Creative Questions To Help Move Your Business Past a Tight Budget
July 16, 2008
Sometimes it is difficult to start, no one starts at the top. Almost all of us have to overcome one major obstacle in the beginning.
To get past the obstacle of having a tight budget to begin with you really have to learn how to market yourself creatively by asking yourself some simple creative questions.
Questions such as:
1) How could I…
Another creative question starter:
2) Who could assist me with This is a great question. Who could assist me with
How about:
3) Who would exchange for ?
Here’s another one:
4) Could I do this cheaper? or How would I be able to do this faster? or Could I do it with less effort? or Is there a way to do this for free? That question will really get your creative juices going.
Try and answer this question:
5) What can I substitute for ‘X’? Could I substitute ‘XYZ’ for ‘ABC’? Just think about whatever you could, or want to change.
If you answer this question you will really be putting yourself in the mind frame of some of your unique and different customers:
6) How would solve this problem?
Here are some examples: How would my mother solve this problem? How would my competitor solve this problem? The great thing about this question is it forces you to think from different perspectives.
I can confidently say that these questions, as well as others, have allowed my creativity to grow and have opened all kinds of opportunities up to me. The success of my career can be credited to my creative thinking.
I’ll show you an example of how I used this method of creative questioning to help me.
Right out of University I decided to become a professional speaker, speaking to high school and college students - which I still do on occasion - speaking on the topic of creativity because that topic helped me go from a University failure all the way to the top of my class, straight A’s, and named Most Outstanding Male of my graduating class. There was a big difference between what happened first year and my last year, and I attribute it all to learning the skill on the art of creative thinking, and I was very passionate about it.
Even though I had decided that this is what I wanted to do, I had no idea about becoming a professional speaker, or if I could turn it into a profitable business.
I went to and joined an organization called CAPS, which is The Canadian Association for Professional Speakers.
At one of my first meetings I attended I approached a gentleman there who was doing very well with his speaking career about what I needed to do to get to his level. He replied by saying. “It’s very simple, Stu. I’ll give you three things to do, once you have those finished, come back and I’ll give you some more.”
“Number one,” he began, “You should join CAPS. By surrounding yourself with like minded people in your industry it will help your business grow.”
In order to join CAPS it cost $200, which at that time was a squeeze. Thinking back on it I remember paying for it on payments in order to be able to do it. I did number though, I joined CAPS.
The second thing he said I had to do was, “Get out to the CAPS National Conference.” As much as I wanted to go, it was on the other side of Canada, which meant more costs on top of the relatively expensive conference fee. At this point everything was expensive for me as I had no money. To get there I would have to pay for my flight, accommodations and everything else.
This is where I started asking myself some creative questions. I needed to find a solution. I started thinking about what I had, or could do, that someone else might want and need.
At this point I wasn’t speaking very often because I had just started my speaking business. This allowed me to have time. Time to be able to do other things for someone else.
It was at this moment I asking myself, “How could I use my time to help someone else?” By answering that question I came up with, ‘Help Stu Be Like You,’ a campaign to help me get to the National Conference.
This is how I used that creative idea to my advantage. I went to the largest chapter of CAPS in my province, which consisted of about 75 people and asked for 30 seconds in front of the whole group.
This was something that nobody had ever asked for. While up there I said, “How many of you, at one point, started off as a speaker with no experience?” Of course everybody’s hands went up in the air.
The next question I asked was, “Out of all of you who have your hand up, how many of you have been to the CAPS national conference?” About 75% of the room kept their hands up.
I said, “Of those who still have their hands in the air, how many of you feel that it would be beneficial for somebody with zero experience to get out to that CAPS national conference?” They all had their hands in the air.
“Great, I am someone who needs to get out to the CAPS national conference because I have zero speaking experience!”
Then I said, “But here’s the problem. I don’t have any money. But what I do have is time. Here’s the exchange I’m willing to make and hope that you are willing to make as well. I’ve created a campaign called Help Stu Be Like You.” And I handed out these little flyers, black and white. Basically what I did was I printed two 8×6 flyers on an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet to save costs, and I just cut it right down the middle and I gave everybody in the audience one.
I continued to explain what my campaign was about, “This is what I am willing to do. I will do everything you as speakers don’t like doing or don’t have the time to do. Whatever it is, licking stamps, calling clients, writing sales letters. If you need me to I will come to your house and cut your lawn. All I’m asking in return for my time is a financial contribution of your choice.”
Looking out at everyone I could see some people’s wheels were just turning thinking, “Oh wow. This is amazing. I can get all those little jobs I hate doing for cheap!”
I said, “I am willing to do whatever you don’t like doing in exchange for a financial contribution of your choice, all of which will go towards getting me out to the CAPS national conference.”
As soon as I finished explaining it, a gentleman at the back of the room stood up, and he said, “Stu, I will pay for your entrance fee to the seminar.” Boom. Just like that. Half of my costs basically taken care of.
Once that gentleman was finished telling me about what he was willing to contribute another gentleman stood up. He said, “Stu, I will take care of getting you out to the seminar.” Bang, Bang. In a matter of minutes 85% of my expenses were taken care of.
That’s what being creative is about my friends.
That one creative solution got me out to that conference. It turned out to be a big story because all kinds of people heard about it there and I even had an article published in the national publication.
Always remember to explore your creativity and may ideas come to you when you need them the most.
Keep your eye out for more!
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