Why Curiosity is at the Heart of Sales Innovation

Walt Disney once said:

Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Walt Disney understood the value of curiosity. It is the heart of innovation. But recognise that curiosity and innovation are different. Innovation referes to the application of an idea, and curiosity refers to uncovering new and novel ideas. You can’t, however, have one without the other.

When you cultivate curiosity about the world and everything in it, you’re less wrapped up in your own thinking. Your power of observation becomes more acute, and you start to notice things differently. And when you look at things differently, innovation will grow.

There is one thing separating those who are successful and others who are merely surviving. It’s the desire to learn and the curiosity that fires that desire. Successful sales people never stop moving and learning, and they translate their new understandings into innovative ideas for their customers. They’re the ones who leap ahead. That is the power behind curiosity and innovation.

Here are 3 succinct reasons why you should cultivate your own innate curiosity:

Curiosity Leads to Creativity

Being creative helps you stand out in the crowd. Don’t try to compete with others; try to come up with more creative solutions to your customers’ problems. When you bring new approaches to old problems, your customers take notice. You want to be their “idea guy,” the one they turn to when they need an innovative solution.

Curiosity Makes You Nimble

Just like your body needs exercise to stay agile, your mind needs curiosity to stay nimble and come up the innovative ideas that your customers need. You need to exercise your curiosity by taking in new knowledge to regularly flex your brain muscles. Cultivate inquisitiveness about everything. Read voraciously — fiction, non-fiction, self-help, history, gardening — everything. Never stop learning and filling your head with ideas.

Curiosity Breeds Innovation

When you stop being curious about everything around you, you turn to your default mode of thinking. Recycling old ideas won’t help you reach your sales goals or satisfy your customers’ needs. Real curiosity can cure that. When you cultivate curiosity, you’re filling your mind with a broad scope of knowledge. Innovation comes when you use that knowledge to tie two unrelated thoughts into one stunning solution. You can’t make those connections if you’re not constantly filling your mind.

Final Thoughts

When you attend to your natural curiosity, the more you’ll notice about your customers, their business and industry, and the issues facing them. Despite the old saying, “curiosity killed the cat,” curiosity leads to new ideas and new adventures. In that way, curiosity is just a part of being smart.

And curiosity can lead to world-shattering, breakthrough ideas. Einstein had the following observation about himself:

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.

Become passionately curious. There is no other avenue to cultivate your most innovative sales ideas. Thankfully, Einstein leaves us an excellent model for this way of being. There’s one other intelligent gent who needs a shout out.

Alun Maxwell, Sales Trainer at Natural Training, says:

Curiosity creates opportunity.
Opportunity creates innovation.
Innovation creates success.