Page 193 - THE DO-IT-YOURSELF LOBOTOMY Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking

184 SELLING CREATIVE IDEAS REQUIRES ITS OWN CREATIVITY

it’s less a case of closed-minded buyers than perhaps a case of closed-
minded sellers. They don’t understand that if an idea isn’t in that
happy place or can’t expand the buyer’s acceptable range, then it just
isn’t a great idea.
I close this chapter with a story about a young lady who once free-
lanced for me at my ad agency. After busily working up a number of
concepts to help solve a client’s communications challenge, this bright-
eyed, ponytailed young woman proudly brought some tissues into my
office for some feedback. I put a handful of the better ideas aside, gave
her some constructive feedback on them, and told her that they were
very nice ideas. She beamed like a third-grader who’d just finished a
test early. “But you realize,” I said, “I can’t present these to the client.”
She knitted her brow instantly. I continued, “These ads are nice
creatively, but they’re not on strategy.”
“You mean all those great creative ads that Leonard/Monahan wins
awards for are also on strategy?” she said incredulously.
“Well, yeah,” I said matter-of-factly.
She turned on her heel and went back to her office, I’m sure think-
ing about something quite similar to my earlier zone illustration.