Category Archives: Business lessons
Resourcing for Innovation
I have a good friend (Eduardo) from Brazil that shares my love of innovation. We were talking the other day about our collective experiences with different companies. One common theme that we both came across was the high level of … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, company culture, corporate structure, innovation
Peripheral Vision for Successful Innovation
When most companies think of innovation, they think of overhauling their current product lines. While that may not be a bad goal, taking a myopic approach is typically self-limiting. Taking a step back and looking at your product in the … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer insight, innovation
Innovation – a Gardening Analogy
In the last couple of years I have taken up vegetable gardening as a hobby. I’ve now progressed to the point that I start my own seeds in the house, and raise them until I can transplant them in the garden once … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, Gardening, Idea Management, innovation
Can you be a stand-alone innovator?
When we think of innovation, it typically brings a given personality to our minds. Steve Jobs, as an example was an iconic innovator that brought many great products to life. But a recent study by Forbes, show in fact that … Continue reading
Filed under Business, Business lessons, company culture, innovation
Peyton Manning – Innovation Litmus Test?
I live near Indianapolis, and all the news today is about the release of Peyton Manning from the Colts. Twitter and Facebook posts are filled with opinions and consolations. Most people saw this coming, but to look at the social … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, company culture, Football, innovation, Insight2
With a commodity, innovate big or go home!
For every “Apple” type company in America, there are dozens (hundreds?) of companies that operate in a low-interest, commodity realm. Many of these organizations will work hard to develop new products, but lack the ability or courage to do so … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer insight, innovation, Marketing
Give – Don’t Sell
I’ve been reading several business books lately. Two of my favorites are “The Referral Engine”, by John Jantsch, and “Little Red Book of Selling” by Jeffrey Gitomer. The fascinating thing about both of these books is that they are as … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer percpetions, Insight2, Marketing
Empathetic Consumer Understanding
I think that effective new product innovation is a result of empathizing with the customer. Traditional market research merely allows you to sympathize with them, and that often falls short. Let me explain. There is a key difference in … Continue reading
Filed under Business lessons, consumer research, innovation, Insight2
Innovation Fallacies
It’s commonly believed that the most innovative companies are those that have the best original ideas. I don’t believe that. If there was some way to formally test this, I would. I imagine it would look something like this. Choose … Continue reading
Filed under Business, Business lessons, company culture, innovation, Insight2, Risk
It’s tough selling benefits not features
We all know that it is important to sell our products or services based on the benefits they provide, not on the features they contain. But why is that so hard to do? We just had an internal meeting this … Continue reading
Filed under Business, Business lessons, innovation, Marketing
