A Three Step Guide to Your Next Successful Product
Have you ever stopped to think about where the best ideas for new products, new services, new markets, new ways to do things, come from? I submit that your company’s next great idea already exists within your company. You just simply need to learn how to tap into that stream of ideas that are already floating around in someone’s head – and be ready to cultivate it.
So, you ask, how do I do that? Surprise, surprise! The key is to tap into two key groups – customers and employees. But you need to do it in a logical way with a purpose in mind.
- Customers: I just don’t get why people are so hesitant to sit down in a room with their customers. Are you afraid that they are going to tell you that your company is less than perfect? News flash #1! It’s not perfect. News flash #2: You already knew that. So why not spend some productive time talking with your customers about how you can improve your relationship, your value, your service, your products?
- Employees: When was the last time you sat down with a set of employees and brainstormed with them? And, no, I don’t mean that same set of employees or managers you talk to every day. For most executives the answer is “never”. I guarantee many of your employees have had thoughts about new things you could do or new ways to approach an issue. And what happens to those ideas now? Nothing. They simply disappear.
I suggest a three-pronged pilot test over the next six weeks:
- Employee discussions: Arrange a discussion with six to eight employees every week for the next six weeks. Not the people you see every day. Different people; from different parts of the organization. Make it informal and low pressure. Make it fun and creative. Set it up in such a way that employees will feel free to talk very openly.
- Customer meetings: Conduct customer meetings each week. Schedule a meeting with one of your top three customers every other week. On alternate weeks schedule discussions with small groups of your other customers (maybe 3-5 at a time). Make it very clear that these are NOT sales meetings or meetings to discuss specific customer service issues. These are broad, open discussions. Again, make them fun, creative, and informal.
- Employee idea capture: Challenge your customer-facing employees to listen for new ideas. This can be anyone i your organization – but especially employees who interact with customers regularly (i.e. customer service, receptionists, salespeople, installers, delivery people, schedulers, etc.). Set up a quick, easy way for them to share new ideas – an “ideas” email address, a text number, a database they can drop an idea in, a protected Google group, etc. Nothing expensive, difficult, or fancy. And it has to be something that fits in their workflow and is incredibly simple. Something they can dump an idea into in a few seconds. And tell them not to overthink their ideas; just drop them in as they occur to them.
So, here’s what your next six weeks looks like:
- Week 1: Top customer meeting, Employee meeting, Review of idea “dump”
- Week 2: Other customers meeting, Employee meeting, Review of idea “dump”
- Week 3: Top customer meeting, Employee meeting, Review of idea “dump”
- Week 4: Other customers meeting, Employee meeting, Review of idea “dump”
- Week 5: Top customer meeting, Employee meeting, Review of idea “dump”
- Week 6: Other customers meeting, Employee meeting, Review of idea “dump”
How much of your time will this require? Plan to invest about 4-6 hours each week to this little test. A very modest investment for what could be a significant return.
At the end of this six-week test take a step back and see what valuable idea(s) got generated. I think you will be amazed at how many valuable, practical ideas you found. Some will be things that can be done almost immediately; some will be longer-term concepts. Other side benefits? You will see employees becoming more energized (as they feel more in-tune with the growth of your company) and improved relationships with your customers (as they see you looking for ways to provide them more value).
And please let me know what you found. What new ideas did you generate? What would you change about this process? Leave a comment and let me know!
