Bloggertone

You have no doubt heard the saying ‘discovery is not about seeking out new lands, but looking at existing lands with new eyes’.  Well, that pretty much sums up the rationale behind lateral, or creative thinking.

When something is very familiar, it can be a challenge to look at it a-fresh.  But it is only by so doing that new opportunity and ways of doing things can be explored.  So, to apply some creative thinking to B2B sales, consider sales as the engine of your business.

The analogy of sales as the engine of the business is working well for organisations selling B2B, because not only does it connotate the role of selling, but also the engine-like characteristics of the effective sales organisation (effective, consistent, repeatable, process driven, structured and automated).

The analogy also enables managers to look at their sales organisation in a more objective manner, free from the issues of personalities and politics that can often cloud the issue of sales performance.

Thinking laterally about selling and the concept of the sales engine allows you ask thought provoking questions such as; ‘is the sales engine firing on all cylinders’, ‘what mile per gallon (MPG)  is my sales or marketing delivering’, ‘is the sales organisation in need of a tuning, does it align to how your buyers buy?

Thinking sales engine may just be the lateral thinking you need to identify opportunities to make improvements across your sales team.

Food for thought.