The PR Client Service Manual, first published in 1993, is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for senior counselors, agency managers and those starting their own new firm to organize and manage for results. Written by Tom Gable, APR, PRSA Fellow, the manual has been recognized by leaders of the PR profession as the best book of its kind for helping firms of all sizes and corporate staffs adopt simple, logical and creative systems and philosophies to deliver superior client results. The current Fourth Edition was published in 2001. It built on the core values of providing authentic PR counsel. Although PR communications channels, tools and tactics kept changing, the strategic and organizational approaches preached by Gable provide solid foundations for any firm or organization to follow in building a results-oriented culture.
Previous editions were hailed by reviewers as “extremely comprehensive.” Said reviewer Al Croft, of A.C. Croft & Associates, “It’s worth owning a copy if only to wallow in envy that you didn’t write it.”
PR News cited the manual for filling the void of information about effective client service: “Often lost [in client relationships] is a focus on the client-agency relationship: what it is, how it is working, how it should be working. Yet without a strong and effective relationship, it is doubtful that either the client or firm can maximize the value of the alliance.”
The 174-page manual goes from the big picture on agency organization and management down to the nitty gritty, with case histories, tactics, techniques, forms, account planning check lists, templates for program management and other helpful tools. More than 1,000 agencies and corporate PR staffs now use the manual as their standard for best practices.
The Fourth Edition was originally priced at $95 prepaid for PRSA Counselors Academy members, $105 for PRSA members and $120 for non-members. Tom Gable is currently working on the Fifth Edition, due in late 2013 on the 20th Anniversary of the first publication of the manual. As a result, the Fourth Edition has been reduced to $20 per copy. Half the proceeds will go to the PRSA Counselors Academy to advance continuing education in the public relations profession, as have proceeds from all previous editions.
Previous editions were hailed by reviewers as “extremely comprehensive.” Said reviewer Al Croft, of A.C. Croft & Associates, “It’s worth owning a copy if only to wallow in envy that you didn’t write it.”
PR News cited the manual for filling the void of information about effective client service: “Often lost [in client relationships] is a focus on the client-agency relationship: what it is, how it is working, how it should be working. Yet without a strong and effective relationship, it is doubtful that either the client or firm can maximize the value of the alliance.”
The 174-page manual goes from the big picture on agency organization and management down to the nitty gritty, with case histories, tactics, techniques, forms, account planning check lists, templates for program management and other helpful tools. More than 1,000 agencies and corporate PR staffs now use the manual as their standard for best practices.
The Fourth Edition was originally priced at $95 prepaid for PRSA Counselors Academy members, $105 for PRSA members and $120 for non-members. Tom Gable is currently working on the Fifth Edition, due in late 2013 on the 20th Anniversary of the first publication of the manual. As a result, the Fourth Edition has been reduced to $20 per copy. Half the proceeds will go to the PRSA Counselors Academy to advance continuing education in the public relations profession, as have proceeds from all previous editions.
