Client Manager Alexis Santel Opens the Lines of Communication with Clients

No digital marketing project goes from idea to deliverable in a vacuum. Every client needs a team supporting them — and every team needs a voice like Alexis Santel.

Alexis recently joined The Deciding Factor as a Client Manager for one of our principal clients. But what long and winding road brought Alexis to TDF and why did we need a manager for one client in the first place?

Communication is Key

Born in Kettering, OH, Alexis actually wanted to be a veterinarian when she was a kid! But by the time she went off to college she became more focused on human beings. She earned a degree in Communication, which led to a Master’s in Interpersonal & Organizational Communication.

“I actually wrote my thesis on the dark side of interpersonal communication,” she says with a laugh, citing her lifelong fascination with psychology.

Understanding the human psyche certainly helped her in a number of positions over the years. She’s taught speech at UC, worked in marketing and public relations for everything from casinos to Hamilton County, and eventually made her way to business development.

“I worked for a software company for four years and gained a lot of valuable workplace and client relationship-building skills,” she says. “I would work with already-warm leads and guide everyone from the ground up to the C-suite with sales pitches, technical demos, proposals and contract negotiations. Communication is key in guiding a client through the entire sales process.”

Learning and Growing Professionally

Alexis grew her toolkit as a business development manager at a few more jobs, but at the beginning of 2022 she found herself laid off. Down but not out, she decided to view her circumstances thoughtfully.

“I have a six-year-old daughter and she really changed who I am,” explains Alexis. “I had her to think about, so I sat down and considered all my accumulated skills and the industries I’d worked in. Then I threw a net out to see what I could find.”

She reached out to friends and associates, made connections on LinkedIn, and eventually stumbled upon a job listing — Client Manager at The Deciding Factor, the job she never knew she needed.

“I’ve really come full circle, all the way back to marketing and PR,” she says.

Keeping All the Balls in the Air!

Client Manager is a new role for TDF that has become increasingly necessary as we’ve grown and taken on more work.

As a liaison between TDF and the client, Alexis is critical for overseeing agency-client relationships, with such responsibilities as coordinating:

• Communications
• Workflows
• Budgets
• Billing

“Alexis is excellent at filtering though client needs and feedback and filters through client feedback and determines their needs — strategic goals in the short term and long term — and ensuring we stay on track,” says Karen Meyers Holzer, President of The Deciding Factor. “We’re very grateful to have Alexis onboard, as she’s got a lot of balls to keep in the air. Fortunately, she’s very good at juggling!”

For More Information About Our Marketing Firm

Welcome aboard, Alexis! We know your lifetime of experiences will only improve our communication, both with team members and with clients.

Contact The Deciding Factor to learn how our full spectrum of dynamic and engaged techniques for managing clients bring about positive interactions and successful outcomes.