The Idea Department

Tying It All Together

Don The Idea Guy — 2009-11-20T07:38:39-06:00

Sometimes it just takes awhile for it to "click."

I've been reading Jeffrey Gitomer's articles and books for close to 20 years. He was the first guy I ever saw who put together lists of advice and tips that ended in "point-five" -- 9.5 Ways To Do This, 3.5 Reasons For That, etc.

I met Scott "That Name Tag Guy" Ginsberg just a couple years ago. Scott ends his articles and online videos with "Let Me Ask Ya This..."

Although I count myself as a fan of these two writers, I never stopped to really delve into the reasons their writing just seemed to hit home with me. It wasn't until re-reading Gitomer's "Little Green Book of Getting Your Way" for the 3th time (actually I was listening to the audio version for the 5th time -- nothing like having Gitomer with you on your daily commute giving you valuable advice on your way to work) when I realized there was a real strategy behind his "point-five" lists (actually, I didn't realize all by myself, he pretty much spells it out -- I just happened to really "hear" it fr the frst time. See why you're supposed to read/listen to these sorts of books more than once??)

Gitomer creates useful numbered lists of tips and advice, but then adds his unique "point-five" as a way to -- well, let me just use Jeffrey's own words. From page 170 in his The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way...

I end my lists with .5 rather than a whole number, for 2.5 reasons:
1. The .5 statement at the end of each list I make is the glue that binds the rest of the list.

2. Ending this way makes me think deeper about the subjetc. Think of a higher level. Here's where I can add philosophy, humor, challenge, and a final call to action.

2.5 It makes my lists different from all other lists. It brands me and sets me apart from all other list makers (except for the few that copy me).

Pretty good idea, eh?

Although I didn't ask for personal confirmation, my guess is that Scott Ginsberg ends with his "Let Me Ask Ya This..." for similar reasons. His final question is always a call back to the information he's shared in the article and a chance for the reader to think a little more deeply about how the information might apply to them personally. More recently Scott has begun adding a second line: "Let Me Suggest This..." This new line is always accompanied by a simple call to action -- usually an invitation to request a free list from Scott via email that builds on the topic addressed in the article.

It finally "clicks" for me.

If it's good enough for Aesop (that guy who wrote all those ancient parables that our parents used to read to us as kids) to add a moral at the ends of all his stories, why shouldn't I?

From now on, I will endeavor to add my own bit of parting wisdom (such as it is) to the end of my blog posts and articles. Since I am such a big fan of questions that lead to increasing the elevel of creative thought, it seemed only natural that my end-cap should be a question, and my all-time favorite question has always been "What-if?" (you really should have seen this coming, after all -- I did write the book.) So here we go... the legendary moment...!

What If...?

What if you found a better way to do things?

Would you do have the guts to admit you may have been doing it wrong all these years and make the change to improve?

What if you came up with your own unique signature way to end your messages?

Your letters? Your emails? Your Facebook posts?

What if you started today?

The Strong Tail

Don The Idea Guy — 2009-11-08T09:23:40-06:00

You've heard the theory of The Long Tail, here's my twist --
The STRONG Tail.

First, a little background
The Long Tail explained, per Wikipedia:

The Long Tail is a retailing concept describing the niche strategy of selling a large number of unique items in relatively small quantities -- usually in addition to selling fewer popular items in large quantities. The concept was popularised by Chris Anderson in an October 2004 Wired magazine article, in which he mentioned Amazon.com and Netflix as examples of businesses applying this strategy. Anderson elaborated the Long Tail concept in his book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.

The Long Tail is thusly named because when charted, these smaller sales of a large number of items trails off into the distance like the long sloping tail of some prehistoric beast.

1,000 True Fans
Keep the Long Tail concept in the back of your mind as I tell you about another Wired writer's thought provoking concept of "1,000 True Fans." Kevin Kelly is the co-founder of Wired, and posits this theory:

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author -- in other words, anyone producing works of art -- needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living. A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can't wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.

A solid concept. I loved this idea as soon as I heard it. The theory rings true, because I know that I AM one of those 1,000 fans for a number of performers and writers (Hi Gitomer!) The 1,000 True Fans theory also fits nicely into the Long Tail continuum.

Which brings us my theory of The Strong Tail
The Strong Tail begins to form at the very end of The Long Tail. It's made up of the amazing small quantity of super-fans who are willing to pay a premium for access to your product/service/presence. There are only a few of them, but they are willing to open their wallets wide for access to exclusive items. If The Long Tail was represented by the tail of a Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus, The Strong Tail is represented by the tail of a Stegosaurus. It has the long sloping tail of the former thunder lizard, but the latter's tail culminates in a set of spikes that reach upwards to match most of the overall tail height.

These 'spikes' are investments in rare one-of-a-kind signed editions, original art, limited edition prints, private performances, one-on-one consulting and conversations. These items come at the end of The Long Tail because there are very few of the items available, but the price to own these items (and the passionate people who must possess them) drives the profit on these rare items higher up the chart. Instead of 1,000 True Fans -- you may only need three of them to pay you for individual consulting advice. You may only need two of these people willing to pay you $50,000 each for a private corporate seminar. Or you may only need a single individual to shell out $100,000 for an original painting.

That's The Strong Tail
What do you think of this newest adaptation?

Please leave a comment below!

Press Any Key for Creativity

Don The Idea Guy — 2009-09-29T07:27:36-05:00

Creative commands for your mental keyboard, programmed to increase your effectiveness at innovation.

1. HOME

Do not underestimate the importance of a home base from which to create ideas. A favorite space that fosters your creative spirit and surrounds you with resources to feed your innovative energy. Windows, posters, books on creativity, fun games and toys, etc. can all serve to spark your creativity and give you 'permission' to free your spirit of innovation.

2. ESC

The Escape Key helps you think outside the box. Get out of your cube, office, or boardroom. Escape to a park or coffeeshop or amusement park. Have your brainstorm session at the zoo or a pub or putt-putt course. Your ideas will be bigger, better, and a helluva lot more fun.

3. INSERT

What outside ideas, influences, and opinions can you introduce into your brainstorm session? What does skateboarding have in common with your situation? What similarities can you find between the ballet and opening your new bakery? Can you come up with a metaphor that connects owning a pet with building your sales of propane and propane accessories?

4. SHIFT

Shift gears, change focus, and reframe your problem. Rephrasing your challenge using different words will also change the kinds of ideas you're generating. Shifting your perception of the problem -- coming up with ideas on 'how to earn more money' versus 'how do we spend less money' allows new ideas to emerge.

5. BACKSPACE

Take a step back and review the ideas you've already generated. Perhaps you'll have to hit the Backspace key several times. If you find that you're creating ideas to solve the wrong problem, you may need to go back and start your list of ideas from the very beginning.

6. CAPS LOCK

Get excited... ALL CAPS CAN INDICATE SHOUTING! Amp-up your energy level. Make sure you've got a positive attitude before starting a brainstorm session. If you're mood is positive, anything is possible. If you're feeling down and depressed, you're not going to come up with any ideas that you believe will offer an effective solution. Read some positive affirmations from Paulo Coelho's "Warrior of the Light" or "Napoleon Hill's Positive Action Plan" or Jeffrey Gitomer's "Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude" before you schedule a brainstorming session. If those messages don't press your internal Caps-Lock, it's better to postpone until you're in a better mood.

7. PAUSE

Take time-out during your idea generation session to reflect upon the ideas you've collected. Review your list and find concepts that can be explored further. Build upon one of the ideas and create a new branch on your mindmap, fully exploring every path down which you travel will generate many more ideas from which you can choose your solution.

8. ALT

What can you alter about a few of your ideas in order to multiply that single idea into a dozen? If 'offer free delivery' is one of your ideas, alter and expand upon that single concept to generate a variety of related ideas: free next-day delivery, delivered within 30-minutes or it's free, deliver each order with a special gift, deliver the order within non-traditional packaging, orders are delivered by singing telegram, orders are delivered by a guy in a gorilla costume, orders are delivered by celebrity lookalikes...

9. END

Know when to stop. The purpose of a brainstorm session isn't to suck your brain dry of every possible idea -- it's simply to get a group of stimulated minds together in order to generate as many ideas as possible. Extending a session until you feel like you're literally wringing your brain to squeeze out some last nugget of information isn't very pleasant, and certainly won't make you want to participate in future brainstorm exercises! In order to avoid writer's block, authors have been told to stop a writing session while they still feel like they have something to say. I think it's so they know where to pick-up the next time they pick up a pen. The same principle applies to brainstorming. It's okay to end a session while there are still some ideas flying, just ask the participants to scribble down any new ideas they have after the session and send them to you. It's a sure way to virtually guarantee they come up with another 3 or 4 ideas after the meeting has adjourned, rather than beating every last idea out of them while they're in the room and only releasing them after they feel exhausted and happy to have escaped!

10 Reasons Why People Fear New Ideas

Don The Idea Guy — 2009-09-11T07:18:25-05:00

Though there are many reasons why people fear the adoption of new ideas, here a few of the common ones I've run across...

1. Failure
What we're doing might not be perfect, but it's working? Why risk changing it for something better on the chance the idea fails?

2. Blame
If this new idea doesn't perform as hoped, they'll hold me personally accountable.

3. Status Quo
Whoa, buddy... No rocking the boat!

4. Work
Putting a new idea into effect sounds like it's going to require a lot of extra effort, and my to-do list is already full.

5. Judgment
Some people might not like this idea, and perhaps they won't like me for being associated with it.

6. Change
Sure, change is inevitable -- but you go first. I might not like the way things are, but it's a lot easier to complain about it than to make any improvements.

7. Pessimism
That idea will never get approved. We tried something like that before and it didn't work in the past, and it's not going to work now.

8. Risk
Seems a little 'iffy' to me. It's much safer if we keep doing what we've always done.

9. Alone
I'm not willing to go out on a limb and show support for that idea. Who else is backing your concept?

10. Doubt
If this was truly a good idea, wouldn't someone have thought of it before? Maybe we should wait...

My friend Phil Rist from BigResearch shared this quote with me yesterday and it's right on target. It seemingly merges all of the fears above into this single statement:

"And let it be noted that there is no more delicate matter to take in hand, nor more dangerous to conduct, nor more doubtful in its success, than to set up as the leader in the introduction of changes. For he who innovates will have for his enemies all those who are well off under the existing order of things, and only lukewarm supporters in those who might be better off under the new."
~ Niccolo Machiavelli
from The Prince

Embrace new ideas -- don't be a 'fraidy cat.

Turn into the Skid

Don The Idea Guy — 2009-06-16T07:15:19-05:00

When a game changing event or product threatens the well-being your company or industry, sometimes the best thing you can do when you feel like you're losing control is to "turn into the skid."

Early on in your auto driving experience, you were told that if you ever start to lose control of your vehicle on an icy road, you should turn your wheels into the skid in order to correct your direction and reclaim control of the car. I think that creatively, this principle can be used to course-correct for your business innovations, as well.

One example...

There's no arguing that harsh economic realities and advancements in virtual meeting technologies has dramatically impacted the business travel industry. Companies that once had no other option than to physically transport a representative to an event across the country, now have many other options at their disposal. They can choose not to attend the event at all, they can arrange conference calls, video calls, purchase DVDs or CDs of the events, create online meetings, trade emails, create wiki sites, blogs, podcasts, meeting summaries, and even follow along in real time via Twitter or web video sites like uStream... and probably a dozen other ways I haven't thought to list.

What if one travel company turned into this skid in order to correct their course? Instead of offering just another 'promise to match the lowest price' -- what if one of these business travel specialists stepped up to help their clients determine which meetings they really needed to attend, and facilitated virtual meeting options on their behalf for the ones they did not need to physically attend?

What's stopping Uniglobe from embracing the innovative tools of companies like Webex, GoToMeeting, PBwiki, uStream, Skype, and Dabbleboard to construct a simple link collection of all the best virtual meeting tools to benefit the changing needs of their clients?

What if they took it a step further and created a private-label version of these utilities and offered them for free (or fee) to their client base? If their travel clients already think of this company as their means of getting to meetings in the physical world, why not carry over that thinking into the virtual world? Why wouldn't a client use a TravelSolutions, Uniglobe, or Travel Partners branded online meeting tool instead of having to potentially create a new account and incur separate billing from some other company? Especially if the travel company has already established trust and reliability with their client (and made the tools easy and convenient to use.)

Remember, the next time you feel like you're losing control of your business, try turning into the skid to correct your course using innovative ideas -- and regain control of your destiny.

Quirky Way to Sell Your Ideas

Don The Idea Guy — 2009-06-03T22:33:22-05:00

Brand new website I learned about via www.springwise.com this week. It's the latest crowdsourced business incubator. Quirky.com allows anyone to submit product ideas, plans, etc. for $99. The community then decides which submissions to develop, and the top votes result in a new product released WEEKLY.

It's certainly a bit bold to announce you'll be producing a product every single week, but the concept is certainly promising. Obviously spawned from concepts like threadless.com, Quirky stands a chance for survival if the submissions are creative, yet boot rooted in enough reality to justify production and sale to a supportive audience.

I think Quirky will need to quickly grow their consumer base beyond their site subscribers in order to maintain any long term viability. Unlike the crowd at threadless.com, not every member is going to be a prospective customer for every item produced.

Learn more by visiting the Springwise summary page or the company website at Quirky.com. A video produced by quirky to provide a quick overview of their concept is embedded below.

E is for Excitement

Don The Idea Guy — 2009-01-04T21:33:00-06:00

Continuing the ABCs of Innovation, I now turn my attention to the letter "E." You can catch-up by reading my previous posts, starting with: A is for Awareness.

E is for Excitement!
Excitement actually plays a dual role in the practice of innovation...

First, you have to feel excited about an idea if you're going to work passionately toward making it a reality. Here are three tips for building and maintaining excitement about a project:

1. Work in an area for which you already have passion.

2. Envision the rewards you will enjoy once the project is complete.

3. Celebrate small victories on your path toward your end-goal.

"Get excited and enthusiastic about your own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire -- you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away."
~ Denis Waitley

Second, it is only through an exchange of excitement (causing others to feel the same excitement that you feel) will get others to provide the buy-in necessary to move your idea forward. These three tips will help you win allies by arousing in them a similar passion for your project:

1. Pitch your project in terms of how the other person will benefit. Don't focus on your own selfish interests -- focus on THEIR self interests!

2. People buy on emotion and justify with facts. You might not be "selling" them a physical product, but you certainly want them to buy-in to your project, and that means all the same principles apply. Push their emotional hot buttons to get them excited enough to say "yes" -- but include enough facts and data to help them justify their decision.

3. Recruit support from people who are passionate about the focus of your innovation. Don't try to sell a salad to someone who hates vegetables.

"In motivating people, you've got to engage their minds and their hearts. I motivate people, I hope, by example - and perhaps by excitement, by having productive ideas to make others feel involved."
~ Rupert Murdoch

What are you doing to excite yourself and others about your ideas and projects? Are you doing enough?

D is for Difference

Don The Idea Guy — 2009-01-04T21:32:18-06:00

Continuing the ABCs of Innovation, we now turn our attention to the letter "D." You can catch-up by reading my previous posts: A is for Awareness, B is for Bold, and C is for Create.

D is for Difference.
Please be sure you note the word is "difference" not "different." Just being Different doesn't always make a Difference. Different is merely "not alike." Difference is the degree to which it differs. This may seem like splitting hairs, but as Mark Twain said:

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
~ Mark Twain

Xbox is different from Playstation, but when you begin to calculate the level of difference between those gaming systems and the Wii, you are blinded by the lightning and no longer notice the lightning bugs.

It's no longer a great creative feat to choose a different path. The path you choose must make a difference.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
~ Robert Frost

C is for Create

Don The Idea Guy — 2008-09-25T06:48:59-05:00

Continuing the ABCs of Innovation, we now turn our attention to the letter "C." Sure, it might be considered an obvious choice, but my original thought was to go with "creative" which (while still applicable) didn't have the same power as the more direct CREATE.

Some examples of how Dictionary.com defines CREATE:
...to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes.

...to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention.

...to cause to happen; bring about; arrange, as by intention or design: to create a revolution.

These three definitions really made CREATE the obvious choice. They address important elements of innovation -- the most powerful innovations come from extraordinary circumstances, are usually inspired by a single bold thinker, and come into reality through an overt decision to 'make it real.'

Try these five CREATE tips to make your innovation efforts more successful:

1. Jump ahead in the evolutionary process
Don't merely come up with an idea that takes the next 'logical' step -- think three, four, five moves ahead. Creating with 'leap frog logic' will have competitors chasing after to you. As the Great Gretzky said: "Skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it's been."

2. Don't move in a straight line
Depending on the reason you believe -- comets, an ice age, or smoking brought about an end to the dinosaurs. An outside force that completely altered the status quo forever. Technology has this effect on industries all the time (VCRs, Personal Computers, Music Downloads, etc.) What can you create that comes totally out of left field that will have an unalterable effect on the world as we currently know it?

3. Be a force for change
Someone once told me there are two constants --
Number One: Change is inevitable.
Number Two: People resist change.
After that, I never quite understood why people spent so much time and stress trying to avoid something that was going to happen anyway: Rob a bank, go to jail. Touch fire, get burned. Be a Cleveland Browns fan, live a life of disappointment. Why not embrace change and the opportunity it brings? Seems like a waste of energy to try and avoid it. Use it as a chance (and excuse?) to create.

4. Be an artist
How wonderful to think about whatever you are working on as "art." Treat every project in which you are involved as if it might one day be spoken of in reverent whispers while being viewed on display in a place of honor... and perhaps someday it will be. Ben Franklin offered the best advice (as usual) -- "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

5. Act with intent
When you create -- do it on purpose. Make sure your success no accident -- and then prove it by going out and doing it again and again. A single success can be explained by a lightning strike. Repeated innovations (each one surpassing the other) is a hallmark of genius. Franklin, Edison, Disney -- you could find worse role models.

Bring earth-changing, awe-inspiring ideas into reality and do it on purpose.
CREATE!

B is for Bold

Don The Idea Guy — 2008-07-10T06:57:33-05:00

Continuing (finally!) with my crafting of the ABCs of Innovation, I now focus on the letter "B." I have carefully chosen the word BOLD for this entry. Among the definitions I found for the word are --

1. Not hesitating or fearful in the face of danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.
2. Not hesitating to break the rules of propriety; forward; impudent.
3. Necessitating courage and daring; challenging.
4. Beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative.

You'll note that nowhere among these definitions are the words outrageous, unrealistic, or foolhardy.

Being a bold innovator simply means being willing to laughed at, ridiculed, and frankly -- pissing people off. Bold ideas are those that challenge the status quo and those that enforce it. Bold innovations are those ideas that usually result in a committee of people reflexively saying NO to whatever changes it in entails -- usually for no other reason than "we've never done it that way before."

Can you stand up to a little laughing behind your back? Do you believe in the idea enough to fight for it? Can you come up with one more reason to put your plan into action than "they" can come up with for reasons to kill it?

Markting guru Hugh MacLeod (the guy who draws cartoons on the back of business cards) has a cartoon of which I am especially fond. The accompanying words are "It's not an original idea till it costs you the corner office." I've pasted it below to inspire you -- and to perhaps decorate that cube they're going to move you to if you suggest an idea that's too bold for your company (my advice is to go find a bolder company -- you're current one isn't going to be around very much longer.)