With a growing list of over 400 operator brands to support, Director of Account Management, Andrew Crosby, explains how he and his team cultivate long-standing relationships and what he feels sets them apart from competition.
Crosby defines the first and most important quality of a good Account Manager as connecting with clients on a human level. When stating the term business-to-business it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that you’re not dealing with companies, but the people that make them tick. For this reason, he says, he puts personal relationships before anything else:
‘I'm a big believer in face-to-face meetings (pre-COVID of course!) and I think it’s important to create memorable experiences that have long-lasting effects. Also, understanding and listening to their perspective on things has a natural way of leading to more fruitful connections. It is business, but I think the days of turning up to meetings in suits in 40-degree heat have long gone! Our industry is more relaxed in this sense and it's up to the Account Managers to adapt accordingly.’ When the stiff formality falls away the client-Account Manager relationship begins to flourish.
Investing your time and building trust is another key player here, he explains. ‘Casino executives need to feel they can rely on you and your team to be on time, deliver on your promises, and support them whenever concerns arise. As I’m often heard saying, the no.1 rule of Account Management is to never switch off your phone.’ Without solid foundations of a good product and company-backing it would be impossible to develop any sort of relationship.
When asked how the pandemic has affected such a crucial aspect of his work, Crosby explains that thanks to Relax’s strong reputation, technology and expertise they’ve managed to sustain and support even their most recent clients to usual high standards; only this time over channels like Skype and Zoom. ‘These meetings can’t compare to a catch up in person, but luckily, technology has a lot to offer in the way of communication.’
Finally, another area we are prized for, is our knowledge and passion for casino games. Too often, Account Management teams are made up of brilliant executives who lack genuine interest in the games they’re handling. That’s where we’re different, every individual in our team enjoys the entertainment factor in our games and has a deep understanding of what sort of themes, mechanics and styles our clients are looking for. ‘The secret to satisfying our audience’, he says, ‘is knowing how to satisfy theirs.’
