The user is the Holy Grail of markets. Without users, there is no interaction and without interaction, there is no transaction. If you don’t get all the details right, then users will pass you by.
Seth Godin, the author of “The Purple Cow” put this idea clearly in the center of our consciousness. Unless you get the attention of who you want to work with, you don’t have anything. Seth argues that you have to have something that gets people’s attention and using the typical TV-Industrial complex method doesn’t work anymore. Instead, it is the tens, then hundreds, then thousands of referrals that lead to success in today’s market, but that means reaching the needs of small, very targeted groups of people who will sing your praises to others who will join in the chorus and enlarge the song for you. While social media seems to be the big thing in marketing today, it is still the humble email message that has the most impact.
Reaching potential users is still a skill that is as ageless as humankind. Presenting an idea in a compelling way that engages others and makes them want to have what you have is a basic human trait we all experience. Understanding what drives that desire is what makes the difference between a snooze and a sneeze. Snoozes are those ideas that continue to sleep and sneezes are those that get spread around.
In the language of Seth Godin, you want to find sneezers so your idea gets spread around. To do that you need a “Purple Cow.” Something that is remarkable, interesting, and engaging. Not just better or good. Anyone can be just a little bit better or good. You need to be remarkable, bring delight. Those qualities cause others to say, “Susan, have you heard about [???]. You’ve got to try them!”
So if you are going to start an Innovation Center, you have to focus on what will excite, motivate, delight, and engage your potential users. Oh, and one final pointer Seth points out, all the big ideas are already taken, focus on the little, but important stuff in life that brings enjoyment, ease, and delight. Then you probably are on the right track.
Be watching for the next installment when we look at Idea Generation. Until then, live well!
Read the Introduction to Eight Pillars
On to Pillar 2
The image above is By Ahmad (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
