The Art of Account Management: Staying One Step Ahead with Marta Cortes

Marta Cortes is an account executive specialised in digital transformation and marketing projects. Throughout her professional career she has been leading and supporting small and large projects in omnichannel 360 strategies both in B2B and B2C for different industries.

She brings a solid background in advertising, public relations and digital marketing with a constant ability to analyse the environment and competitors and focus on driving business outcomes.

LBB> How did you first get involved in account management and what appealed to you about it?

Marta> My move into account management was a natural progression. After spending several years exploring various areas of digital marketing, from SEO to paid media campaigns, I realised that what really motivated me was direct client interaction and the opportunity to influence their strategic decisions.

One of my early projects as a team coordinator opened my eyes: the client had high expectations but little clarity on direction. By working closely with them, I was able to piece together the puzzle, which not only helped us meet the goals but also built a lasting relationship of trust. That’s when I knew account management was the right path for me.

LBB> What is it about your personality, skills, and experience that has made account management such a great fit?

Marta> I’ve always enjoyed having a comprehensive view of projects. I’m someone who likes to anticipate problems before they arise. Combined with my experience in digital marketing, this has allowed me to understand both client concerns and internal team limitations.

I recall a retail client who requested an ambitious set of campaigns in a short time. Breaking down that large request into smaller milestones and communicating them clearly was what allowed us to deliver successfully.

I’m also solution-oriented: finding valuable solutions motivates me, and that mix of proactivity and technical knowledge has helped me build strong relationships.

LBB> What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting their career in account management?

Marta> The most valuable advice I can give is never underestimate the importance of patience and empathy. You’ll need to balance the client’s expectations with your team’s operational capacity, and for that, you’ll need to actively listen, manage time well, and understand the emotions behind each interaction.

LBB> Thinking back to some of the most challenging experiences you’ve had in your career, what do you think tends to lie at the heart of the more tense or difficult client-agency relationships?

Marta> A lack of clear communication is almost always the root cause of tension. On one occasion, a client expressed frustration because they felt we didn’t understand the urgency of their project.

The truth is, from our side, we were working full speed, but we hadn’t been transparent enough about the steps we were taking. I learned that trust is built through small, continuous gestures: sharing updates, being available to answer questions, and, above all, making the client feel like a priority.

Transparency is key to avoiding misunderstandings, and while it doesn’t guarantee absolute success, it can prevent many potential disagreements from escalating.

LBB> And what are the keys to building a productive and healthy relationship?

Marta> Trust and transparency are essential. But beyond that, what truly strengthens a relationship is the ability to anticipate the client’s needs. Being one step ahead, offering solutions and proposals before the client asks, shows not only commitment but also a deep understanding of their business.

For example, in a recent project we saw the client struggling to align their content strategy with their SEO goals. Rather than waiting for them to identify the problem, we took the initiative, offering a strategic plan that not only addressed the immediate need but also optimised their digital presence in the long term.

That proactivity is what turns a client-provider relationship into a true partnership.

LBB> What’s your view on disagreement and emotion - is there a place for it and if not, why not? If so, why - and what does productive disagreement look like?

Marta> Disagreements and emotions definitely have a place in any professional relationship.

I recall a situation where a client disagreed with the creative direction we had taken for a campaign. Their initial reaction was emotional, but instead of seeing it as an obstacle, I took it as an opportunity to listen and better understand their concerns. From there, we had a productive dialogue that allowed us to adjust the campaign to better align with their vision.

Disagreements, when handled with respect and openness, can lead to more creative and effective solutions.

LBB> Historically, account management has been characterised as the mediator in an adversarial client and creative relationship - what do you make of that characterisation, is there any nugget of truth in that or is it wildly inaccurate?

Marta> There’s some truth to it, especially in highly creative projects where everyone has an opinion.

A clear example was a project where the client, creative team, and even the tech department each had a different vision of how things should be executed. My role was to find common ground and facilitate smooth communication between everyone.

In these cases, the key is to set clear expectations from the start and limit the number of revisions, always backed by data and strategic reasoning. This helps reduce friction and keeps the project on track.

LBB> These days, agencies do so much beyond traditional campaigns and as account management you’re pulling together creative, experience, data, e-commerce, social and more - and that complexity can often be mirrored on the client stakeholder side too. What’s the key to navigating (and helping the client navigate) that complexity?

Marta> The key is to break the project into clear, manageable phases. The client doesn’t need to understand every technical detail, but it’s crucial that they know the main milestones and timelines we’re working towards.

I remember a campaign where we had to coordinate data, creative content, and e-commerce across multiple platforms. From the outset, we broke the project down into manageable parts and shared a detailed timeline with the client.

This helped them understand the scope of the work and feel more comfortable with the process, avoiding any misunderstandings or unrealistic expectations.

LBB> What recent projects are you proudest of and why? What was challenging about these projects from an account management perspective and how did you address those challenges? What was so satisfying about working on these projects?

Marta> One of the projects I’m most proud of was working with a major chain in the perfume and cosmetics sector. We started collaborating on their local SEO and reputation management for more than 200 stores across Spain and three other European countries.

The challenge was that they had never worked on this area in a structured way before, so we had to act as their right hand from the very beginning. The most satisfying part was seeing how, thanks to our proactive approach, we not only achieved the expected results but also became their strategic partner in other areas, building a relationship of trust and long-term collaboration.