Account Management Tips

As I begin my new job as an Account Manager, I think it's important to follow a few tips for success:

1. Fulfill promises. Be careful about deadlines you create. Clients are usually flexible about terms, but consider them set in stone once you quote them. Deliver what you say you will at the appointed time, whether through a phone call, email, or in person. Clients value your services most when you show them you respect deadlines and fulfill promises.

2. Tailor your work to their needs. Don’t let any side priorities interfere with the attention you give to customers. Keep your focus on them so you can maintain long-lasting, productive partnerships.

3. Be honest about shortcomings. No company is perfect, but many account managers buckle at the thought of admitting weakness to a client. Tell the truth about why you cannot meet every expectation, as clients will trust you more in the long run. They don’t expect a business to be flawless, so a clear approach is best. Take responsibility for any company negatives, as ultimately you represent the firm as a whole.

4. Avoid backlash from all sides. Unless you are dealing with the owner of a business, your client has to report to company higher-ups the same way you do. Keep everyone in the loop so surprises don’t arise. Inquire about whether your client’s superiors know of alterations to the developing deal, and inform your company of progress and changes. Your chances for long-term success are greater when you update each side of the equation frequently.

5. Review client expectations and adjust where necessary. You can’t consider account management work finished until you evaluate every aspect of the deal. In the case of longer partnerships, your job is to review client expectations on a regular basis and be certain their focus holds unchanged. Explicit reassurance is best in these cases. Assumptions may cost you dearly.

was this the right decision?

So I've been "officially" in my new job now for about 2 months and I'm already missing my old job. I'm finding myself getting bored fairly easily, with not much work to do. A lot of my new role involves coordination; getting the right people together to do the work. I used to be the one who did the work. I find that I miss that. I don't regret my decision to take this job. I just think it's going to take time for me to get used to it and really get into the groove of things.

I do enjoy the projects I'm working on and I'm sure I'll get busier as time goes on. I just need to remind myself that this was the right decision, it's what's best for my future within the company. No matter the job, I will always do the best that I can. I miss the use of my creative mind on a daily basis. For now I'll have to find something else to use that creativity on...I'm thinking a new kitchen sounds good!

Do Me a Flavor

 


One of my favorite social media campaigns was Lay's "Do Me a Flavor"

Lay’s created a social media campaign to let fans create a new flavor of chip. With a $1 million prize for the winning flavor, Lay’s went all out in getting fans to participate in the contest. There were over 3.8 million submissions between July 20 and Oct. 6 in 2012. Lay’s then narrowed down the choices to the top 25 flavors which they manufactured and tested, and then finally narrowed down to the top three of Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken & Waffles, and Sriracha.

In 2013, fans were able to purchase these three flavors in stores, and then vote via Facebook or on Twitter for their favorite flavor and decide the million dollar winner.

I thought this was a clever way to get fans to participate in the creation of a new flavored chip and it was a very successful social media campaign.

Social Media Portfolio

COM 391: STRATEGIC SOCIAL MEDIA | SOCIAL MEDIA PORTFOLIO GUIDELINE 1

1. What is your Self brand positioning?

I am a very dedicated and creative individual eager to learn and create.  My experience ranges from graphic design to video editing, web design to interactive media, project management to art and creative direction, and account management to process planning.

When presented with a project, I always ask a lot of questions – leading to an understanding of what is needed to deliver the best possible results.  I enjoy brainstorming sessions, coming up with ideas and strategizing how to get there, following the creation process from concept to completion. 

I am very passionate about the work I do and look forward to new opportunities every day.

2. Based on your brand positioning, what social media sites do you select for your  portfolio? 

- Blogger, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter

3. What is the specific topic/strategy/positioning for each social media platform?

Blogger: will contain my professional experiences and stories from my career at Caterpillar.

Facebook: will mostly be used to keep in contact with my friends and to post links to videos I created at Caterpillar.     

LinkedIn: will be used for professional connections

Twitter: will be used to keep track of industry topics and news and direct people to my blog posts

  

4. How does each social media platform contribute to your overall positioning?

Each media platform will reflect who I am and my brand positioning at varying degrees.

5. How will you maintain/manage these sites?

I will post weekly updates on each site.

Pinterest : Kitchen Remodel
Instagram Account

am i built for this?

"just another day at the office"

As I start to transition to my new job, I begin reflecting on my former one. The one I still love and am sad to leave. But after nearly 13 years of working as a video editor/art director, I thought it was time to try something new. As I look back at some of my most challenging and rewarding projects, the one that really comes to mind is when I got the opportunity to work on the Built For It Trial videos.

The project was not only challenging from a workload perspective, but it was during one of the most devastating things that could happen in my life. On November 17, our house was hit by a tornado. We lost nearly everything. I took a couple weeks off from work, and then stepped onto set in early December to start shooting the first of 3 videos for the viral video campaign.

My entire world was turned upside down, but this project allowed me to focus on something else, it gave me a sense of “normalcy” as we tried to put our lives back together. I spent countless hours going through all the footage we shot. The entire month of December was a blur. But by the first part of January, I had all 3 videos edited and we had closed on our new house in Peoria.

I began to think that I was being put to the test, like I was being run through the same trials we were putting our machines through. But in the end, I will always remember how much fun I had working on this project and how happy I am with the results. And after all of that I have proven to myself that I am Built For It.

Below are links to all 3 videos for the Built For It campaign:

Built For It Trials : Jenga
Built For It Trials : China Shop
Built For It Trials : Gravity




LinkedIn Profile
Twitter Account
Quan Xie Facebook Page

Brand Bio

Shortest:

I’m an award-winning video editor and art director who recently switched careers to become an Account Manager.

Shorter:

I’m an award-winning video editor and art director who recently switched careers to become an Account Manager. I spent nearly 13 years as a video editor at Caterpillar. I’ve earned several industry awards from Telly and Cine for various programs that I worked on while at Caterpillar. Before that I spent 4 years working at a local news station as the main graphic artist. My background and passion is in art and design, but I recently took a turn in my career to become an Account Manager to gain more experience in project and campaign management.

Short:

I’m an award-winning video editor and art director who recently switched careers to become an Account Manager. I spent nearly 13 years as a video editor at Caterpillar. I’ve earned several industry awards from Telly and Cine for various programs that I worked on while at Caterpillar. Before that I spent 4 years working at a local news station as the main graphic artist. My background and passion is in art and design, but I recently took a turn in my career to become an Account Manager to gain more experience in project and campaign management.

My goal after acquiring this experience is to move into a Creative Director role, where I hope to lead a team of creative individuals for marketing communications. This role fits better with my previous experience and passion for creativity. I’ve used my creativity to develop video communications for tradeshows and events and most recently as part of a viral video campaign that has reached more than 3.6 million views on YouTube.

19 at 19

My professional career started when I joined HOI 19 News at the age of 19, while attending Illinois Central College, a local community college in the area. I was so excited to get an actual job in my field of study, in television broadcasting. Now this was not my “end all, be all” career choice, as I eventually wanted to go into film production and motion graphics at Columbia College, but it paid the bills.

I always knew I wanted to do something related to the art field, as I spent most of my free time as a child drawing, painting or creating designs out of recycled materials, office supplies and really anything I could find around the house. In the seventh grade, I took a television broadcasting class and fell in love. It was at this point that I realized I could combine my love of art and television into a creative profession.

My first position at the news station was running a studio camera for the morning show. Once they realized I was decent at it, they offered me the night shift. Eventually I was employed fulltime as the graphic artist for the station and worked there for nearly 4 years.

After receiving my Associates in Mass Communications, I applied and was accepted into Columbia College in Chicago. After doing the math on the cost of tuition and housing expenses, I had to make the difficult decision not to attend. Instead I began looking for jobs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to establish residency in order to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD).

Funny thing happened though, I had my resume on a national website (TVjobs.com), and was contacted by a recruiter in Peoria for a one-year contract position to be a video editor at Caterpillar. I knew I needed to get out of the news business, as things locally where going downhill fast, so I took the job. And after a year, I was offered a full time position.

I never saw myself working for a corporation, let alone Caterpillar. But Caterpillar has made it possible for me to finally get the Bachelors degree I had set out to obtain so many years ago, without the college debt.

I never made it to Chicago or Milwaukee for college; instead I visit both cities quite often, as I can now afford to enjoy what they both have to offer.