3 steps to help you move from client services to strategy
We’ve all done it at some point.
We’ve looked at our colleagues in other departments and thought… “I could do that”. Not many of us have taken that brave leap across the divide, but for those that do – we salute you!
One transition we see a lot is from client services to strategy. A strategist who can charm like a radio host and listen like a therapist is worth their weight in gold. So if you think it’s the framework life for you, and you want to move from client services into strategy… listen up.
Here’s a 3-step mini list of things you can do.
1. Put on the sorting hat. What type of strategist do you want to be?
There are as many types of strategist as there are brands with “togetherness” as a platform. The titles make no sense and there’s lots of overlap (comms/media/content/whatthewhat). Find the parts of the job you find interesting and focus on the job description – not vague titles.
Before making the leap, try to flex your muscles a little on real or hypothetical projects. Reverse engineer a campaign you like or pick apart the tensions and insights on a campaign you’ve worked on. See what part of the work you’re drawn to most.
For some reason, strategists love building communities (weird, right?). This means there’s absolutely loads out there for you to dig into, read about, and connect with. Find your new people (or, ahem, become a Group Think member here).
2. Get schemin’: how will you make it happen?
Think about whether you want to make the transition within your current agency, or start afresh somewhere new. It can be great to have a foot in the door, but make sure you don’t get pigeonholed as “the ex-account manager”.
Think about the barriers that could be in your way. Are there budgets for a strategist in your agency? Is strategy a billable offering to your existing clients? Can you prove the value you will add to the business?
Find your cheerleaders! We all need ‘em. They pick you up when you’re down and they might just intro you to the right people.
3. Easy Does It: slowly step into the warm strategy bath.
Learn to let go. In a client services role you may be used to running the show from the front line. In strategy it can feel a bit more like you’re operating behind the scenes – and that’s fine.
Create a safe space to fail. Getting it wrong is part of the process. Stress test early ideas with people you trust. Ask for fast, honest feedback. It’s infinitely better to be wrong early!
And whatever you do, own what you bring to the table. Your previous role will have given you skills and experience other strategists just won’t have – so use that to your advantage.
Finally – white knuckle it through the imposter syndrome. Very experienced strategists feel it too!
You got this. 💪💪💪
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