Account Management in Public Relations, is one area that continues to affect the way Client Relationship is managed and how effectively communication programmes are managed. This presentation take the perspective that practitioners on the Agency side need to move away from traditional practice and embrace a new paradigm.

1. Public Relations Account Management
By Bolaji Okusaga
Changing the Paradigm

2. 1. Creating a Basis for Account Management
2. Traditional Practice
3. Strategic Practice
4. Changing the Model
Content

3. 1. Creating a Basis for Account Management

4. Wharton
Business School
Communication
with various sectors
of the public to
influence their
attitudes and
opinions in the
interest of
promoting a person,
product, or idea
McCombs School
of Business
An activity meant to
improve the project
organization’s
environment in
order to improve
project performance
and reception
Institute of Public
Relations, UK
A deliberate,
planned and
sustained effort to
institute and
maintain mutual
understanding
between an
organisation and its
publics
Defining Public Relations

5. ConduitBe abreast with their
Client’s vision, mission,
strategy, corporate concern
and culture
Understand the place in
the company’s overall
objective and to
understand the market
environment in which the
organisation operates
Conductor
Read the competitive
landscape and be able to
predict the move of
competition
Be able to identify the
organisation’s different
stakeholders and the
varying expectations that
arise from operations and
interaction with these
stakeholders
Agencies relate their activities with the drive at achieving the organisation’s objectives
The Conduit and the Conductor

6. The
Business
• Public Relations Executives
whether on the Client or Agency
side, need to think like Business
Managers by measuring their
activities against their goals
• They must develop PR metrics
which correlate with their
objective
The
Relationship
• Public Relation Executives must
manage relationship
• Bridge the gap between used-
value and perceived used-value
Creating the Link

7. The
Coordinator
Creates the
basis for
client and
campaign
coordination
The
Relationship
Person
Manages
internal and
external
relationships
The Organiser
Organises work and delivery process
Meetings
Cycle
Plans
Contact
Reports
Briefing
and
Debrief
Sessions
Campaign
Reports
The Go-to
Person
Acts as the
go-between
the Agency
and the
Client
The Client’s
Eye and Ear
Relates the
Clients
requests,
directives
and plans to
the work-
steams
Traditional View of the Account Manager

8. 2. Traditional Practice

9. Day-today Activities
Programme
Management
Programme
Supervision
Strategic Counsel
Group
Account
Director
Account
Director
Account
Manager
Account
Executive
Account
Manager
Account
Executive
Account
Director
Account
Manger
Account
Executive
Account
Manager
Account
Executive
Roles and Responsibilities

10. Brief
• Knowledge of clients
problem / needs
Preparation
• Work in teams to
interpret the brief and
come up with possible
solutions to problems
Strategy Development
• Works with work steams
to creation of top-line
solutions
Tactical Deployment
• Adoption of suitable
platforms for strategy,
message and deployment
The Account Management Role in Traditional Practice

11. Ensure profitability of
business
Convey information about
important issues
Make presentations to
Client Interface
Understand Clients
expectations
Be well-informed
about Plans and
Activities
Expectations

12. Dialogue with
Client Interface
Identify and
address
“information gaps”
Identify problem
areas
Help develop
proactive PR plan
Evaluate the
project impact
against initial plan
Be a vocal and
visible Clients
advocate
Tactics

13. Activities Calendar
This must exist for every
client and must be
updated and
communicated monthly.
Proprietary Tools, Kits
and Reports
Warehoused within
work streams
Financial Tools
PO’s, Invoices, Budget
and requisition forms.
Tools of the Trade

14. 14
Getting the Brief
•Strategic perspectives are
excluded
Task
Focused
•Measurement parametres are
set
Metric
Driven
•Last mile perspective
Short-term
View

15. It involves analyzing
problems and
opportunities
Defining goals and the
publics (people whose
support &
understanding is
needed)
Planning activities
It includes assigning
responsibilities to
appropriate people
We must be able to
evaluate it
Preparation

16. 16
Session(s) where all
ideas for PR activities
are generated
The sessions are
stimulating
• REMEMBER
• All kinds of exciting and
wacky ideas can emerge
No idea is stupid – think
it up! say it out!
Preparation: The Brainstorm

17. 17
The Brief
guides the
sessions
when
developing
programme
ideas
The power
of creativity
comes to
play Developing
or bringing
out a new
idea from
an old
subject
From the Brain-storm to the Solution

18. 18
Proposals
include
• The Task
• The target
• The objective
• Competition
• Activity
• The strategy
• Message Development
• Communication Platform
• Tactics
• Timeline
• Evaluation
• Measurement
Packing the Proposal

19. 19
It is designed to project
cost throughout the
duration of the
campaign
These are components
of plans to accomplish
specific PR activity
In all of these Agency
tries to ensure that
budgets are defendable
Budgets are presented
in excel sheet
Budgeting

20. STRATEGIC INPUT
• Low input from the
Agency in terms of
strategic initiatives
COMMUNICATION
• Miscommunication
and errors from the
Agency
• Distorted information
due to waterfall model
flow of information
where information
cascades from the key
client contact to other
units.
• Whenever there is a
miscommunication
from the point of
contact it cascades
down to the team as
well as to the output.
FLOW FROM STRATEGY TO
ACTIVITY
• Lack of a clear
activity calendar and
updates from Client
informing initiatives
The Usual Issues

21. 3. Strategic Practice

22. FOR CLIENT
• Identify key strategic
opportunities to help Clients in
their market positioning and in
their ability to generate
stronger revenue streams
• Drive the development of
opportunities which will
generate greater value
FOR PRACTICE
• Proffer solutions that
differentiates the Practice from
its competition or narrows the
focus of its existing model to
achieve the same goal
• Map out growth options such
as increasing wallet share, new
market expansion or product/
solution offering
improvements
• Identify specific areas of
market leadership and win-
wins with Clients
Objectives of the Strategic Account Manager

23. Structured as Specialists as Opposed to Generalists
GROUP HEAD
IT & TECHNOLOGY
PORTFOLIO
Analyst and Head, IT & Tech
Associate Analyst, IT & Tech
Analyst and Head,
Consumer
CONSUMER PORTFOLIO HEALTHCARE PORTFOLIO
Analyst and Head,
Healthcare
Associate Analyst, IT & Tech
Analyst, Consumer Analyst, Healthcare

24. Getting the Client’s
position
• To develop a good PR
programme the brief must
be correctly interpreted or
deciphered
Understanding the
Client’s Problems
• Project Brief – Blank
Project Brief to be taken to
Client Briefing sessions
Understanding impact
of the problems on
Client’s business
• Background brief which
details competition and
business imperatives of
the Client
Validate the brief
• Send back prepared brief
for validation and approval
to ensure that we are
insync with the client on
the issues / problem.
Moving Beyond the Brief
• Professionalism must be
involved when packaging a
proposal
• Strategy must be the basis
of ideas and not tradition
• The team making
presentation must be well
acquainted about the client
and the industry

25. TARGET THE DECISION MAKER
• Do whatever you can to gain access to the decision makers because interfacing with decision maker is advantageous.
• You can also make the case that by getting the decision maker involved in the process early, you'll not only get helpful
insights, but also enlist involvement which can increase the prospect of buy-in.
GET THE CLIENT’S PERSPECTIVE CLEAR
• If decision maker access is not possible, try to get the answers to the questions of motivation and definition of
success from the Client’s perspective. Too often, it's not that you're misled, so much as you just didn't ask .
STRUCTURE ARGUMENTS
• Find out what arguments work best with the ultimate audience – THE DECISION MAKER.
TEST YOUR THINKING FIRST
• Before a of a face-to-face meeting, ask whether there's an opportunity to test your thinking and gain input along
the way prior to a face-to-face presentation.
Pitching to Clients

26. Developing objectives which are
scientific
• It is essential to include precise
milestones that evaluate progress in the
realization of set aspirations.
Mapping desired communication
outcomes
• Spot target segment for desired
outcome
• State expected level of success
• Identify timeframe for target outcome
Working with Clients

27. Buoy monthly strategy meeting/conference call
with strategy and ideas as opposed to activities
Spot trends
Monitor
competition
Highlight
possible
market
opportunities
Strategic Inputs

28. Change
the format
of the
monthly
reports
• Reflect outcomes not
activities
• Show analysis of Client
vs
Industry/Competition
• Predict industry and
competitive move
• Make
recommendations
Strategic Reporting

29. Getting More Organised
• Develop a checklist for the
work process to be used
shared with the client and
used internally by the agency
• Provide a clear calendar of
activities
• Provide information on
industry events, issues and
developments
Avoiding Errors
• Alter the flow of information
across the team
• All team members would be
copied on all client
emails/correspondence, as
well as approved content
going out from the agency
Agency / Client Communication

30. SCORECARD REQUIRED
• Creation of an agency scorecard to track agency
performance and measure success against an agreed
benchmark
WHY?
• To help understand where Agency is lacking and plug
the holes in performance
• To create measurable deliverables from the agency
Creating a Scorecard

31. INFORMATION GATHERING
REQUIRED
Creation of an Information Gathering
Template to track new corporate
announcements, quick wins and
corporate updates
WHY?
To provide adequate relevant
information that can be used by the
Agency in developing strategic
initiatives
Information provided to help in content
development
Information Gathering

32. Evolving
appropriate
pricing model/
system
Achieving
successful,
profitable Account
Management
• Value- based billing
• Billing par Channel
as opposed to
offerings
• Business fit and
Healthy Margins
translate to
successful Account
Management
Price Evaluation

33. Mid-Level Managers
• Price Sensitive
• Resist increase in rates
• Distrust Hourly/Time-Based Billing
Senior Management
• Love Price/Result Fit
• Value measurable Results
• Set measurable indicators for the success
of engagements
• Value Transparency
• Are growth minded and are willing to pay
for value
Price Result
Budget and Billing: Client Sentiment

34. Fees and expense estimation a MUST at the commencement of every project/
engagement
Staff Hours Rate Fees
Staff1
Staff2
Total
Item Amount
(N)
Item 1
Item 2
Total
Estimates Hours & Fees: Estimates Expenses:
Pricing Scenario

35. Pricing Scenario
Complete Project Pricing/ Project Accounting Cycle
Phase I: Budgeting, Pricing, Negotiation Phase II:
Actual Profitability
Tracking/
Computation
A. Pricing; Agreeing
Income/ Revenue
B. Upfront
Profitability
Estimation
(Estimates
Revenue Minus
Estimated Cost)
• Percentage of cost
• Own cost (human &
material) plus markup
• Value & relationship
billing
• Strategic/ competitive
discounting
(Actual Revenue
Minus Actual
Cost)

36. Monthly or Twice a month
…….Straight- through processing in a fully automated system
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
ENV006 70 5 5 4 14
MOB201 01 3 3 6
MOB201 55 0
MOB201 62 4 6 8 18
Illness 8 4 4 16
900X00 Content 4 4 8
UNY220 Press 8 8 16
725G14 Meeting 0
745B2001 Client Call 4 8 12
TOTAL 8 8 0 0 8 8 8 10 8 0 0 8 8 8 8 90
OVERTIME 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
Tot
Client/ Charge Code
Time Tracking and Time Sheet

37. 4. Changing the Model

38. • Facilitate ownership
and excellence
• Build Service
standards and enable
better and faster
decision-making
capability and cycle
times
Flawless
Execution
• Substantial cost
advantages through
greater operational
efficiency
• Segmentation of
specialist capabilities
• Measurable human
performance and
measurable
indicators in the
billing system
Simplification on
the Inside
• Facilitate innovation
and be able to adapt
to market and
customer changes
effectively
• Support client service
quality improvement
with highly
automated
transactions
Differentiation on
the Outside
Changing the Model

39. Traditional Strategic
Accounts are managed as routine Account Management driven by research, insights
and strategy
Mechanical flow of activities Robust and coaxial movement from strategy to
action
Taps into surface opportunities. Digs deep for hidden insights and out of the box
solutions
Priortises short term plans which are metric driven Aligns with mid-long term engagements which are
value driven
Transactional posture Relational approach
Defined scope Flexible scope based on new trends, insights and
opportunities
Switching Paradigm

40. Work
Administration
Time-Sheet
Administration
Billing
Media
Monitoring
Championing the Process

41. Workflow Management
• Job initiation
• Document Project Brief
• Follow-up on Work progress
• Document Evaluation Reports
• Document Case-Studies
Information Management
• Document Contact Reports
• Manage Client Database
• Follow-up on updates
• Manage Phone Bills and Keep Client Call Logs
Expense Administration
• Management of project expense
• Vendor Management
Work Administration

42. Time
Allocation per
Account
Work Calendar
Management
Time Tracking
Project
Tracking
Report Writing
Time-sheet Management

43. Customer Rating and
Profiling
• High
• Medium
• Low
Project Risk
Assessment
• High
• Medium
• Low
Project Account
Management
• Budgeting
• Fund Allocation
Project Cost Inventory
Management
• Costing
• Retirements
Price Audit
• Price considerations
• Assumptions
Profit Tracking
• Ensure cost and budget
alignment
• Set profit threshold
• Track profit
Billing

44. Bridged
Silos
Teamwork and cooperation
between the Client and the
Agency, is required, to
deliver the new paradigm
Quicker
Response
A lot of success will also
come from observing the
market, availing quick
insights with a fluid
transition from strategy to
market intervention
Creating One Team as Opposed to Two

45. Conclusion: A Case for Strategic Account Management
Rich Customer
Experience
High Retention and
Superior Returns
Closer Client
Relationship
Move away from task-focused, metric-driven assignments
to strategic and outcome driven engagements
Move beyond transactions with line-managers, to viable
relationship with key decision makers
Move out of exigency-driven engagements, compensated
through fixed hourly rates and commissions, to
sustainable and performance determined billing which
grows as Client’s business grows.

46. Thank You