Agency Heads feat Alice Fews – Account Manager

To showcase some impressive and local career journeys as well as the wealth of knowledge and expertise those working within the South West agency landscape has to offer, we are catching up some of the people that play a part in producing brilliant (and often award-winning) campaigns for their clients as part of their client services teams.

Today, we’d like to feature: Alice Fews, Account Manager at Prophecy Unlimited.After graduating from Bournemouth University, Alice has worked at a digital marketing agency, a branding agency and is currently working at a CRM agency. Covering a variety of branding, marketing and digital projects.

If you are thinking of embarking on a career as an Account Manager – some first-hand insights and knowledge for you right here:

ADLIB: In approx 30 words – what has been your career journey so far, what paths and avenues have you taken to get you to where you are today?

Alice: Whilst I was at university, I had the opportunity to take a year out and work at a digital marketing agency, this was invaluable and helped me get my first marketing job as I had relevant experience as well as a degree.

ADLIB: Can you share one key piece of wisdom that might help those who are looking to also start out as an Account Manager?

Alice: Try and get as much experience as you can. If you’re currently studying, apply for internships whilst you have time off over summer and the Christmas period and get experience at a variety of agencies to discover which area of marketing you’re into.

ADLIB: In your opinion, what are the top 3 skills it takes to succeed as an Account Manager?

Alice:

1) Communication – You must be able to communicate with your internal team as well as the clients you’re working for. If anything, over-communicating with whoever you’re working with will always help you. There’s nothing wrong with asking several questions and making sure you’re clear on everything you need to do.
2) Time management – You’re going to be managing several projects at once.
3) Finally, patience! Things might not go your way or events may pop up which may throw your project off course but be patient with your colleagues and clients and you’ll get there in the end!

ADLIB: In the context of upskilling, do you have any ‘go-tos’ or tips that help you to ensure that your skills remain top-notch?

Alice: If your agency offers training courses, go on them. Whether it’s specific marketing courses or presentation skills, take up every opportunity to learn as much as you can!

ADLIB: In an attempt to capture some of the wisdom you’ve gained as a professional so far, what are “3 stand-out things” you’ve learned over the years while working in agencies?

Alice:

1) Positivity and the ability to encourage others around you is invaluable.
2) Always support your team – get stuck in and help others when they need it, even if it does mean staying after hours! They will always return the favour when you’re in need.
3) Feel confident voicing your opinion and don’t feel nervous about what others may think. Your say is important!

ADLIB: And finally, what’s your favourite thing about working in an agency?

Alice: The ability to work with a variety of departments. There’s always someone new that you can learn from and you’re able to get exposed to a variety of projects. It’s also interesting to work with a variety of personality types.

Thanks for sharing, Alice!