Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Creativity Tips: Selling Creative Brilliance

My friend Sarah followed up on a LinkedIn post, and asked me: How do you sell an "off-the-wall" creative solution to corporate souls? It's a great question. I have a few ideas -- and I'd love to hear what the rest of you think!
  1. Tie the solution back to something the client said or did. "Corporate souls" are more likely to buy the idea if it feels/sounds/looks like their idea.
  2. Focus on the strategy behind the solution, rather than the creative brilliance. We* have a tendency to jump up and down and say, "Look how creative this is!" Sometimes, the best way to get credit for your creativity is to let others "discover" it.
  3. Start with the end. Before you unveil the idea, explain what the solution is expected to produce, and why you believe it will work. Get everyone focused on the success ahead, and they're predisposed to like your idea.
Do you have any creativity questions? Send them my way! The doctor is in ... and I take all forms of insurance.

*Yes. By "we" I mean me.

2 comments:

kirock said...

Another way to sell your idea is to offer a series of ideas that you know the client will NOT go for, but are still creative. Show them some REALLY off the wall ideas. That makes the other idea appear more realistic in their eyes. It allows them to still be in control and say no to the crazy stuff and still be daring enough to go for the off the wall stuff.
You get to expand their comfort zone for them.

Jan said...

That's great! Thanks for the tip.