Page 181 - THE DO-IT-YOURSELF LOBOTOMY Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking

172 SELLING CREATIVE IDEAS REQUIRES ITS OWN CREATIVITY

prior to the sale, even a shaky, less-than-perfect sales presentation usu-
ally resulted in a fair degree of success. But if the relationship was
rocky...if the relationship was grounded in anything less than great
trust and respect, the sale was invariably a bloody, unsuccessful venture.
With that brilliant deduction said, there are still some things you
can do beyond relationship building to help others embrace your new
ideas. Some of them follow.

The Tao of Selling
A major mistake many people make when trying to get others to
embrace their ideas is doing just that—trying to get others to embrace
their ideas, and trying too hard. This is one place where most people use
180° Thinking almost without thinking. And it’s not always a good thing.
Here’s how it usually works: Someone shows resistance to a new
idea, and what does the parent of that idea usually do? What any
proud parents do when their offspring is criticized. They resist.

The Tao Te Ching, that book of ancient Eastern wisdom, teaches
that resistance meets resistance and surrender meets surrender.

Yes, it’s natural to push back. But if that’s not usually going to help
your cause, why are you doing it? Sure, sometimes we have to stand
firm for our ideas, but if you make that your first defense, it may be
your last.
A number of times when I was a creative director, I helped young
advertising people get this point, often while they watched in open-
mouthed disbelief. When clients expressed resistance to an idea, I would
often say, “That’s interesting. Would you explain that to me?” I didn’t
defend the idea. I didn’t remain neutral. I just softened to their point of
view and gave them some credence. At that point, clients knew I was lis-
tening to them, and guess what happened most often? They listened to
me. Oh, I didn’t sell the ad every time, but I had a very high batting aver-
age. And, importantly, I didn’t make a mortal enemy of someone who
had a great deal of influence on the outcome of my agency’s ideas.

Have Clear, Written Objectives
When working on a project that requires creative thinking (are there
any that don’t?), before you even start the work, set clear objectives
between yourself and those you need to sell the idea to, whether they