Working Out My Differences: Writing vs Account Management

 It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m working. That’s not too bad though. I’m off from Midwest Sporting Goods, my main employer. Now that the retail days are kind of sparse I’m more of an office worker than a customer service guy. I’ve got a few regular accounts as well. So I’m an account rep but and a guy who handles retail customers. Also I pull orders throughout the day. Most are small and take less than 15 minutes, but it forms a portion of my daily routine.

So I’m an account rep who handles retail sales and regularly pulls orders for the sales team. That’s when I’m not buying letter jackets for high schools. I can’t tell if the letter jackets are their own account or just an extension of retail sales. I’d say I’m an account rep who does retail sales and letter jackets while helping the sales team with their orders.

Is that all I do? Well no actually. I drive the delivery van on holidays. For the sake of descriptive ease, I’m calling every off day for Joe (our regular driver) a holiday.

I’m an occasional delivery driving account rep who handles retail sales and letter jackets when he isn’t helping the sales team by pulling orders. Got it?

If I’m not doing any of those tasks at my main job than what am I doing?

I’m writing, editing and researching.

I listed all those previous jobs to sound busy, including a lot of descriptions will do that. All of those jobs from Midwest revolve around the same skill set, customer service. To be specific, customer service and support tied to sporting goods. After 13 years I understand the inner workings of team sports, uniforms and equipment sales like an expert.

But despite my expanding role, it’s all related to the service and sales of sporting goods. Writing is a different skill. I might say it’s a more creative muscle than I work at Midwest. That’s not a slight, it’s just a reality. Writing is more demanding from a creative perspective. I’m getting used to assignments from editors again.

Not since college have I had to correct my work usage, or rewrite something because it was “vague”. No one likes to correct their work but we need it. You can’t really improve or write to a standard without a good editor who knows which wound to pour the salt into. We get exposed when we have to provide documentation or tie a general idea to a specific one. I’ve been writing a marketing piece that’s going to be around 3000 words before it’s all done.

Marketing isn’t the most difficult thing to write, but without some basic knowledge or the terms you’ll sound lost quickly. Part of the creative process for me is being detailed with what little I know. That’s tough because it means you’re learning it for the first time while also teaching it to others. Thankfully I’ve got some direction from the editor. But like other articles I’ve done, when in doubt--do more research. It’s a different kind of problem solving that I’m rediscovering.

How is writing primarily different from sales? Well no one hears me cuss at the screen when I struggle with subject/verb agreement. That would be awkward in an office environment, although not too out of place among the former athletes and coaches I work with. Account management demands commitment to following up on behalf of your customers. Answering email, calling vendors, quoting and checking stock all compose the daily currency of customer service work.

There is a procedural aspect to it. Writing is procedural as well but only with experience. Blogging about your weekend in Branson is quite different than writing a safety flow chart for a glass manufacturing plant. One is light hearted and allows time to stretch an anecdote while lacing it with humor and romance; the other makes you want to cut yourself…with glass.

Anyone who knows the subject and writes enough can develop a procedure for either one. Writing is less procedural at first though. But if account management is a paint by numbers sketch that hangs on the fridge with a ‘win-win situation’ magnet, than writing is abstract art. It also includes a wide spectrum, from unintelligible to C.S Lewis. Account management requires showing up to work and calling people back.

If it sounds like I’m ripping customer service jobs it’s only because I’ve been in some form of it for the last 20 years. Naturally it’s easier to me. If people can’t do retail or manage accounts it’s because they don’t want to, not because they can’t. It’s not difficult but it demands you put your ego aside (on occasion) and take a verbal beating. It’s awful I know.

None of us should focus too hard on one skill. It’s good for the brain to solve problems in a different way. I stay mostly on the left side of the brain (logic, reason) but understand the need for right brain creativity. Even if you struggle to define your position at work, problem solving crosses all boundaries.