Selling is a creative act
I was in Texas recently to help a client redefine their brand. My agency, Zander Media, was hired to learn about the client and help them distill a new organizing idea.
The team and I had done a lot of preparation, but I was still nervous. We had promised the client a new organizing principle by the end of the day-long workshop!
I facilitated the workshop, we covered most of what we'd planned to discuss, and then – as if by magic – we found a new tagline that perfectly captured the company and brand.
Zander Media had been paid to deliver an outcome, and we did. But describing that day so clinically doesn’t do justice to the magic of that moment.
How to do creative work
As prospective salespeople we don't generally regard ourselves as artists.
There are a lot of mundane tactics requited to sell. You have to source leads, make cold calls, and get comfortable asking for what you want.
But, at its most elegant selling, is a creative act. To sell your ideas is to channel something bigger than yourself for a cause that is more important than money.
Preparation is essential
The more thought and care that you put into a project, the more likely that project is going to be successful.
I spent a hundred hours conducting interviews and researching my client in advance. Expect to spend ten times as much time preparing as you do executing.
But preparation alone doesn’t equate to creating something from nothing.
The moment of execution
None of the preparation I did for our client would have mattered had we not delivered the workshop.
Place the phone call.
Send that email.
Step out on stage.
Don't use preparation as a way to avoid the work that needs to be done. The pitch – any moment of execution – matters more.
Have a cause that’s more important
Have a cause greater than your own self-interest.
The cause doesn't have to be grandiose. The world wasn’t immediately going to be altered through our client finding a new organizing idea.
But by harnessing that purpose, applying all of your preparation, and coordinating the time and effort of others, you may be able to create something bigger than any one person.
Creativity in sales
I’m fascinated by moments of peak performance in sales – when we outperform our own expectations.
And transforming sales from work into a creative habit takes practice.
But with enough preparation, a clear purpose, and an openness to the unexpected, your outcomes can be greater than the sum of those parts.
↓
Homework
Today's homework is to look for creativity in your daily work.
Instead of attempting to make your current sales efforts creative or cultivating an entirely new creative habit, look for creativity within your current habits.
What is something that you do every day that you can turn into a creative practice?
- Every morning you make coffee → can your coffee preparation be a moment of creativity?
- You walk your dog → can you choose a different location for the walk each day or be creative in how you walk around a known location?
- You make dinner for yourself and your spouse → can cooking, however simple, become an act of creativity?
By practicing a creative habit, no matter how small it is or in what domain, you’ll be better at recognizing creativity elsewhere and when it really matters.
↓
3 Things I’ve Loved This Week
I recently read this small book by Steven Pressfield. Each chapter is just a page or two, with one clear point. You can read the book in a single sitting.
Put Your Ass is actionable, heartfelt, and might just kick you into doing the work you’ve been avoiding.
If you haven’t read The War of Art, also by Steven Pressfield, it is required reading!
This 2021 documentary shows behind the scenes of two close friends and great spiritual leaders, His Holiness the Dali Lama and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu.
This quote from Desmond Tutu's daughter sums up the entire documentary: "Honest, the energy between them is eight year old boy. I look at them and I think, I'm so glad I was not your third grade teacher."
These two men's irreverent mischievousness is contagious.
I’m just home from a week on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Living in 80 degree heat with 70% humidity, I have to pay attention to drinking enough water and getting enough electrolytes.
I’m currently enjoying this electrolyte supplement by Trace Minerals. I like Trace Minerals as a brand, and also use their Electrolyte concentrate Drops 40,000 Volts.
I find it really useful to be able to take a physical supplement if I’ve forgotten to put electrolyte powder or liquid into my water.
↓
Support Snafu
This newsletter is free and I don’t run ads, but I do spend dozens of hours researching and writing about selling each week. Here’s how you can support Snafu.
30-day sales course - The course is coming out in May! Each day for a month, you'll receive an email with a short video, an article, and homework. The course also comes with a money-back guarantee. Join the waitlist here!
Attend Responsive Conference - We are hosting an immersive 2-day conference this September in Oakland, CA. This is my one big event of the year and I'd love to see you there!
Books by Robin - I've published two books - so far! If you’re interested in learning to do a handstand, check out How to Do a Handstand. If you’re building a company or want to improve your company’s culture, read Responsive: What It Takes to Create a Thriving Organization.
Thanks for your consideration!
Until next week,
Robin
|
|
Thanks for reading!
I appreciate you being here. Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback? Just reply and let me know.
|