Team growth can mean either adding new members to your team or developing your current employees. Both can be key for a strong company.

It’s important to know what it takes to make your existing team as cohesive and knowledgable as possible before adding new team members. It’s also crucial to have processes in place to set up new team members for success.

3 Elements of Account Management

The first step in account management development is identifying what your team actually needs.

What are the elements of the job description? What are your project management goals? What are you missing on your team?

I know what you’re thinking: Whoa, that’s a lot of questions. Stick with me. It’s not as overwhelming as it may seem!

1. Elements of the Job

At 9 Clouds, our account management team is responsible for tasks such as:

• Communicating with clients
• Managing the implementation and development of inbound marketing strategies
• Reporting on a monthly basis
• Handling day-to-day team management

Work with your specific client team and your account management team to identify areas of improvement within each responsibility. Then, work together to achieve those goals.

2. Elements of Development

Our fearless leader of account management, Jenny Lockhart, leads bimonthly account management development sessions. These sessions offer us time to work on our education, accountability, and process development.

Expand on the three main project management skills of prioritization, communication, and negotiation by reviewing your own goals and by problem solving client situations.

3 Project Management Skills to Benefit Even the Most Unorganized People

It’s also important to have weekly account team check-ins to manage your team’s day-to-day assignments — and to manage yourself! These check-ins are a great opportunity to identify where project management efficiencies can be improved.

3. Elements of the Team

Okay, so we know what it takes to do the job and improve the job. But what does it take to grow the team?

Culture is key. Of course you want a qualified professional on your team, but you also want an account manager who will mesh well with your existing crew.

At 9 Clouds, we utilize our annual retreat (among other team-building events) to bond with one another on a more personal level and to hone our professional development.

Remember the bimonthly development meetings I mentioned? Consider taking those meeting out of the office. Go to a local coffee shop, or have a walking meeting around the block to open up your mind for working in a different way.

Finding ways to connect with your team members outside of the office can help you connect with one another in the office.

If you’re not able to physically meet with your team inside or outside the office (thank you, pandemic), video tools such as Zoom are a great way to maintain a face-to-face connection.

We even onboarded a new account team member virtually in the height of the pandemic thanks to our strong culture and flexibility of these digital tools.

Where Do You Go From Here?

Keep in mind these three core elements of expanding your account management team.

The main thing that will grow your team is trust. Trust what you’re being taught, and trust your other team members to keep you all strong.

Always, always check in with your teammates. Make sure you’re consistently communicating and working to develop your skills so you can grow your team and yourself!

Work With Us »