Great Ways to Jump Start Sales - Part 4: Promote Creative Thinking & Ideas

In getting back to the our series on Jump Starting Sales, this post will focus on promoting creative thinking and fresh ideas. Entrepreneurs never seem to be out of ideas and that's great when it comes to building a business. However, you may be limiting the growth and success of your business if you're the only one coming up with the ideas. Here are several ways you can generate some fresh and innovative ideas for your business.

Ask Your Team - Seems like a "no-brainer," but many times business owners get so caught up in the day-to-day they forget there is a great resource of ideas within their team of employees. Your employees are on the front line. If they're doing their jobs correctly, they should know exactly what your customers need and whether or not their needs are changing. To promote creativity from within, schedule brainstorming sessions or company retreats. Make your employees feel as though their input is valuable and give recognition to everyone who makes constructive suggestions.

Ask Your Customers - Your customers have come to trust and have developed confidence in your services or products and want to see your business succeed. Their input is extremely valuable so listen to what they have to say. Develop a system to solicit their opinions and suggestions.

Ask Your Peers - Maybe your business is a one-person shop or you don't have a lot of employees. In that case, you may want to consider assembling an "advisory group" to help you generate ideas. An advisory group can help you "flush out" any ideas you may have and will also help with accountability so you stay focused on your business plan.