or when the client needs something. Our goal is to make the relationship more than just transactional.
With so many channels available – email, text, phone, video – it’s important to tailor how you communicate with your clients. That can be as simple as how frequently you call or the opening line of an email. Some clients prefer texting. Others want only calls. Some say, don’t call my cell phone, only call on my work phone. Treat everyone how they want to be treated and communicate in a way that’s going to be convenient for them, not what’s convenient for you.
During this past year, video calls have really helped us maintain engagement. We all know face-to-face interaction is important. There’s a lot of social cues that you can pick up just from seeing someone’s face, their expressions and animation. Seeing one another helps us connect. When we can do this, it’s a deeper connection and almost more of a friendship than a business relationship.
Share what’s happening in the job market. If we’re having difficulty filling a particular position, we ask our recruitment team for more information. What are candidates’ main objections? Is the rate too low? Is the market too hot? Are the client’s restrictions too much? Is the process from start to finish taking longer than the average fill rate? Then we share that feedback with the client to give them a snapshot of what we’re seeing in the marketplace.
Connect on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is crucial to staying in touch with clients and prospects. Keep an eye on your clients’ activity and try to engage with anything they post. Throw a comment on there, even if it’s just supportive. Something as simple as “This was really interesting. Thanks for sharing” will help to keep you on their radar. You should also look for articles that you can post to LinkedIn that you think could be beneficial to your clients. It all circles back to keeping my name fresh in their mind.
Stay current on company news. Some of our Account Managers have set up Google news alerts for all of their clients. For example, we had a pharmaceutical company that was working on manufacturing the COVID vaccine. So, every time their name is in the news, our Account Mangers would get emailed an article, which they’d then send to their contacts at that organization and say, “I saw that you were listed in the news. This is very exciting.” It’s just one more way to stay connected.
When COVID first hit in March 2020, there was so much uncertainty in the market. Client engagement really dropped off, so our Account Managers would spend several hours a week following up with clients and expanding within existing accounts.
There are so many opportunities to reach out to clients even when they don’t have a current job opening. Slow times are a great time to freshen relationships and get creative.
For example, when we have a contractor that’s done well on previous assignments, We’ll often reach out to our contacts and put this person on their radar, even if they don’t have a position open. For instance, if we know the client uses that same area of technology, We’ll send the contractor’s resume along with written recommendations from the previous employer. We’ve gotten several roles open up from doing this. The contact may say, “This isn’t actually a fit, but that reminds me. I need someone like this in the next three to four weeks.” And again, it shows the client that we’re thinking of them and their needs.
Part of good account maintenance is making sure all goes smoothly when you’re on vacation (remember vacation?). For instance, when one our Account Managers went away for two weeks, they created several Google docs of everything to do with their accounts before they left. For example, “if you’re working with client X, this is the preferred type of communication. This is the main point of contact. This is the format that a client’s submission should be written in. And this client wants a spreadsheet with all the candidates attached and here’s a template for that.” This ensures continuity of service, and keeps everyone on the same page.
Before COVID, it was typical for our team to travel and meet clients (sometimes across the country) at least once a year. Those face-to-face meetings really strengthened our relationships. So during the pandemic, we’ve had to get creative. For example, one of our staff members uses a local cookie shop in town that will ship gift baskets. Though it requires a little extra work, the pay off is huge, and in some ways better than a typical face-to-face meeting.
These are just a few ways to stay on top of communications with your clients. The key is to develop systems that work for you. Whether times are good or bad, these tools will keep you on track.
Networking | Working remotely | Working with recruiters | Workplace
