How can the manager of an organization encourage creative thinking in the marketing and sales departments?

Every year during annual meeting we ask the following three questions to individuals/teams as a creative approach with sales and marketing department:

-What are we doing good and needs to continue

--What should be changed

What should be stopped and suggest another way of doing it.

All of the answers are consolidated at the end of meeting which sets direction for next year.

You can help your firm innovate by creating a culture in which all employees are actively encouraged to put ideas forward by using the bellow ideas :

-Make time for brainstorming

-Train staff in innovation techniques

 

-Act on ideas

by supporting the sales team to enhance their knowledge and sales technics , and  by build the trust on them and make them moving forward .

 

Consolidate the principle of participation, debate and dialogue between the members of one team

Identify incentives and encouragement rates for successful ideas

Hold a weekly meeting between team members to discuss developments in the market and ways to develop the company's products

Setting standards for comparison between the company and its competitors and determine the methods of development through meetings

1- stress the importance of creativity.2-make time for brainstorming.3-actively solicit ideas.4-train staff in innovation techniques5-cross fertility.6-challenge the way staff work.7-reward creativity .8-tolerate mistakes

When we manage our employees we tend to stunt their creativity by imposing rigid requirements and restrictions on their job specifics.  Allow the employee to sit in the director's chair for a minute and ask what they would do in your place.  I'm sure they will surprise you with their perspective on many matters.

I like this quote about becoming who we are meant to be:

“Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.” 

― Steven Pressfield

Good Manager  should know what his goal is . what his strategy is  and what are his resources.

 

If he wants his sales team to be creative in bringing new business and enhancing company profits. Then he needs to assess his sales team , put forward his plan in front them , ask their opinion , brain storm it , make a realistic target and develop a strategy to meet those target, and Incentives should be stated after achieving the target. 

TO BE ABLE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY OR WE HAVE TO THINK OUT OF THE BOX . I would say that true creativity, along with drive and self-belief, are the defining characteristics of any successful PERSON IN MARKETING & SALES DEPT having original ideas that add value. Without originality, businesses have no way of differentiating themselves from their competitors in the market place.

1. The ability to plan, organize and effective follow-up and guidance for sales operations and sales and marketing staff.

2-the ability to lead and motivate sales and directing the crew.

3. the ability to lure the best ways to recruit diverse, so as to ensure increased sales.

Manager must have listening & communication talent to listen & communicate with all the team plus all departments in the organization,

Weekly meeting ,monthly meeting plus field experience & stress on team will encourage his team creativity 

Manager before being manager must be leader for his team in everything

each of employees have their own knowlege,talents and skills, the manager can encourage the employees by socialising with them,  know their opinion, know their limits, be an example to them,