Beyond Resolutions: Methods for Sustaining Business Innovation
Whether your fiscal year starts in January, July, or October; the beginning of a new year has a way of igniting new ideas for many of our businesses. You may think about things like debuting a new product or improving client reviews for an existing service. This continuous flow of possibilities can be inspiring for the first month–maybe even the first quarter. But in the weeks that follow, you start to find yourself losing steam and direction. There’s no shame in this. I have been there myself. You may find that the idea no longer works or you lose sight of what the original idea was.
So, how do we keep our product and service ideas on track? How do we make sure our business goals are accomplished?
To do this, I use a four-step process that has helped me and my clients create solid business offerings and keep them on track. These steps–in order of execution–include reflection, collection, analysis, and action. It is a simple process that creates a huge impact. Let’s briefly walk through the steps:
Reflection: During this step, take time to think critically about your product or service goals and how they relate to your business’s purpose.
Guiding question for this step: Does this product/service idea align with the personality of my business?
Collection: During this step, take time to collect feedback from potential customers and clients about your product or service idea.
Guiding question for this step: Who do I need to collect feedback from and what is the best way to get it?
Analysis: During this step, take time to find the trends in your customer feedback.
Guiding question for this step: Are my customers excited by this product or service idea?
Action: During this step, translate your findings into tangible actions.
Guiding question for this step: Based on the information I have, what should I build now?
Repeat this process as many times as you need, and be sure to write down notes as you move through each stage. This simple process can be really beneficial to you, your team, and your organization. Give it a try and let us know how it works!
