Recently I posted a blog called What Makes a Great AE Today? which offered some thoughts on the qualities of a successful AE today.  The advertising world has changed dramatically.  Some change has been inflicted upon AE’s such as less training, more multi tasking, more work, less guidance, but today’s smart AE’s can set their own course if they innovate.

Here are some other qualities that today’s AE’s need to have.  They must have an insatiable thirst for knowledge.  In the past they may have enrolled in an MBA program at night to augment their skills.  Today, knowledge is all around you.

Successful AE’s know the knowledge world is their oyster.  They consume learning new things and growing with a passion.  They are excited about learning and sharing their knowledge. There is learning and there is knowledge.   Valuable work knowledge today is what could be applied to your client’s business.  Today is can be a new App as much as a new tool to read social media metrics.  Successful AE’s also consume knowledge by consuming their client’s products and the products of their competitors.  They shop their clients like consumers and learn from the experience.

Today’s successful AE’s are a Renaissance Man no matter what their dominant chromosome is. This is their personal knowledge. They know a meaningful little about a lot.  They are not vertical but horizontal in their discovery but they are not shallow.  They consume today’s culture and innovation through reading, checking out art, music, being foodies, or discovering  Marshall McLuhan who predicted today.  They are interesting people to be with.  This gives them connectivity in dialogue and the ability to build and stimulate relationships because they have many touch points to connect with prospects, clients and their target audience.  People like being with them. That’s a good thing  in advertising.

More to come.

You can connect with Hank on Linkedin

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Watch his video on YouTube on Why It’s Time to Change the RFP Process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6jEGgVHx_g&list=UUEigDTyDiFGXVfyg7sRErOg&index=8&feature=plcp