Customer Reviews

IdeaSelling: Successfully Pitch Your Creative Ideas to Bosses, Clients & other Decision Makers

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me begin by acknowledging the fact that I was already a fan of Sam Harrison's two previous books; 'Idea Spotting' and 'Zing!'before ordering 'Idea Selling' from Amazon. When the book came, I began flipping through and surprised myself by looking at the clock an hour later and realizing I had just read almost all of the book. I couldn't put it down. As a creative consultant that sometimes struggles knowing how to sell my idea, this book provided me with ammo. It also helped me organize my thoughts into a more concrete strategy. All in all, I was inspired and ready for my next big pitch.

Since that evening in which I quickly read the book, I've since taken more time reading through and noticing little details. Every time I pick the book up, and not matter what page I begin on, I learn something. I am slightly stunned by the wealth of amazing interviewees are included; everyone from Seth Godin to Sally Hogshead includes advice that has made them successful.

This book completely changed the way I pitch clients. I am a Creative Director for a small ad agency and have been pitching clients for 15 years. I always considered myself decent "in the room" with the client but had no idea how much better I could be. This book challenges conventional practice and provides actionable steps to take to immediately improve the act of selling ideas. Sam Harrison has turned the process on it's head and I'm thankful to have read it when I did. I'm better for it.

Any Type A marketing director or ADD creative director will appreciate Sam Harrison's thoughts on idea selling. My enthusiasm is both for the ideas he provides as well as the book's layout. Here are really succinct thoughts pitched in bite-sized chunks that make it very digestible. No matter what page I turn to, in a few seconds I can quickly grasp the core message. This is not a textbook -- thank goodness -- but it helped me rethink my own pitching methodology and I greatly enjoyed his reference to other creative folks and their thoughts on selling ideas.

I stole the title for this review from the book itself, but it's actually very true. In IDEASELLING, Sam Harrison has brought home the ideas which he presented in his first 2 books. The 3 books together are like owners' manuals for how ANYONE can uncover, develop, and market the spark of creativity present in all of us. IDEASELLING offers concrete instructions about what to do and what not to do to make your ideas universally appealing to all people. I plan to keep this book around for quick review on a regular basis.

I feel like this book contains an easily digestible rehash of things I've read before. The layout of the book is easily digestible and makes a good potty book or for people with short attention spans. But in general, I did not find anything super innovative in it.

The reason I'm giving it 4-stars is that it's still a good book, and from what I've seen in my professional career, it would most people wrestling with corporate cultures.

If you have ideas you are looking to pitch or struggling to get visibility among corporate noise, give it a try.

If you're looking for a new approach in a difficult environment for selling your ideas, this is the book for you. Well designed and clearly written, this book leaves you wanting to pitch your ideas to the first person you meet just because you know how!