Creativity and innovativeness: The cardinal rules for business success and sustainability
Selling is any transaction in which money is exchanged for a good or service. Selling is defined as a transaction that that adds value to the buyer by meeting his or her needs and results in mutual benefit for both 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.
In my humble opinion 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 organization or 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 to 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 capabilities which they should capitalize, correct attitudes and practicing those as habits. Among the skills required by them let me discuss today on the key imperative skills which are paramount of importance but are the most undervalued skills. (|i.e: Creativity and Innovativeness.)
Imperative skills
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, lustered and acuminated. Having said that I would 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? Well 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. Others may say to have acceptable price 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”.
How to sell refrigerators to Eskimos
This is how strategic oriented innovative and creative Companies should work. So 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. Innovativeness is the ability imagines and creates new things. Innovativeness is detrimental for Business growth and sustainability. In my humble opinion Innovativeness is what every else have seen but not thought about the creation of new things.
One classic example would be the creation of aeroplane by Wright Brothers.
Everyone had seen birds flying in the sky. But no one even dreamt on innovating an aeroplane. Being creative and innovative Wright brothers made us possible to travel by air.
It is not depend in size of the product. Furthermore, you could even find innovative and novel ideas to develop and market your brands and services profitably in this turbulent time.
When recruiting employees ensure that they possess creative minds and are innovative. Then perhaps the lucrative business is ahead of you in spite of the fact we are facing many challenges right at this moment of time.
Making salary cuts and downsizing though need of the hour but are not a humanitarian act. But, being creative and innovative will help you to navigate through this tough time. As you know tough times never last; But tough people would do. In conclusion, Creativity and innovativeness are the cardinal rules for Business success.
(The writer is a Specialist in Professional Communication and a Consultant in Pharma Marketing, Training and Development. He is also an Inspirational business Consultant with 30 years of experience. He was the former Treasurer, Assistant Secretary and Editor of PPA).