Appreciation Marketing – Innovation

Are you someone who embraces change, or do you prefer the traditional, proven methods of operation? Innovation is often seen as the way for a business to make itself more effective and maybe more attractive with their prospect and customer base.

You will be judged as you perform your duties as a business person. Are you innovative in your performance, and do you embrace positive, supportive thoughts and actions? Do you believe in new ways of operation, or are you stuck in the past? Can you change your mode of operation to fit your prospect base, or should you do so?

Innovation can be a two-edged sword for a business. Some of your customers or clients will love your ability to embrace innovation and improve your operation or product line. Some of them may see your changes as symptoms of inconsistency and may worry that you don’t know what type of business you really are or what you want to be.

Innovation can be seen as a strong characteristic of your business, or it can be considered as an unattractive trait. Do your prospects and customers never know what you are doing, or are they comfortable with your willingness to implement newer methods and products? If you believe in the traditional, proven methods, realize that stagnation may be perceived as unattractive.

Change for change’s sake is not wise. I have heard: “I need to make something happen.” Perhaps that may be the correct attitude, but change can backfire on any business if it is not well thought out, planned, and implemented in the correct manner. Planning, planning, and more planning can make change successful. Lack of preparation and research can lead to frustration and lost reputation.

We all love to operate comfortably. We get settled in relaxed, easy to implement methods of operation that make us happy and worry free. However, you may be seen as inflexible and “fuddy-duddy” by some of your prospects and customers. On the other hand, some customers do not like new product offerings or packages. Prospects may perceive changing product offerings as very confusing and unstable.

Your impression on the public, whether on prospects or customers, must be positive and supportive. All businesses must have a core of clients from whom they can request feedback. Perhaps this research can be analyzed before a major change is implemented, but information must be requested and reviewed on an ongoing basis. I have always embraced innovation and change, but if we make a mistake we must be willing to either rollback that change or try something else.

Intelligence cannot be omitted from a shift in operation or product offering. You must do your homework and plan any change that you have in mind. The foundation of innovation is intelligent planning, preparation, and having alternative plans if the first does not succeed. Use your mind and the information that you collect every day to operate your business.

Please leave your comments here, or email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com, or call me at 360-314-8691. Innovation can be very beneficial to any business. However, it can also be the problem that breaks your operation into pieces that you may not be able to put back together. Remember your client and prospect base needs you to be supportive and responsive to their needs, and they must be comfy with you and your business.