I was looking through some of my files on “creativity” today, and a few things jumped out at me:
Humor and laughter promote relaxation and creativity. Unfortunately, as we get older, we laugh a lot less. In fact, studies show that children laugh 400 times each day while adults laugh 15 times per day. Creativity? Kids win hands down.
Speaking of kids, when a researcher asked a 1st grade class, “How many of you are artists?” . . . 100% of the hands shot up. When he asked the same questions of the 8th grade class, three students raised their hands. Not exactly a system that encourages creativity.
Repetition is the nemeses of creativity. Yet how easy it is for us to fall into daily routines . . . same commute, same coffee break, same restaurants etc.
Laughter is the shortest distance between two human beings.
These are important thoughts for us as salespeople for two reasons.
- Creativity is a hallmark of great salesmanship. The ability to think on our feet, improvise and build rapport through relaxed communication and, often, humor, are skills that master salespeople gracefully deploy.
- Buyers love salespeople who bring out the joy and creativity in THEM . . . people who come along and fire them up, break their routines and get them thinking, dreaming and laughing.
After a great sales call, everyone should feel uplifted and refreshed. That is selling, relating and communicating at its highest level.
