We’re Always Asking Account Managers to be More “Proactive” – But What Does That Actually Mean?
- Matthew Ireland
- Feb 21
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 22
For me, proactivity culminates in giving clients more than they’ve asked for – well-timed, unsolicited ideas and proposals that clearly align with unmet business needs. Proactivity signals partnership and is a leading indicator of growth.
Conversations with agency leaders reveal consistent frustration with teams' lack of proactivity. So why doesn’t it happen?
Lack of time is always a constraint. But I believe two other critical factors are consistently overlooked: fear of the unknown and a lack of know-how. Proactivity means putting yourself out there – asking questions, making suggestions – and if you haven’t been shown how, that fear is real.
Where to start? How can we make “being proactive” more tangible and achievable for teams?
Proactivity begins with curiosity
Start by being curious in low-stakes settings. The most valuable insights often come from informal chats – away from time-pressured project meetings when guards are down.
When was the last time someone from your team:
Arranged to visit a client’s office just to check in “as they will be nearby”?
Picked up the phone for a five-minute “how’s it going?” call?
Invited a client out for a coffee, dinner or drinks?
Got in touch to say thank you and ask how recent work landed?
For someone without experience, arranging the chat is only the start, swiftly followed by the terror of what to say without the safety of an agenda.
Some uncontroversial questions that reliably yield insight:
How has our recent work landed with your wider team?
What will be your biggest challenge this year?
Has anything from your competitors stood out recently?
How do we compare with your other partners?
What else could we be doing for you that you have difficulty getting elsewhere?
What needs to happen for you to spend more of your budget with us?
Asking such questions in the past has revealed issues early enough for me to fix them before they became account-critical, and has led to the development of completely new, high-margin offers.
