Account managers who lead with business acumen, creative insight and clear boundaries are the ones who drive real growth.

What happens when agencies start questioning whether account management still matters? Jess Manganelli has seen it firsthand, and she’s got strong opinions. As the founder of Betts & Betz, she works with creative agencies to build high-performing account teams that don’t just keep the trains running but move the business forward.

Jess and Alex discuss why some agencies are scaling back on account roles, and why that decision often backfires. They talk about what the job really demands: a deep understanding of how both the client and the agency make money, the confidence to lead from wherever you sit, and the willingness to have hard conversations instead of dodging them.

Where do most account managers get stuck? Jess points to a lack of business fluency and a fear of pushing back. She offers ways to shift that, starting with how to frame a tough conversation without sounding defensive or deferential.

If you’ve ever felt like your job description misses the point, or wondered how to grow into a more strategic role, Jess and Alex’s conversation will resonate.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 The Real Value of Account Management

02:26 Is Account Management Dead?

06:05 What Agencies Actually Need from Account Managers

08:23 Why Business Acumen Matters

12:27 Balancing Client Goals with Agency Health

20:00 How to Handle Tough Client Conversations

27:39 Curiosity as a Strategic Skill

31:30 Traits That Set Great Account Managers Apart

33:53 Removing Hurdles to Great Work

37:13 Fixing the Sales-to-Account Handoff

43:00 The Tucker Inner Concept

Links

Connect with Jess Manganelli:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessmanganelli/

Website: https://www.bettsandbetz.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most account managers are stuck chasing satisfaction when they should be driving change.

Alex Raymond is joined by Brent Adamson, the co-founder of A to B Insight and Qoos and the author of “The Challenger Sale,” for a discussion that challenges the way most teams think about account growth. If happy customers aren’t growing their accounts, what’s missing? And what does it actually take to move from retention to expansion?

Brent shares research that calls out a common trap: overdelivering on service without helping clients rethink their business. He introduces the idea of customer improvement: the account manager’s job isn’t to keep things running smoothly, but to show customers what’s possible when they shift their approach.

Alex and Brent also get into the confusion between customer success and account management, the pressure to grow accounts without losing them, and why confidence, specifically the client’s confidence in their own decisions, matters more than loyalty or trust.

If you’re leading key accounts or coaching teams who do, Alex and Brent’s discussion will change the way you think about long-term growth.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 The Evolution of Account Management and Customer Success

02:52 Understanding the Roles: Retention vs. Expansion

11:11 The Importance of Customer Improvement

21:48 Driving Growth Through Insights

23:19 Navigating Account Management Challenges

26:36 Understanding Customer Improvement

29:27 Identifying Unique Strengths

32:16 The Importance of Customer Confidence

35:54 Introducing the Frame-Making Sale

46:30 Empowering Customers for Growth

Links

Connect with Brent Adamson:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson/

Website: https://www.brentadamson.net/

Website: https://qoos.ai/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Asking one bold question turned a $50K client into a $10M account and reshaped how account managers think about trust, strategy and growth.

Account management leader Joanna Hagelberger joins Alex Raymond to talk about what account management looks like when it’s done right, from building the function from scratch at high-growth InsurTech companies to leading with curiosity instead of a script. What happens when you stop asking surface-level questions and start inviting your clients to think bigger? Joanna shares how one conversation sparked a 200x expansion and why most account managers don’t realize they have permission to ask the hard questions.

This episode also gets into the realities of scaling an account management team, how to avoid segmentation mistakes, and why internal alignment matters just as much as client relationships. What do you do when your executive team has no idea what’s happening with your top accounts? How do you keep account managers from working in silos? Joanna brings clear, grounded answers from the field, along with a mindset shift that every account manager needs to hear.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Intro and Meet Joanna Hagelberger

02:04 Building Account Management from Scratch

06:57 Customer Support vs. Customer Success vs. Account Management

09:27 No Surprises: The Role of Internal Account Reviews

15:52 The Five-Year Question That Led to 200x Growth

20:17 Curiosity as a Core Account Management Skill

26:28 Taking Ownership and Leading Accounts

31:12 Segmenting Accounts the Smart Way

36:28 How to Think About Portfolio Size

40:04 Becoming a Strategic Account Manager

41:35 Why Finance and Product Should Be Your Best Friends

Links

Connect with Joanna Hagelberger:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-hagelberger/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm