Creativity, the third eye of sales professionals | Sunday Observer

Creativity, the third eye of sales professionals

28 February, 2021

Selling is any transaction in which money is exchanged for goods or services. Selling is defined as a transaction that adds value to the buyer by meeting his or her needs and results in mutual benefit for the seller and buyer.

Basically selling is the act of persuading. Selling is an art – but it can be mastered. Most often a salesman’s value is underestimated. Salesmanship is equivalent to leadership. In both, one has to take an individual, group or society to do something they did not want to do but make them happy for doing it voluntarily.

In this aspect even a leader of an organisation or a country could be considered as a ‘salesman’.  Truly speaking they have to sell an idea or concept or policy or campaign promises  or service to their subordinates or public and make them accept it voluntarily.

Sales and marketing professionals’  jobs are prestigious and lucrative jobs. It depends on how well  it is carried out by an individual.

The effective sales and marketing  professionals should have the expertise in explicit and tacit knowledge and multidisciplinary skills,  key abilities which they should capitalise on, correct attitudes and practise those as habits.

Among the skills needed by them, one singular skill which is paramount of importance but the most undervalued skill is creativity. Creativity is the ability to think about a task or a problem in a new or different way, or the ability to use the imagination to generate a new idea.

If you are creative, you look at things from a unique perspective. You can find ways and methods  and make connections to find opportunities. You become unique and a treasure trove to your company. Your Management would admire and appreciate your creative skills.

Companies that foster creativity are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers in terms of revenue growth.Many people inexactly think that creativity is an innate trait. The fact  is that creativity could also be learned, developed  and acuminated.

Having said that I like to ask you a question to get your creative ideas for a question of mine on selling. If you want to sell boats what would you do? Some may say, “Identify the potential customers in the coastal areas or the fishermen or tourist hotels around the lakes”, others may say design and develop colourful product literatures or catalogues to aid the sales presentations, others may say carry out email campaigns and web marketing to potential customers.

Some others may say to have acceptable prices and offer installment payments. The list may go on but the correct answer from the creative minded sales and marketing professional will be the following; “If you want to sell boats, create lakes first”.

This is how a strategic oriented innovative and creative companies should work. When you recruit someone for sales and marketing positions avoid asking, “how to sell refrigerators to eskimos” or “Sell me this pen” but  be creative in your thinking and expect it from your sales force  and encourage them. Then perhaps lucrative business is ahead of you.

In conclusion, creativity is the third eye of a sales and marketing professional.

The writer is a specialist in communication skills, sales, marketing, training and development and a business consultant with 30 years of experience. 

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