✌️The Missing Skill (and how to build it)

This week we’re going to cover a skill I’ve noticed that is missing from 95% of sellers. That skill is creativity.

As you progress in your sales career you’ll notice that your earning potential is proportional to the size of the problems you solve.

And the best sellers (problem solvers) I know - are also the most creative.

The issue is that most sellers think that creativity is a talent or something you’re born with.

But they’re wrong.

Creativity - like any skill is “learned” and must be practiced to grow.

So this week we’ll cover just 1 exercise (there are several I’ll share in future articles) you can use to start flexing your creativity muscle.

Visual Thinking

A simple way that you can start practicing creativity is with a visual thinking activity.

Here’s how:

Go to your office, room, wherever…

Grab something to write on and something to write with. (I prefer the BIC - 4-Color pens, but anything will work)

Start by looking at the items around you.

Try and draw some of them with simple icons.

This is not the Mona Lisa - we’re just trying to go from looking to visualizing to drawing - using simple shapes like a line, square, circle, triangle, blob, etc.

Do this for about 5-7 minutes.

Next - I want you to think of common words or phrases that come up during your sales conversations.

Like - pain, challenge, goals, AI, systems, etc., etc.

What visual image comes to mind when you hear them?

Can you draw a simple icon to represent it?

Try it.

And remember - we’re only using simple shapes or icons.

Do this for another 5-7 minutes.

Try doing this a few times a week. (I do this most mornings before work to wake my brain)

Here’s an example of two day’s worth of this practice:

The more you practice visual thinking the better you’ll be able to:

• Think outside of the box

• See solutions to problems that others can’t.

• Prefer to explore unconventional approaches.

• Create compelling narratives that evoke emotion

• Stand out among sellers that think “creativity is a born talent”

• Be able to build a visual vocabulary for whiteboard storytelling with clients/prospects

Start to work this into your weekly routine and watch how you start to think of problems differently as you build up your visual thinking and creativity muscle.

Bonus points if you email me some of your visual thinking doodles.

See you all next week.

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You can check past issues here. ✌️