David is a best-selling author, speaker and trainer. He is also CEO of IPD, a world-class marketing agency based in Tampa, Florida.
If you’ve spent any length of time in sales, then you know that your processes are your lifeline. A great salesperson is married to their processes. They know that ultimately it is these processes that lead to success. They have processes for cold calling, gaining referrals, smoothing over problems and displaying value in their product, service and company. As an entrepreneur, I also have my own processes.
Think about every job you’ve had. I can almost guarantee that in the first week or two, you were trained almost exclusively on getting the processes down. Only after the processes have been cemented within your mind can you then begin to build off of them.
Yet, when training new hires, business owners and managers often make a mistake that I refer to as “overselling the process.”
Now, I know overselling the process can sound counterintuitive, but let’s clarify the concept: We dedicate time to ensuring that our team members adhere to processes. In fact, I have told new salespeople that the reason I have them follow processes set in place is that those same processes are what made me successful. I’m not saying that anyone is off the hook when it comes to your processes. Your processes are what keep the lights on. An exceptional salesperson with no processes is like a Ferrari with bald tires. Processes are crucial.
So, we train people on the processes. This, while good for onboarding, does not nourish an innovative mindset.
In addition to process training, you must also train on the science behind those same processes. You need your people to know what you do, but you also need them to understand why you do it. Why do your processes work, and what will following the processes do specifically to benefit them and the company? This is how you can effectively make innovation a true part of your process. Your goal should be to explain your processes in such great detail that it invokes questions of “How can we do this better?”
But how can you fit this in with your process training as much as possible, without bombarding new hires with information? What are some methods that you can use to facilitate a growth-based, innovation-first culture?
Adding Innovation Into Your Processes
Innovation is not taught in school. Instead, you have to water it like a flower. You must ensure that the roots are firm and that the ground is nourished in order for innovation to blossom. Here are four methods you can use to nourish innovation within your processes:
1. Hold Regular Meetings
Every day, my sales team and I meet in the morning. We discuss not only where we’re at in our processes, but also what we may be able to adjust or shift. These conversations are moments in which we can all talk as equals and develop new scripts, offer solutions to problems and encourage others to share ideas that have been working for them.
We also meet at the end of our day to go over the fruits of our labor and to once again discuss alternative ideas that may very well be the innovation that our team needs.
2. Keep An Open Mind
Sometimes the idea that takes your company to the next level will come from a source that you didn’t expect. A good leader has ideas. A great leader knows that others have ideas, too. Take the time to listen to what your team has to say, and encourage a feedback loop on current tools and processes.
As you read this, know that there are several members of your team who may very well have the next best idea but have yet to share it. Keeping an open mind, and making it clear that you want to know about their ideas, will allow these team members to share them with you.
Ideas from my team members have changed the face of my company for the better. Not every idea is a home run, but neither is every lead. Your goal should be to have a small idea factory coming from your team to you. Encourage this as best you can.
3. Display Innovation
I have been described by many as a visionary, bordering on a dreamer. I try my best to see what something can be rather than what something is. This personality trait has led me to places that I never thought possible. I am constantly looking for ways to strengthen my team, our products and our industry.
If you aren’t displaying innovation, then your team may not know what it looks like. Share new ideas and concepts with your team members. Get them excited about new possibilities, and encourage them to share new ideas, too. You have to lead by example. Innovation breeds innovation, and others will be inspired to grow if they see that you yourself are inspired to grow.
4. Allow Autonomy
Once an employee is comfortable operating on their own, let them do so. You will gain much more by allowing an employee to work in the manner that makes the most sense to them than you will by having an employee do everything the same way it has always been done.
Telling someone how to do something does not teach you anything. Explaining guidelines and allowing them to flourish, however, may very well uncover parts of a process that you can make more effective and more efficient. Efficiency itself is a key component of innovation, and to not allow this type of innovative environment will only rob you of crucial moments for research, analysis and duplication.
By combining solid processes with an environment that facilitates innovation within every department, you can set yourself apart not only as a great company to work for but also as a cutting-edge organization to work with. Innovation pays back in dividends, so make sure you’re investing in it.
Make innovation a piece of your process, and then adhere to it.
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