So, hereunder are my Top Ten Tips for identifying a shaky account. If you work on such an account, try bringing in a "turn-around artist". If you're going after such an account, make sure you've got solid category knowledge of the client's industry. Either way, get in touch with me. I might know omeone who can help you out.

1. Trouble In Paradise: If you're the advertiser, and frustrated with your agency's creative because it isn't hitting the mark after three rounds, something's wrong. Both the account team and creatives should be performing due diligence and know your service array and/or products cold. They should know your product's positioning in relation to its competitors without repeated explanation from you which burns up your time and budget.

2. Clueless Is a Clue: If you look at a TV spot and say "Huh?", it often means the account is shaking loose or will be soon. Sometimes "Huh?" spots are what I call "in the meantime" commercials that air until the advertiser finds an agency who understands them.

3. Unintelligible Is a Clue: If a print ad doesn't make sense to someone outside the category, something's wrong. Even wonky b2b ads need to have a level of transparency beyond their industry.

4. Flattery Is a Clue: If an ad is talking to the client rather than its audience, this is trouble. It often means an agency is doing "suck-up" ads that appeal to the client's vanity in order to make nice-nice. These sycophant ads eventually backfire because they fail in the marketplace, and guess who takes the blame? That's right, the agency. You don't think the client's going to take the blame, do you?

5. When Ads Don't Work: When's the last time your agency held itself accountable? On what do they base their recommendations for media and creative? Is your agency a partner or a vendor?

6. Unbelievable Taglines: Most taglines are too easy to make fun of. "It's not a store; it's a solution" comes to mind. If I wanted the Rite Aid account, I'd simply point out to them how unbelievable their tagline is. An unbelievable tagline only increases the target's skepticism.

7. Same Ol' Same Ol' Creative: 99% of all radio spots fall into this category. If it looks like a radio spot, sounds like a radio spot and acts like a radio spot, DO NOT RUN IT. Why? Because it sounds like every other radio spot that's aired since 1946 and it is played out. Do something edgy or sound like editorial.

8. For Whom the Bell Does Not Toll: Watch out when a client takes longer and longer to return your calls. They always have believable excuses. But it can often mean they're talking to another agency... and then they tell you they've given a "project" to another shop... but it's just a little project, nothing really...

9. Whose Research Should You Believe? If I were an advertiser, I'd have my research done by a third party who has absolutely no interest in which piece of creative or strategy runs.

10. Watch the "Listen-to-Talk" Ratio: I can't tell you how many stories my clients have told me over the years about how the agency execs blew smoke at them when trying to sell a campaign. Clients are smart, quite often smarter than the agency people, and need to be listened to. Furthermore, it's their money and they know their marketplace pretty well, or else they wouldn't be where they are. All too often, agencies do not listen before they leap. Egos get in the way. I've seen agencies win new business pitches because they were good listeners.

11. Bonus Tip: One way I would identify new business opportunities is to find a product that was much better than its advertising. I would call that client up and tell him or her exactly that. From there, they would be compelled to listen to why I thought this to be the case. It is simple, truthful and most effective.

If you think your product or service is better than its current advertising, let me know. I might be able to find someone who can get the job done better, or just do it for you myself.