It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be audiobook cover - The World’s Best Selling Book

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be

The World’s Best Selling Book

Paul Arden

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Career & SuccessMarketing & Sales

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Mind Map

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be
Ambition & Goal Setting+
Foundational Traits for Success+
Innovation & Risk-Taking+
Determination & Pitching+
Visual Engagement & Originality+
Navigating Client Creativity+
Communication Strategy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
According to Paul Arden, what crucial factor must be combined with talent to achieve world-class greatness?
  • A. Formal education and training
  • B. Ambition and a vision for the future
  • C. Financial backing and resources
  • D. A vast network of industry contacts
Question 2 of 8
How does the book suggest you should approach setting goals?
  • A. Base your goals strictly on your current skillset and limitations.
  • B. Set realistic, highly logical goals that guarantee a safe path to success.
  • C. Focus only on goals that align with current industry trends.
  • D. Ignore your current limitations and set goals above what you think you are capable of.
Question 3 of 8
What is the recommended way to seek feedback from colleagues to ensure true accountability?
  • A. Ask them for a general opinion on your overall performance.
  • B. Ask specific questions like 'What would you improve?' to get constructive criticism.
  • C. Present your ideas only when they are fully polished to avoid negative feedback.
  • D. Defend your ideas vigorously to prove your confidence to your peers.
Question 4 of 8
Why does Arden advise against hoarding or being overprotective of your ideas?
  • A. Because coworkers will eventually steal them anyway.
  • B. Because intellectual property laws do not protect unexecuted concepts.
  • C. Because hoarding ideas causes your collection to become stale and stops you from generating new ones.
  • D. Because clients prefer ideas that have been crowdsourced from multiple people.
Question 5 of 8
According to the text, what is a major consequence of always needing to be right?
  • A. It makes you inflexible, unoriginal, and uncreative.
  • B. It earns you the respect of senior management and clients.
  • C. It guarantees a higher success rate for your ad campaigns.
  • D. It prevents you from wasting time on silly or illogical ideas.
Question 6 of 8
When pitching to a potential client, what underlying motivation must an ad agency understand?
  • A. The agency wants to save money, while the client wants to spend it.
  • B. The agency wants to follow trends, while the client wants to pure originality.
  • C. The agency focuses on long-term strategy, while the client focuses on short-term sales.
  • D. The agency wants to show off its creativity, while the client wants to show off its brand.
Question 7 of 8
Why is it a smart strategy to leave a visual layout 'genuinely rough' during an early client presentation?
  • A. It saves the agency money and time if the pitch is rejected.
  • B. It makes the client feel there is still room for them to collaborate on the creative process.
  • C. It hides the fact that the agency rushed the project at the last minute.
  • D. It distracts the client from noticing fundamental flaws in the underlying concept.
Question 8 of 8
How does Paul Arden view 'trends' in relation to creating original advertising?
  • A. Trends are the best foundation for building a successful, original campaign.
  • B. Trends should be followed closely because they represent what the consumer currently wants.
  • C. Being original means avoiding current trends, as trends are just group consensus on what is fashionable.
  • D. Trends are useful for the visual layout, but not for the slogan or copywriting.

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be — Full Chapter Overview

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be Summary & Overview

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be (2003) offers sage advice to anyone interested in turning their grand ambitions into reality. Paul Arden takes readers behind the scenes of the advertising world to reveal the best and most effective techniques for pitching ideas and getting the client to say yes. Throughout, Arden encourages creative minds to think big and break away from the mundane and mediocre.

Who Should Listen to It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be?

  • People in marketing and advertising
  • Entrepreneurs and anyone with a product to sell
  • Dreamers and ambitious folk who need motivation

About the Author: Paul Arden

Paul Arden is a creative mastermind with over 30 years’ experience in the advertising industry. He’s worked with major companies such as Toyota, British Airways and Fuji to create some of the most successful advertising campaigns in Britain. He is also the author of Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite (2006) and God Explained in a Taxi Ride (2007).

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