In my earlier blog post, I highlighted 3 of the 7 recommendations I gave to the students at USF’s Zimmerman Advertising Program. In this blog, I’ll wrap everything up and finish the remaining 4 recommendations. Here goes…

• Credit is for the creative dept. The Account Service dept is the business spoke in the wheel.  We make it rain. We are called rainmakers. We are awesome, but we don’t tell people. All, and I repeat all, credit goes to the creative dept. That is the lifeblood of an agency. The heart, the soul, of the organization. Put them on a pedestal. Brag on them. They deserve it. Any and all success achieved goes to them.

• Do a little bit more. Writer, A. Lou Vickery once wrote, “Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd; a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more.”  So many people give up on something not knowing how close they were to success. Don’t give up. Create systems in life to make it easier to allow you to do more. Stand out amongst the rest by your work ethic and by “wowing” the client. Know everything there is about your client. What school they went to, what fraternity/sorority they were in, what their hobbies are, how many kids they have – their birthdays/names/sports they play, what their favorite drink is at Starbucks. Ask questions. Know these things and use them. Your client will be blown away and wonder at how you remembered the smallest details about them! Great creative wins business. Great relationships keep business.

• Define success with the client at the beginning. You have to know where you are going to get there. Set this benchmark from the start and ensure that all of your efforts are pointed in the direction to that success metric.

• In a high-tech world, be low-tech. I love tech stuff, but nothing beats calling my client on the phone or meeting for a cup of coffee or lunch and connecting. No email will ever replace that. Low tech is cool!

There they are, 7 easy things to implement in your business that have the potential to not only transform you professionally, but personally, as well. I would encourage you to try them. I’m confident you’ll be happy with the outcome. – Jamie