I’m often asked, “Cliff, what is your definition of creativity?” My normal answer was, “Creativity is taking what someone has made or created and looking at it differently and putting a unique spin on it” – that’s one rough definition. Recently, I came across a definition by William Plomer that says it more succinctly; “Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.” I believe this quote sums it up best.
It reminds me of what a good buddy of mine, Rick Badiner, Executive VP for iPROMOTEu says, “…marketing is about connecting all the dots.”
In an industry that’s ebbing and flowing at break-neck speed, where your competition is becoming more intense and client loyalty is all but gone, what do you do to set yourself apart and stay relevant? You have the “power” to create something from what is not already there to “connect the seemingly unconnected”. Creativity is one BIG differentiator that will separate you from the mundane competition. If your business is about just providing product, you may survive but selling stuff IS NOT creative. Many people have a hard time getting their arms around that; but when you do, you will harness what has eluded many in this industry.
A great exercise to develop these connections is an exercise called “mind mapping”. Take for instance, you’re trying to develop a theme for a client that’s attending a trade show in Las Vegas; take the centralized theme LAS VEGAS, with that think of one-word relations to that central subject: dice, hot, money, slots, desert, cards, shows, gamble, party, cha-ching! From that list, do the same thing each of those words: CARDS, what words come to mind? Perhaps: deal, queen, king, joker, numbers, stud, Texas Hold’em, business, hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds. Do this for each of the initial words, then expand that again and again – you will be surprised as to what you come up with. Then look for similarities within the words you’ve culled then begin connecting the dots. This is one of the many ways I developed concepts and themes for clients and for my own self-promotions.
Another example would be to connect two unlike things, things you wouldn’t typically relate to one another. A few years back, I read (and have re-read numerous times) a book by Roger VonOech, called, A Whack On The Side-Of-The Head. In his book, Roger shares insights on how to stimulate one’s creative juices, by comparing two unlike objects, like a cat and a refrigerator, think about that – what comparisons can you draw from these two seemingly unrelated objects. Send me an email, I’d love to hear your thoughts. With VonOech’s insights, I began the process of creating a direct mail campaign that generated a whopping 86% appointment rate. While walking major tradeshow I stumbled upon the Swiss Army knife booth, reflecting on what I read, I began to make a correlation of the functions of the knife and my functions as a salesperson:
Scissors ~ …we tailor promotions to fit your budget
Knife ~ …we cut through the minutia
Toothpick ~ …we pick the right products & solutions to make you smile
Key Ring – …we’re accessible, always there when you need us
File ~ …we hone all elements of print, packaging, theme, delivery and product selection
The campaign was sent out to 137 prospects and clients for the purpose of gleaning appointments, as mentioned, this campaign garnered at 86% appointment rate. In fact, one prospect called me and asked me to build something like this for his company, his budget for marketing was one million dollars.
Clients today are looking for something different, as should you! They’re not looking for a different pen or executive gift, they are looking to create a “significant point of differentiation”. In order to survive in this business, you MUST change the way you do things, always engaging – ALWAYS evolving.
Take a moment to look at yourself differently, perhaps like a chef or a musician, taking placing notes on a page or ingredients in a pan; take the resources and connecting them together (promotional products, packaging, print collateral, copy-writing, etc.) all the tools at your disposal and create magic, that magic IS creativity. Creativity is one aspect which will separate you from the mundane masses and almost ensure highest profits and the loyalist clients– if you believe that you can, you can, if you don’t then, well, you just don’t.
Connect the dots, create magic, connect the seemingly unconnected and a plethora of new opportunities and profits await you!
Continued Good Selling…Connect the dots! - CQ
For more than 30 years, Cliff has been speaking, training and consulting internationally to associations and national business groups on more effective ways to market themselves, their products and services, as well as motivating their personnel. Recognized by PPAI for his creativity, he has won the prestigious PPAI Pyramid award 25 times and the Printing Industry's PSDA’s Peak Award for creativity five times in three years. He has also received PPAI's Ambassador Speaker of the Year Award six consecutive years and was the inaugural recipient of PPAI's Distinguished Service Award. Named one of top six industry speakers and trainers, he also was recognized by PPAI in the book, "PPAI at 100," as having a significant influence in education. He has also been recognized by Counselor Magazine as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in the Promotional Products Industry. You can engage with Cliff at http://www.myengagepage5.com/cliff-quicksell-1associates.