The premise:
Being an account person at an ad agency is one of the most
difficult, thankless jobs around. But it’s also one of the most important. And,
to top it off, there isn’t any one way to do it right, but there are plenty of
ways to get it wrong. Mr. Solomon uses his extensive experience as a guide for
anyone looking to better their relationships with their clients.
The good:
Mr. Solomon covers a wide swath of the day-to-day challenges
that may arise throughout the career of an account person, and there were
plenty of times where I found myself nodding in agreement or shaking my head in
disbelief at a familiar situation. He also breaks his advice down into short
chapters, which allows the book to be used as a sort of field guide as needs
arise. The most important point, in my opinion, was to ask the question, “so
what?”
The bad:
The author could stand to dial the ego back a bit—at the end
of the day, it’s still just advertising we’re talking about. I’m referring
specifically to the guest intro and then two additional intros by the author
himself. And he recommends one of his other books as one of the essential books
to read. Almost made me question the author’s credibility.
The verdict:
Buy it as a gift for a person just starting out or a
mid-level account executive, who might appreciate the advice of someone who’s
been there before.
Addendum:
Recently I was checking my credit card statement and was
shocked to find an exorbitant charge from a restaurant I visit infrequently. I
dug through my records and, sure enough, I had been overcharged to a ridiculous
degree. Now, in all truth, my first reaction was that the server had been
trying to steal from me. But the amount was so outrageous—more than the entire
dinner—that I realized that they must have mistaken the total for the tip and,
after some quick math, it became apparent that it was an honest mistake. So I
went to the restaurant and asked to speak with the manager. When she appeared,
she recognized me and was friendly. When I explained the situation, she
immediately grasped that she had made a mistake, apologized, rectified it AND
gave me a gift card for my trouble. Now that’s service! I reassured her that it
was an honest mistake and we both left feeling that the situation had been
resolved amicably and satisfactorily.