Anticipation - It helps staying at least one hop ahead of your client if you're going to rise above being merely an account waiter because anticipation is at the heart of strategic planning. Discipline your mind to ask, "What happens if. . ." and unpredicted changes will be easier to swallow because, well, they're not quite so unexpected. Top account leaders plan for how they'll approach every situation from simple phone calls to presenting the next annual campaign. Anticipation illuminates opportunities you might not have thought of. It's worth practicing.

Details - Ever work with someone who claimed, "I'm not a detail person"? It's hard keeping a job if you keep blowing the details; eventually one of them will bite you in the tail. Learn to use common detail management tools: PDAs, calendars, lists, reminders. Maybe ask a detail-compulsive colleague which tricks work for them. Yes, when you get to the top there may be an assistant to help relieve this tedium, but in the meantime there's too much at stake. Meshing and managing details is often the difference between good and great account people.

Empathy - This one's simple. How is what you do likely to make the other guy feel? Put yourself in their shoes - don't be afraid to clarify expectations about performance, behavior and outcomes in advance. And when you improve empathy you'll unavoidably improve listening skills . . . and in agency/client relationships there's certainly room for more attentive listening, right?

Persuasive Writing - As obvious as the sunrise, this continues to be a growing problem in our industry. Too many people simply don't write effectively which, by the way, may contribute to the disturbingly common use of the word 'vendor' to describe agencies (just a thought). Better account people are always concise and provocative writers. Swallow hard and ask the best business writer you know to critique your stuff. Presentation training will help, too.

Curiosity - In our experience top account people continuously improve their craft by reading books and articles, attending seminars, listening to tapes, and devouring how-to's. They don't say, "Haven't got time to read 'cause I'm too busy doing my work." If you think about the logic in that sentence for a moment what they're actually saying is they're just too busy staying right where they are to get ahead. Say what? High achievers know if there's someone available who can help them learn and prosper, they want get to work!

Find out more at Grant Consulting Training on our website or better yet, call 847/726-9898 and we'll talk about your specific needs.

See you next month.