Yes. If you're in the business of selling and haven't read it, you're either lazy, stubborn or a fool. It remains the definitive text on direct marketing. I know of no-one in the direct mail industry who hasn't read Bird's Commonsense and I know no-one who considers it anything short of a masterpiece. Ogilvy said "Drayton Bird knows more about direct marketing than anyone else in the world.". Commonsense is the essential distillation of everything Bird knows about DM. If you haven't read it, either you have no interest in understanding the business of DM or you're terrible at choosing books. Either way, I don't want you anywhere near my business.
That's very narrow-minded. I would just recommend the book and tell them to come back after reading it. Someone who's genuinely incompetent wouldn't get much out of it alone. Someone who is competent will be even better than they already were.
That's if the book really is any good. I'm going to go check it out after your roundabout recommendation.
Do you believe someone can't be a competent marketer without having read that specific book?