What does it take to be a successful account executive in today’s advertising firms?
Within the industry, the AE (Account Executive) of yesteryear was more of the “face guy,” the glad-hander who took the client to dinner and said yes to every request. In today’s environment, the AE ultimately holds the key to the entire agency-client relationship. Not only must the AE represent the client’s needs and obstacles to the agency team, the AE must also often act as the client within the team to ensure all avenues have been explored and all solutions offer value. As such, the AE must have a clear understanding of the client, the product, the competition, the marketplace, the budget, and the measurement tools, as well as an in-depth understanding and belief in the ultimate solution. The AE of today must be extremely organized, opinionated yet open-minded, a shrewd negotiator yet also a sensitive motivator, and a teacher, coach and cheerleader. How do you win your clients? Our industry, above all else, is a service industry. That’s where the value lies. While creative, media, e
