Brain Surgery for Suits: 56 Things Every Account Person Should Know: Amazon.ca: Robert Solomon, Richard Cline, Mike Slosberg: Books

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In the world of advertising, writes agency veteran Robert Solomon, superior account management is closer to an art than a science. "Account people get little or no training. They work in chaos.... Results are hard to quantify.... So much of the best account work gets done in the moment--often in private conversations, often in a quick reading of a room--it is nearly impossible to codify what makes a great account person great."

In Brain Surgery for Suits, Solomon has distilled the lessons he has learned over the years in the business and organized them into a straightforward, accessible, easy-to-digest manifesto covering the most important information account people need to know. His 56 ideas are presented in 10 punchy, fast-paced sections, and are complemented by funny, high-quality cartoons by Richard Cline. The result is a work that takes less than an hour to read, but that outlines practical, no-nonsense strategies for building and maintaining client relationships, preparing for meetings and presentations, communicating more effectively with colleagues, improving the creative product, and more. Solomon's tips and suggestions should also come in handy to sales and marketing types, as well as any professional who has to deal with clients. And although his advice will most likely not come as a radical surprise to readers, this may well be because the most important lessons are often the most obvious ones--and confoundingly, the hardest to learn. --Svenja Soldovieri

Review

"An MBA may look good on the resume, but this is the stuff that really matters." -- Mark Goldstein, Chief Marketing Officer, Fallon McElligott

"Every smart client will buy a copy of this book for their agency account team." -- W. David Vining, Director, Customer Marketing, E*Trade

"Robert Solomon has compressed key insights gleaned over years ... into a succinct and highly readable guide." -- John Loden, President, FCB Healthcare

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Customer Reviews

48 Reviews

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3.8 out of 5 stars (48 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A new, improved Brain Surgery for Suits, Oct 28 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Brain Surgery for Suits: 56 Things Every Account Person Should Know (Hardcover)

"Brain Surgery for Suits" is a good book, but there's an even better one, also by Robert Solomon, that was published more recently. It's called "The Art of Client Service," and it greatly expands on "Brain Surgery." I own both books, and I've got to say "The Art of Client Service" is clearly superior.

"The Art of Client Service," includes dozens of stories that support and ilustrate the book' s guidelines for account management. None of the stories are in "Brain Surgery." There's an afterword that talks about what makes a great account person; you won't find anything like it in "Brain Surgery." There are some new chapters not included in "Brain Surgery." And there's a detailed list of books for account people, also not included in "Brain Surgery."

Like "Brain Surgery," "The Art of Client Service" is a fast read, but it's easily got twice the information. It's the same price as "Brain Surgery," so it's a much better value.

My suggestion is before you order "Brain Surgery for Suits," check out "The Art of Client Service." If you do, my guess is you'll choose "The Art of Client Service."

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5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just for Account People!, May 13 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Brain Surgery for Suits: 56 Things Every Account Person Should Know (Hardcover)

This book is a wonderful resource that gets right to the point and provides important information. I wish that every business coaching book was this enjoyable to read -- I read it in one sitting!� Although this book is written for the "Account Person," I think that it applies to anyone who has client contact, runs a meeting, or makes presentations.� I am a "Media Person," and I picked up some great pointers on relationship-building.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who works at an agency.

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1.0 out of 5 stars At least it's short, Dec 14 2002

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The Honourable Husband "Honourable" (Bogenhausen, Munich) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brain Surgery for Suits: 56 Things Every Account Person Should Know (Hardcover)

This book earns a lot of praise for being short, and requiring almost no effort to read. Absolutely true. It took me 20 minutes. A great big star for that.

That said, the small effort you do spend to read the book is wasted. Some of the wisdom of Solomon? Start meetings on time (#45), stick to the agenda (#46), don't mix business with pleasure too much (#4), and buy fewer, better pieces of tailored clothing (#53).

If suits think this is brain surgery, then they deserve the poor reputation they hold amongst creative people and strategic planners--the men and women in any agency who actually do the work.

"Suits" spend their days managing their colleagues--often difficult, temperamental talents. The real contribution a suit makes to the process is through his people skills. How do you develop better people skills? You become a better human being. Study the arts, the humanities, politics, the social sciences--no less an authority than Ogilvy himself recommends it. Learn to understand the big questions, so that when the time comes to understand the small ones (like why someone chooses spearmint over peppermint) you'll be more than prepared.

And just maybe you won't need advice on how to handle the vexing issue of what to wear in racy offices that let you dress casually. Solomon's advice? "...figure out a casual 'uniform' that works for you and wear that look most, if not all the time. If you need variety, change the accessories." (#55).

Brain surgery, it ain't.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars B-o-r-i-n-g
Pass on this one. Nothing new here and badly written as well. And the swarmy introduction is even worse. No wonder direct mail has a poor reputation.

Published on Nov 22 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars First, Ogilvy on Advertising. Now Forrest Gump....
A complete waste of time that is painfully boring to read. I would sell my used copy on this site, but I have a conscience.