The Innovative Sale

About the Author

Mark Donnolo graduated from The University of the Arts and initially worked as a designer in New York. He later earned his MBA from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, transitioning into the business world. Currently, he is the managing partner of SalesGlobe, with over 25 years of experience as a leading sales effectiveness consultant. His clients include prominent companies like LexisNexis, Comcast, KPMG, Iron Mountain, Office Depot, AT&T, IBM, and Accenture. Mark Donnolo's unique blend of creative and analytical skills positions him as a thought leader in sales innovation and effectiveness.

Main Idea

The Innovative Sale: Unleash Your Creativity for Better Customer Solutions and Extraordinary Results by Mark Donnolo offers a fresh perspective on integrating creativity into sales strategies. Donnolo emphasizes the importance of blending left-brain analytical thinking with right-brain creativity to develop innovative solutions that differentiate a sales team from its competition. The book introduces six principles inspired by art to drive sales innovation, focusing on how functional creativity can solve sales challenges and improve value propositions.

Table of Contents

• The Sales Innovation Dilemma
• The Innovative Sale Principles
• The Four-Phase Innovative Sale Process
• Delivering a Better Value Proposition
• The Innovative Sale Assessment

The Sales Innovation Dilemma

The common perception of creativity is often limited to artistic or eccentric personalities. However, Mark Donnolo challenges this notion by explaining that creativity is not exclusive to a select few but can be learned and applied functionally, especially in sales. He highlights several misconceptions about creativity:

• Perception: You have to be born with creativity.
• Reality: Most creators and innovators have learned how to be creative.
• Perception: Creative ideas come from eureka moments.
• Reality: Creative moments are usually the culmination of a creative problem-solving progression.
• Perception: You have to work in a heralded innovative organization to be creative.
• Reality: Any organization can adopt innovative practices, and any individual can use creative methods independently.
• Perception: Innovation doesn't apply to sales.
• Reality: Innovation wins deals.

Donnolo introduces the concept of functional creativity, which focuses on achieving objective outcomes in a structured environment. This approach contrasts with artistic creativity, where subjective interpretations prevail. In sales, functional creativity involves balancing constraints like customer requirements, organizational limitations, and competitive pressures to devise innovative solutions.

The Dilemma of Constraints

Constraints, often viewed negatively, can actually fuel creativity by forcing sales teams to think outside the box. For example, when faced with budget limitations or tight deadlines, sales professionals must develop creative strategies to meet these challenges. Donnolo states:

"Constraints enable creativity. Without constraints, options are unlimited." - Mark Donnolo

Sales teams that embrace constraints push themselves to discover innovative solutions that might not have been considered otherwise.

The Dilemma of Personality

Innovative sales require a balance between left-brain analytical thinking and right-brain intuitive thinking. However, salespeople often lean towards one extreme. Some focus too heavily on data and analytics, while others rely on intuition and improvisation. Finding equilibrium is crucial for effective sales innovation. As Donnolo notes: