YourSalesManagementGuru by Ken Thoreson, Acumen Management Group
			
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	The Need for Creativity
    		This past week I had opportunity to work with a great client  at a worldwide sales conference in Miami.  During the two days, I spent several hours with the client's sales management  team and four hours with the salespeople. They have a great sales culture and  you could feel the attitude in the  room.  In the post meeting evaluations  several reactions to the programs came out:   1) The importance of understanding the various personality styles, 2)  The need to be "greedy with your time/Time Management" and 3) the  fact that an individual's creativity can be learned or enhanced.  Past blogs and our monthly newsletters have  covered personality styles and time management so this week I thought I would  address creativity.
 There is no question about it, top performers are more  creative that your average salespeople. They seem to come up with unique ideas  to prospect, find ways to enhance client relationships and they close more  effectively. Sales leadership requires creativity as well, sales managers that  are exceeding sales quotas, hiring and developing their teams and building a  sales culture require huge levels of a creativity quotient.
 The good news? You can enhance your creativity by "working  on it." In my Keynote, No Regret's,  the Do Over Factor, I share three tenets for personal and professional  success -- creativity is one of those three foundations.  I have listed nine actions you can work on to  develop mind patterns that will enhance your creativity power:
  - Track your ideas:  keep a notebook and write down all your  ideas-about anything. It is amazing what happens when you build an active list.
- Inquiring minds want to know: be  inquisitive, ask questions, increase your levels of interest.
- Learn about different things: study  a language, read a book, take a course, get active.
- Avoid set patterns:  break your habits, floss your teeth differently,  brush your teeth in different sequences, drive to work on a new route.
- Be open: listen to others, try  to accept new ideas.
- Be patient in observations: take  the time to watch a bird fly, look at the woods more closely,  look for new patterns, watch the river flow. 
- Engage in hobbies: your  mind must disengage from normal business stress.
- Improve sense of humor: learn  to laugh, even at yourself.
- Be a risk taker: try  something different, the adrenalin will cause a positive impact on your brain.
I would like your comments and  thoughts about how you enhance your creativity. What was the most creative  sales tactic you have used? What were the results?
 THANK YOU   to  everyone that has already purchased our new book, we announced it last week; Your Sales Management  Guru's Guide to: Hiring High Performance Sales Teams. 
 
  Learn about different things: study  a language, read a book, take a course, get active.  Avoid set patterns:  break your habits, floss your teeth differently,  brush your teeth in different sequences, drive to work on a new route.  Be open: listen to others, try  to accept new ideas.  Be patient in observations: take  the time to watch a bird fly, look at the woods more closely,  look for new patterns, watch the river flow.   Engage in hobbies: your  mind must disengage from normal business stress.  Improve sense of humor: learn  to laugh, even at yourself.  Be a risk taker: try  something different, the adrenalin will cause a positive impact on your brain.I would like your comments and  thoughts about how you enhance your creativity. What was the most creative  sales tactic you have used? What were the results?
 THANK YOU   to  everyone that has already purchased our new book, we announced it last week; Your Sales Management  Guru's Guide to: Hiring High Performance Sales Teams. 
 
 
	Posted by Ken Thoreson on January 18, 2011