Creativity, Unexpected

My introductory sales pitch to a prospective client touches on the corporate attributes that define Strategic Communications Group (Strategic).  I like to keep things to a set of three which, in this case, include:

--Focus on a core set of client relationships;

--Commitment to work/life balance for employees; and

--Passionate pursuit of creativity in the development of social media marketing programs.

I had an interesting response last week from the director of communications at a mid-tier, publicly traded company in the Washington, DC area.  It went something like this:

“Creativity in communications can mean lots of different things in marketing.  Ask an ad agency and they’ll tell you its work that profiles and differentiates the brand.  A PR firm will say it’s an approach that produces a feature article.  A Web shop may say it is the use of hip new widget.  What does creativity mean to you?”

I fumbled the response a bit and, admittedly, over answered the question.  It’s not that I don’t know.  It was more of an issue that I had never been asked that question directly.

So, after a few days of contemplation I went back to the communications director with a simple thought – in social media, creativity is presenting the expected in an unexpected way.

Here are two examples:

Hubspot Scores with Twitter Press Release

Who Was Behind @Irene?

One Candidate's Refreshingly Unexpected Approach

The vast majority of corporate and product communications are plagued by a lack of originality and creativity in their execution.

Take a stroll across the Web or flip through a magazine, wait 20 minutes and then take a stab at jotting down the names of companies that advertised.  It’s not so easy, right?

This me-too promotional mentality is prevalent in how individuals market themselves to prospective employers.  The methodology is typically a vanilla cover letter married up with a nondescript resume.

The candidate forces the hiring manager to do all of the work to determine if there’s a potential fit.  This is OK in a robust hiring environment with four percent unemployment. 

Yet, in today’s market with near double digit unemployment, blending in with a jostling crowd of wannabes is no way to win a coveted position.

Last week, a friend who is a senior hiring manager for an expanding business services company forwarded me a cover note from a potential hire that was refreshingly unexpected.  Whether you love or hate the approach, it garners attention and, in this case, resulted in a phone request for an interview.

TOP 20 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE ME AS YOUR SALES MANAGER

20) I have successfully managed up to 28 salespeople.

19) I have a very high closing rate.

18) I'm very spontaneous, my great grandmother was Lizzie Borden.

17) I treat people the way that I want to be treated.

16) I have taken courses conducted by Tom Hopkins and Anthony Robbins.

15) Southwest is my favorite airline, I sill think the pilots and flight attendants are stoned.

14) I speak numerous languages including Cambridge lockjaw.

13) I workout (I have a six pack, it's in the fridge).

12) I'm never on time to work because I always arrive early.

11) I have two older sisters and have the scars to prove it (think of Tom Berenger in "Platoon").

10) I know the difference between there, their and they're AND too, to and two! as well as Rosanna, David, Alexis, Lewis and Patricia Arquette.

9) I have strong marketing experience.

8) Robert De Niro is my favorite actor (YOU TALKING TO ME!!!!!!).

7) I have never been arrested (well there was that time when I wore a yellow bandana in my back pocket).

6) I'm not on any type of medication except for Flinstones chewables, I love eating Dino.

5) I have had a return of investment ratio of 12 to 1.

4) I am a model in my spare time, a model citizen that is (we are in high demand).

3) My favorite comedy is Terms of Endearment, that Debra Winger is hilarious.

2) I have over twenty years of sales and sales management experience.

1) We are going to make a massive amount of money together.