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Innovation Series Number Ten - Part Two
The Perfect Brainstorm
May 2008
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In this issue
-- The Perfect Brainstorm
-- The Fountain of Inspiration
-- Know the pleasure and the pain.
-- The Pain -- The Pleasures -- What will it change?
Quote to remember
If you love knowledge, you will be master of
knowledge. What you have come to know, preserve
by exercise. What you have not learned, seek to add
to your knowledge; for it is as reprehensible to hear a
profitable saying and not grasp it as to be offered a
good gift by one's friends and not accept it. Isocrates. |
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The Perfect Brainstorm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Perfect Storm takes place when all the right
conditions for a devastating mega-storm come
together at the same time in the same place. The Perfect Brainstorm takes place when a leader brings together all the right conditions for creating a highly successful mega-innovation at the right time in the right place. Before you even begin to look for the perfect innovation, you need to have an idea of what it should do. You need to think about what customers like and dislike, what would bring delight, and what might be inconvenient. Knowing what customers would like, want, need, aspire to, and would be willing to pay for, is the key to targeted innovation.
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The Fountain of Inspiration ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following illustration of The Fountain of
Inspiration
focuses on customer, end-user, sources of pleasure
and pain. Necessity, at the top of the illustration, is
almost in a category by itself. Often more pain than
pleasure, it nevertheless is one of the greatest sources
of innovation. Nothing generates more pressure to
create new solutions and develop wonderful
innovations and inventions than necessity; that's why
they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention."
So,
the first question we must ask regarding innovation is,
"Who needs it, and why do they need it?" If we can't
answer that, we're off to a bad start.
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Know the pleasure and the pain. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A successful innovation makes life better in ways that
customers (and/or end users) appreciate and reward.
it has both a practical and an emotional impact. In the
end, however, it is what the customer feels about the
innovation rather than what it may actually do that
counts. That said, it makes sense to find out how customers feel about the product, service, experience, process, and the supplier (presumably, you). So, how do you find that out? You could ask customers directly through surveys, interviews, and focus panels what they feel, and what they would like. That is a common approach, but, unfortunately, customers often don't relate so much to the product, service, etc. as they do to the experience they have with it. The problem is that most of the time they can't describe their feelings and their wishes. You may ask, "If those don't work, what does?" How about walking in the customer's shoes?
When you live the experience, you know the pleasure and the pain.
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The Pain ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's start with the pain. You need to discover if it (the
product/service, etc.):
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The Pleasures ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's move on to the pleasures.
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What will it change? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Further, will it eliminate or reduce problems, time,
effort, cost, and tasks?
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Stay tuned for next month's Part Three of The Perfect Brainstorm; it will explain the actual creative Brainstorming process, and show you how to generate million dollar creative ideas and concepts. If you missed any of the earlier issues of this Innovation Series, feel free to check them out at www.FreeProfitTips.com . While there, you might want to take a look at some of the free articles that offer a wide variety of very useful business tips that you can apply to your business right away. If you are concerned about the recession and tough price competition, you can learn how to beat customer price objections with my e-book, Never Lose a Sale on Price , which you will also find on the website. It is time to bring Innovation into your business! You can't afford to fall behind in today's highly creative competitive environment. Contact Michael Wynne at (630) 420 2605, or e-mail mykwyn@aol.com for access to your own Fountain of Inspiration and Profitable Innovation.
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:
mykwyn@aol.com
phone:
(630) 420 2605
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