Having an idea rejected is a common fate for creative practitioners.
On reflection, you will usually find it is for the good that the idea was turned down. With the passage of time and further incuba-tion, you can assess the idea’s true worth and added value.
Nonetheless, there will be occasions when you need to fight with determination to get your creative proposal approved.
In Table 10.2 there is a list of the most common rejections that practitioners are likely to face, together with some initial thoughts on potential responses. It is important always to frame your response with a preface, so as to establish common ground between you and the person with the power to sanction your ideas. Typical bridge-building prefaces could include: ‘You are right to be concerned…’ or ‘It is right to recognize this element…’.
Never link your preface with your counter objection by saying
‘but’ or ‘yet’, because this immediately signals that you are about to present a contradiction to the other person’s point of view.
Creativity in public relations
Obstacles to creativity
Table 10.2 Tactics for overcoming objections Objection Tactics for dealing with objection
1. It won’t work. Get to the bottom of the objection. Use the
‘Five Whys’ technique; Why won’t it work? Why is that? Why…? (etc) 2. We have tried this Identify points common to the situation,
before and it didn’t and then highlight the differences.
work.
3. We’ve always done it Use the ‘Five Whys’ technique to get to this way. the bottom of the objection. Emphasize the
need for changes when appropriate.
Minimize (but don’t falsify) the risk or scale of the change.
4. It’s very creative but Use the ‘Five Whys’ technique to get to it’s not for us. the bottom of the objection.
Identify the brand values of the organization and review whether they have been compromised by the creativity proposal.
5. We’re already looking Check if something similar is indeed at this. already under way, together with any
similarities/differences, in order to substantiate the validity of the objection.
Check the timescales applicable to the other idea.
6. It will get in the way Identify the resource requirements and of existing activities. any opportunity costs.
7. The potential targets Run your idea across contacts in the will not be interested. target audience for their opinion on its
merits.
8. It will cost too much. Identify the resource requirements and provide further details of the logistics involved in developing the idea.
Creativity in public relations
Table 10.2 Tactics for overcoming objections (continued) Objection Tactics for dealing with objection
9. It’s too difficult to do, Use the ‘Five Whys’ technique to get to or this part of it won’t the bottom of the objection.
work.
Analyse the critical-path requirements of the logistics needed to make the creative proposal work.
Put the problem into context to lessen potential client anxieties. Look at alternatives for satisfying the objection.
10. This idea has been Analyse when it was used, and if your done before. potential re-use is compromised in any
way. Highlight the new context that you are facing and the fact that there is nothing wrong in borrowing other people’s ideas in any way.
11. Another If possible, try to make a genuine agency’s/person’s/ comparison. Identify whether or not it is company’s proposals the creative dimension that is being are more creative. recognized as the distinguishing element,
or whether it is some other factor.
Identify what added value is contained in these other proposals or activities.
12. The idea did not Try to overcome the insecurities of the come from me. decision makers. Look at inflating their
contribution to the idea, or instil a sense of common ownership in the idea.
13. There is no way we Consider whether or not any of the can do this. above responses are valid to use. If not,
accept that sometimes not all of your creative proposals will be accepted, and learn to bounce back.
Look back on a recent rejection of a creative proposal. Could you have used any of the counter-objections listed in the table above?
Remember, the biggest obstacle to creativity is YOU – which brings us neatly to the next chapter.
SUMMARY
1. Creativity is an inherently uncomfortable task for the brain.
2. Poor skills in any aspect of creativity are major obstacles to coming up with creative solutions.
3. If you know any teachers, ask them to be tolerant of children day-dreaming.
KEY WORDS FOR YOUR CREATIVITY VOCABULARY
● Assumptions.
● Early-bird syndrome.
● ‘Five Whys’.
● Ill-structured.
● Well structured.
Obstacles to creativity
You make your own luck in public relations.
(Apologies to Gary Lineker) In life there are two types of vision providing you with a view of 20:20 clarity. The first is hindsight; you can look back on your life and identify what you should have done, if only you had known then what you know now. With the benefit of hindsight you can see in crystal clear vision the half-chances, opportunities and potential good fortune which were around you, but which you failed to identify at the time.
The other type of vision you possess, to enable you to judge the world and its many opportunities, is sagacity. Sagacity literally means your ability to see the essential truth of a situation. This can act like your opportunity radar, enabling you to spot great creative angles, insights or connections that others have failed to see.
We all have this opportunity radar capable of creating great