Last week, I attended a seminar where Jeff Graham of Crispin Porter & Bogusky shared his thoughts on what makes successful account people. According to Graham, the driving question for account service should be: “What can I do, to make the work better?” As a department and individuals, we should be product/project focused, with our energy funneled towards making a particular project the best it can be.
Graham says we must “work for the work”, and nothing else. This stance allows us to stay focused on the most important thing: helping clients reach their goals through effective ideas that fuel world-class creative.
So how do we hold ourselves accountable to “working for the work”? Graham says it starts with a creative mindset. Our minds should be wired to continually assess and reassess our accounts for opportunities to improve the work. An account person should be at the forefront of the ideas charge, waving the flag of innovation.
Is what I am doing making the work better? Am I thinking critically about how I can bring new innovations and ideas to our clients? Food for some serious thought. More to come…
