- Ideate with them and not for them
If you want to be an effective innovator in an organization you will have to ideate new concepts with them and not for them.
- Solve a relevant customer friction
Why should they buy your innovation? That’s the question! You have to give them a very good reason why! Effective innovation provides simple solutions for relevant problems or dreams of the target group. You find them by reaching out to customers using personal visits, meeting them in focus groups, search in social media or using crowdsourcing.
- Use the voice of the customer
mprove and pick the right ideas based on their feedback. Use the enthusiastic voice of the customer also to convince others it’s a wonderful concept.
- Bring back new business not only ideas
The reason you went on an innovation journey often stems from a need to grow the business again. So don’t bring them ideas, bring them business and growth potential!
In the boardroom your idea will be evaluated from at least three perspectives:
The Customer: will they like it?
The Business model: will it be profitable for us?
The Technology: can we produce it?
- Show them how it’s feasible.
Be sure to think outside the box on one hand and to present your idea inside the box on the other. I see in practice most CEO’s and Innovation directors choose the ideas they can relate to and they can imagine to be produced (with some investments). So show them how it’s feasible. And present partners to co-develop it with. Then your concept has a higher chance of becoming reality