The rainmaker
Rainmakers drive the ad business. They have or make the contacts, instantly understand the clients' business, and are master salespeople. Frequently their names are on the agency door. In the old days, they were white-shoe WASPs who hobnobbed with corporate titans at exclusive clubs. They were members of a social class united by religion, education, fraternities, and often neighborhoods.
The democratization of the business changed a lot of that but didn't change the need for high-energy hustlers who were smart enough and presentable enough to interact with and sell both squirrelly and conservative corporate executives. Rainmakers innately understand that people buy people first, then goods or services get transacted. They have big personalities and know how to deftly wield them in almost any circumstance.
They have keen instincts and can carefully read and dissect client personalities and organizational politics. Even in complex agency searches, where intermediary consultants try their best to mask the decision-making process, rainmakers know who matters and whose vote counts most, and they know how to romance those individuals. Often this skill set comes with experience, but sometimes it comes naturally to a younger entrepreneur.
As a type, rainmakers are extroverts interested in a wide range of things. They know a little something about everything, listen closely but not too closely, and have the ability to zero in on the key variable quickly. They focus just enough to grasp the winning idea or the winning angle and then cue their players accordingly. They are usually great at creating a name, a theme, a catchy phrase, or a slogan to concretize an idea. Many can wickedly nickname somebody in ways that capture them precisely and stick. Some appear to be distracted, aloof, or merely glad-handers, but the best ones use that stereotype to mask their wiles.
You know a rainmaker because you sense that they know you instantly and you trust them instantly. You can't choose to become one; they just are who they are. And they come in all stripes, usually motivated by the intense desire not to work for others or the equally intense desire to express a unique point of view and demonstrate success on their own terms.
