How to Hire an Account Manager (or Client Services Role) That Fits Your Culture in Creative Agencies

Hiring an account manager who clicks with your team and your clients? That’s the crux. CVs are shiny, case studies look slick, and the logo wall’s impressive – but the wrong AM can unravel a client relationship in a week and drain a studio in two. Culture fit here isn’t fluff. It’s your retention rate, your margin, your 4pm crisis not becoming a 9pm disaster.

Too many agencies get seduced by pedigree and big-brand accounts, then only later clock the day-to-day reality: communication style, pace, conflict posture, commercial judgement. It’s like buying a fancy coffee machine... then realising no one knows how to descale it.

First Things First: Know Your Client Service DNA

Before you post the role, get painfully honest about how you actually run client service – on your busiest Tuesday, not just on the creds deck.

Do you run fast, informal WIPs with lots of Slack chatter, or tight agendas with crisp pre-reads? Are scopes sacred or “guidelines until we prove the value”? Do AMs own commercials end-to-end, or is that centralised?

Your client service culture probably includes:

• Feedback tone (straight-talking or diplomatic and careful)

• Meeting cadence (little-and-often check-ins or fewer, high-structure sessions)

• Pace (rapid sprint cycles vs. steady, predictable delivery)

• Ownership model (AM-led commercials or shared with PM/leadership)

• Escalation style (early and visible vs. quietly handled)

• Tooling (HubSpot/Salesforce, Jira/Asana, Sheets – and who actually keeps them updated)

• Risk posture (protect scope religiously vs. flex to land the idea)

Look at the last three accounts that performed well. Why did they work? Was it relentless expectation-setting, or a masterclass in soft power and trust-building? Did you win because someone held the line on scope, or because they found a neat trade that kept everyone happy?

As Nadia Patel, Group Head of Client Services, told me last month: “Great AMs make creative possible by making decisions simple. They keep the room calm without going quiet.”

The Experience–Culture Balance

Yes, experience matters. But a client list alone doesn’t equal fit. You want someone whose way of working mirrors your own operating system. In case-study reviews, go past the pretty slides. Dig for how they navigated people, scope, and money.

Ask how they grew revenue without eroding trust. How they reset a broken brief. How they protected a margin while still saying “yes” to the right things.

Smart questions to ask during case study reviews:

• “Tell me how you handled scope creep on this account. Where did you draw the line?”

• “Walk me through your contact strategy – who, how often, and why?”

• “What was the commercial outcome? Revenue growth, margin, retention?”

• “Describe one tough conversation with a client and what you did before, during, and after.”

• “How did you partner with creative and production to keep quality without blowing the plan?”

• “What would you do differently now?”

You’re not just testing polish. You’re listening for judgement, cadence, and whether their instincts sync with how your teams actually move.

Interview Techniques That Actually Work

Skip the generic career fluff. You need to see them operate. In real time.

Run practical, culture-signal tests:

• Roleplay a sticky client moment (late brief, urgent launch, budget change). Watch for clarity, tone, and the decision tree.

• Ask them to write a three-line status update and a next-steps email. Speed > faff. Clarity > theatre.

• Prioritisation drill: five requests, one afternoon, two people free. What’s parked, what’s escalated, what’s shipped?

• Brief shaping: give them a messy ask and ten minutes to frame a tight brief for creative.

• Commercial sense-check: here’s an SOW extract; what risks do you see, and what would you renegotiate?

But also, watch the “how.” Do they listen properly? Do they translate ambiguity into action? Do they invite collaboration without abdicating ownership?

A favourite test: have them co-run a 30-minute mock WIP with one of your AMs and a producer. You’ll learn more about rhythm, tone, and team chemistry than in three tidy interviews.

Red Flags That Spell Trouble

Some are obvious – constant blame, inflated war stories, name-dropping. Others are quieter, and worse.

Watch out for AMs who:

• Avoid saying “no” and default to “let me check” forever

• Can’t explain margin, utilisation, or how scope turns into profit

• Over-polish comms but don’t land a decision (beautiful, useless emails)

• Talk about clients as “problems” rather than partners

• Hide behind senior titles (“I wait for the AD to decide”) – no ownership

• Are allergic to process or, on the flip side, weaponise it to avoid momentum

• Only celebrate firefighting, never prevention

As Ben Lawson, ex-Account Director, puts it: “Protect the work by protecting the relationship – and the scope. If you can’t do both, you’re borrowing trouble from tomorrow.”

Getting Your Team Involved (Without Creating Chaos)

Yes, introduce them to the squad – but make it structured, not a popularity contest.

Effective team involvement strategies:

• Shadow a WIP or stand-up, then let them run the last 10 minutes

• Present a short account plan (objectives, risks, comms cadence) to the wider team

• Triad exercise with AM + PM + Creative Lead: turn a vague ask into a doable plan

• Coffee with the CS team to compare “ways of working” honestly – no theatre

• Quick retro with the interview panel: what changed your mind, either way?

Your team will spot tone clashes and collaboration gaps that leadership won’t see from the balcony.

The Catchin' Talent Advantage

This is our bread and butter at Catchin’ Talent. We specialise in client services for creative and marketing shops – from Account Execs to Group Account Directors. We don’t just skim CVs. We assess judgement, pace, and commercial grip alongside chemistry with your creative and delivery leads.

Our process blends culture mapping, scenario-based interviews, and reference calls that actually probe how they handled scope, conflict, and growth. We back every hire with a 12‑month guarantee because fit isn’t a two-week honeymoon – it’s a year of real work.

When you work with us on client services hiring, you get people who’re already vetted for your operating style, not just your job description.

Beyond the Hire: Setting Them Up for Success

Fit doesn’t end on day one. Onboarding should make it easy for them to make good calls, fast.

Smart onboarding moves:

• 30/60/90 with clear revenue, relationship, and process outcomes

• A “book of business” map: stakeholders, politics, red flags, unwritten rules

• Templates that actually reflect how your teams work (status, brief, RAID, change request)

• Escalation paths – who, when, and how to involve them (no guesswork)

• Buddy them with a producer and a senior creative; do two client ride‑alongs in week one

• Land a quick win in the first 30 days (reset a standing meeting, kill a useless report, tidy a scope)

Give them air cover and context. Then expect momentum.

Making It Happen

Hiring the right AM isn’t luck. It’s clarity on your culture, practical interviews that mirror real life, and a team-led decision.

If you want a shortlist that actually fits – and saves you weeks of back-and-forth – we’re here. Talk to Catchin’ Talent about client services hiring that sticks. Get in touch with our team. Let’s build account teams that keep clients happy, protect the work, and grow the business. No drama, just good work done properly.