To discover what’s next for your business, brainstorming with your team is a must.
We all know COVID 19, social distancing and the economic results of the situation are creating a wide range of changes. To uncover opportunities amidst this disruption, you need a proven process for analyzing customer needs and generating innovative new solutions. These pro-tips, from The Three I’s method by Align, will help you uncover new opportunities.
INSIGHTS
1. Document what’s changed. Beyond the obvious stay-at-home factors, what’s likely to have changed in the mind of the customer about what’s important now and in the future. The big idea here is that you’ve got to open a dialogue and listen to your audience. Customer Insights are so important, it’s the first of three phases in Align’s Three I’s innovation method.
2. Look for specializations within your capabilities. What is your company exceptionally good at? Can you repurpose your ‘secret sauce’ as part of a new offering? Take a close look at ancillary services and internal functions that could serve external customers. The more you focus on a specialty, the more relevant and valuable it will be to buyers. Internal insights are key to uncovering, up to this point, overlooked assets or opportunities.
3. Visualize business model opportunities. First, jot down your business model so you can literally start to see space for new opportunities. Align’s Business Model Blueprint is a super-simple one-page template to organize your thoughts. Areas where change is likely are Customer Segments, Customer Problem, Strategic Partners, Channels and Revenue Streams. A visual diagram makes rapid prototyping of new concepts faster and easier.
IDEAS
Now, brainstorm like you’ve never brainstormed before. Here are some best practices that might be new to you. Keep in mind it’s about generating ideas. Judging or selecting ideas come later.
1. Start with a focused challenge. This sounds obvious, but in complicated times, when our brains are swirling with lots of issues, groups need to be focused on the task at hand. Deconstruct the problem you’re trying to solve into the underlying issues. Brainstorm one challenge at a time.
2. Be social and convene a diverse group. Divergent thought is key to generating, and building upon ideas. Brainstorming is a team sport. Diversity of perspectives is gold! Now is the time for a fresh set of eyes. Experts have a mental framework for how an industry or service works. You need thinking partners who don’t have these built-in constraints. Healthy tension between ways of thinking is productive and expands the realm of possibilities.
3. Include front-line staff. These team members are closest to the action. They often have the most authentic and unfiltered view of what’s going on with customers. Young people also have different view of reality and their brains are programmed with different ways of solving problems.
4. Bring inspirations. Models from other industries can spark good ideas. What about a membership model? Or focusing on DIY solutions? Or maybe think of your business as a platform to connect other entities. Dig through your ‘future ideas’ file. Great new ideas are rarely completely original. They’re combinations of approaches mashed up in new ways. In another post, we’ll share an array of innovative models that will spark ideas… one of our favorites is doing the opposite of industry standards to serve a niche. (An upcoming webinar will focus on business models you need to consider now.)
5. Give yourself grace. The reason great ideas pop into our head in the shower is because we’re relaxed, flexible and receptive. You can’t tap into your natural-born imagination when you’re wound tight and stressed. Start a brainstorm with something like improv games or a mindfulness exercise to transition your brain out of whatever you were last doing. You’ve got to disengage your analytical brain and tap into your creative energy. (It’s still there, don’t worry!)
6. Get curious and learn to squint. When someone brings you an idea that seems outrageous our just flat-out wrong – get curious about WHY that idea came about. What truth caused this idea to emerge? Squinting is a creative skill wherein you blur out the details surrounding the concept and look closely for the core idea – the kernel of the concept that merits more attention. Withhold judgement until later.
7. Everyone has creative potential. Get everyone to share. Don’t let extroverts dominate the discussion. Introverts tend to be great at observation and insights. You need their ideas and they often need to be given space to get into the conversation. Get everyone write their ideas or questions before you start sharing verbally.
8. Create psychological safety. Healthy organizational cultures have an innovation advantage. Especially if your org culture is formal, work hard to establish a safe space for wild ideas. Creative ideas tend not to flow freely when people are afraid of being judged. Write down all ideas. Use the ‘yes and’ improvisation technique as a way to acknowledge ideas, and be sure that everyone knows the standard brainstorming ground rules.
After generating ideas, move on to prioritization and concept testing with simple prototypes and pilots. Implementation is the third phase of The Three I’s method by Align. Learn more about The Three I’s method here.
But, these tips are just the beginning. Before you launch into brainstorming, you need to know what customers want now. Then, to address those needs, let us spark your creativity with business model examples from other industries, which will help you think differently about how to operate.
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1. Brainstorming to find New Revenue and Operations Opportunities (click here to schedule a meeting)
2. Exploring Relevant Business Models for your Company (click here to schedule a meeting)