A new edition of a widely respected, classic book unlocks the secrets of enduring client relationships
There is little argument that twenty-first century America has emerged as the world’s greatest service economy. For the millions of people who go to work each day as bankers, brokers, attorneys, agents, accountants, or sales people, the goal is to serve clients as best they can. What is striking about this group – what unites them in spite of the wide range of professions they practice – is how few of them actually know what it means to truly serve clients well.
Veteran ad exec Robert Solomon’s latest edition of his widely read, well-respected book, The Art of Client Service: 52 Things Every Advertising & Marketing Professional Should Know (John Wiley & Sons, April 2016, hardcover, $22.00),addresses the problem head on. It’s an ad book, but so much more than that. Robert guides readers – with quick, concrete, and useful counsel – on what to do and, more importantly, on what to avoid in order to forge meaningful, productive, and enduring client relationships. In a world of self-important, self-aggrandizing authors, Robert’s candor, humility, and humor are a refreshing departure from the norm.
The Art of Client Service offers guidance on how to transform every client relationship into a highly effective interchange based on honesty, integrity, and respect. The book emphasizes the fundamentals of strategy, presentation, leadership, and communication at every stage of work with clients.
This latest edition begins with a definition of what makes great client service, then tracks the agency/client relationship through the entire lifecycle, including a “How to” section devoted to running a meeting, briefing a colleague, writing a conference report, perfecting a scope of work, building a schedule and budget, formulating a letter of proposal, and crafting a presentation. There’s a section on creative briefs, and a long chapter about idea creation. There’s even a section on how to deal with unhappy clients, and how to regain client trust.
Loaded with new material but still a fast-read, there is a new introduction and an inspiring foreword by Deep Focus Founder and Global Chairman Ian Schafer. Included are a host of amusing and relevant cartoons drawn from The New Yorker.
The book also is supported by an in-depth website, http://artofclientservice.com , which provides additional “tools for suits.”
ROBERT SOLOMON is the world's leading authority on how to improve creative work byforging and sustaining trust-based relationships with clients.
Robert runs Solomon Strategic, a firm he founded in 1999 to provide marketing counsel to advertising agencies, client companies, and individual marketing professionals. Trained as a direct marketer who embraced Digital early on, Robert is known for his expertise as a brand strategist and new business developer. He is an expert speaker and workshop leader who also is certified as an organizational and executive coach, particularly skilled in job search.
Robert has handled a wide range of consulting assignments, in both offline and online media, for more than a score of clients, including Ammirati Puris Lintas, Blitz, BoomBox, Brandmuscle, Chase Insurance, Cognitive Arts, Condé Nast, Digitas Health Lifebrands, Deep Focus, Draft Worldwide, Ferrara & Company, Initiative Media North America, PALAZZO | Investment Bankers, PCR, Procurian, R/GA, Saatchi & Saatchi X, Sotheby's, and Womenkind.
Robert previously was President of Direct and Interactive Marketing at Ammirati Puris Lintas, General Manager of FCB Direct West, and Senior Vice President of Bronner Slosberg Humphrey (now Digitas).
Melissa Connors, Publicity Manager
WILEY
mconnors@wiley.com