ThankYou_whiskey

Are you talking to the 18% & ignoring the 82%?

by with No Comment Innovation News

It was a Eureka! Moment.  I was leading a WHISKeY and Cocktail tasting to raise money for the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada.

I gave a 15 minute presentation on the world of WHISKeY and COCKTAILS.  Immediately a 50 something male came to me and said, “Thank you for not making me feel stupid. I want to learn about whiskey – but feel very intimidated.”
I felt both guilty & excited. GUILTY that 70% of my presentation was focused on whiskey lovers.  I felt EXCITED because while WHISKeY is a big industry it has low penetration (just 18% over the past 12 months).

Suddenly I realized that the industry, and me included are saying and doing things that make it difficult for new customers to join the world of WHISKeY drinkers.

I tested my theory the next night by focusing on inclusiveness. I addressed the myth that WHISKeY must be drank “neat” explaining it was just 10% of consumption. I explained that cocktails are over 50% of consumption. I invited them to come to my tasting table where I would customize a whiskey and cocktail (% alcohol & sugar level) for them.

It worked new whiskey lovers were created. Whiskey lovers thanked me for the education AND for helping their partners find a whiskey & cocktail they love.

THINK Are you talking to the 18% & ignoring the 82%?

11Second_Quote

The Importance of 11 Seconds

by with No Comment Innovation News

Research finds that to be successful with marketing you need to communicate your MEANINGFUL UNIQUENESS in 11 seconds!   
That means you need to be really sharp and precise with the message you use in your headline or the opening to your video.
TODAY YOU NEED TO REVERSE YOUR MESSAGE.
In the past you would build up to the big “reveal”
In today’s work you need to be overt, precise and brutally clear about your WOW.
Interestingly – this new learning actually CONFIRMS the critical importance of headlines – based on quantitative data reported by David Ogilvy years ago in Ogilvy on Advertising and that I reported in my book Jump Start Your Business Brain based on tracking studies on over 10,000 innovations.  My latest book Driving Eureka! Gives even more data to support this.
Facebook video data also shows that most videos on the web are played with no sound – so you must have clear visuals and subtitles on them!

Difference.001

Creating A Difference That Makes a Difference

by with No Comment Innovation News

Creating a difference that makes a difference … is the purpose of life.   

In simple terms a difference that makes a difference is…

–  A BIG Idea
A True INNOVATION
A Meaningfully Unique product or service improvement
Something that builds PRIDE among workers 
Something that ignites word of mouth
The barrier to making a difference that makes a difference is that our teams and cultures embrace being practical and prudent. We accept that “we can’t”. 

As we enter September – it’s time for all of us to say NO to compromises. It’s time for all of us to come together to create a difference that makes a difference!

The first and most important step in making a difference that makes a difference is being honest with yourself, your team, and boss about what you are focusing your energy on.

Are you working on REAL STUFF that matters?

Are you EXCITED about how you are spending your time?

If not – NO STRESS – it’s time to pivot, adapt and begin again…

Ignite a plan for change…
LEARN MORE: Nothing will help you restart better than education.   Read any of the amazing books out there on innovation, change and creativity.   If you can’t find one – here’s a FREE LINK to the abridge one hour audio of my latest book Driving Eureka!  
SPEED BUILD A NEW VISION: Gather a team of “willing change agents” and invest 2 to 4 days in “speed building” a new vision. Over the past nearly 40 years we’ve found that when teams get out of their office and FOCUS on creating a new reality – thinking through all of the stuff… finance, customer, consumer, legal, regulatory, manufacturing, etc..  then big ideas happen. 
CHANGE HOW YOUR TEAM WORKS: Instead of handing the idea from department to department – approach the development as a journey of never ending innovation. As your idea moves forward let the idea change, adapt, adjust – keeping your entire team focused  on MAKING A DIFFERENCE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. 

3 is the magic sales number

3 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

by with No Comment Innovation News

Research finds that customers are 3 TIMES more likely to purchases when they LIKE the environment.
At the University of British Columbia students were shown the advertisements for products. In one case there was music playing that the students enjoyed. In the other case they were playing music that annoyed the students.
At the completion of the presentation the students were given the opportunity to purchase a small item. 3 TIMES more students bought when they were in the environment that played the music they enjoyed.
As Ben Franklin said, “If you would be loved, love and be lovable.” When you are making your pitch – make your environment as friendly and as likable as possible.
When presenting data to a customer you will be most effective if:
A) You provide a clear & simple chartB) You explain the data in clear & simple words
The correct answer is B, you explain the data in clear & simple words.
Research shows that when you use simple words versus a chard with numbers and percents – WORDS are 2 times more effective at communicating the marketing message. And 3 TIMES more effective at increasing purchase intent.
So if you want someone to really get the message you’re sending, don’t get clever with charts and graphs. Say it with words – the straightforward, easy way to get your point across and increase the chance that your customers will take action.
When attempting to make a sale research finds that the best return on your investment of time and money is to make 3 ATTEMPTS.
Ignite CURIOSITY with your first personal pitch, marketing advertisement or mailing. It should provoke interest through a mind opening thought designed to get your customers to stop, listen and most importantly THINK.
Your second pitch should deepen UNDERSTANDING and should explain with clarity how what you promised in the first pitch can be delivered.
The third pitch should focus on enabling them to make a DECISION. It should address any key concerns and most importantly always ASK for the sale.
Most people make one pitch and give up. DON’T! Always make three pitches in order to ignite curiosity, understanding and enable a decision. Your sales dreams are much more likely to come true.

50% card with colorful background with defocused lights

How Focus Can Change Your Business

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Significant overall sales growth can be realized if:
A) You cut your product line by as much at 50%.B) You expand your product line to service all customers.
The correct answer is A, you cut your product line by as much as 50%. This has proved itself again and again in the research. But perhaps one of the most impressive studies was on an internet retailer.
The retailer cut their worst selling products which ended up being 54% of their products across 42 separate categories. The result was an average 11% increase in overall sales.
So the next time you find yourself baffled with how to increase sales and overwhelmed with products and variation – get to cutting. Focus your efforts, clean up your offerings and bump up your income.
In a related finding…
Doing less can actually help you win more, lose less and make more money.
The more you focus, focus, focus – and DO ONE THING great – the greater your success. A simple experiment conducted in California grocery stores proves it.
Customers were offered free tastes of 24 different flavors of jam. In another leg of the test only 6 flavors of jam were offered. When offered 24 flavors only 2% of those walking by the display made a purchase. When offered 6 flavors 12% bought. That is a 600% increase!
The conclusion is clear – by offering less options – you’re seen as an expert and you increase your odds of success.
The same is true in your career – when you develop a deep expertise in an area then your boss will see you as more valuable. and you will win more, lose less and make more money.
You can improve your problem-solving ability even by taking a very short break.
A study reported in the Creativity Research journal found that when you’re stuck – stepping back from the problem – escaping if you would from the challenge JUMP STARTS your cranium.
In the study 104 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to five groups. They were then told to compute the area of two geometric figures found in a complex drawing called an insight puzzle.
As soon as they came to an impasse each group was given one of the three break lengths (long, short, and none). They were also given one of two levels of activity (demanding or non-demanding tasks).
The results clearly showed that any break improved their problem solving ability.
Why? Oftentimes when people try to solve a complex problem they make false assumptions that they can’t mentally release. Taking even a short break releases their mind. It lets them apply a new organizing assumption that leads to a better solution.

Math is the innovation gas pedal

Numbers are Your Friend when Innovating

by with No Comment Innovation News

Years ago at Procter & Gamble my team and I were trying to sort out what to do after having just gotten some horrible product testing results. Tim Feely, who I believe was a Product Development Director at the time, stopped into the meeting and told us, “Numbers are your friend when innovating.”    

At that moment the numbers on the pages in front of me didn’t seem like a very friendly friend. Tim explained that having a solid failure was a gift to us – as it made it clear that what we were doing was not working. It was time to change and to change significantly.
Tim’s comment has stuck with me for over 40 years :). I remembered it last week when a team was stressing that they didn’t have time to get their innovation idea ready to go out with a test that was scheduled. They were afraid they’d fail. My response was to paraphrase Tim, “Numbers are your friend – win or lose we will be smarter than we are now. My vote is to SHIP.”  Note – the idea shipped – setting a record for uniqueness and for purchase. Well – that was a record high for uniqueness and a record low for purchase interest. And from that the team began to pursue another cycle of learning.
The “Numbers” associated with innovation include:
Customer research results on your idea, product/service or non-profit program
Forecasts for sales, profits, fundraising, cost savings
Forecasts for investment required for production or marketing
As I wrote about last week, these numbers are the key to you being able to generate “pull” for your innovation from investors, management and other stakeholders. 
NUMBERS transform your idea from an “ABSTRACTION” into a TANGIBLE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.
If you don’t know how to do the math GET HELP. Find a numbers person you trust to collaborate with.