Serious Question: Are You An Innovator?

Core Values

Jan 12

It is inevitable and happens to all of us. The ideas and energy you have been pumping into your small business just isn't as robust as it once was. Totally normal.

I got you. Let’s inject a little innovation back into your business, shall we? Let’s start by asking and answering the kinds of questions that will inspire a little creative magic…

What is missing from your current strategy?

Could you be feeling a little less enthused because:

You’re not attracting as many new clients as you once were
Clients are leaving your company to go elsewhere for solutions you don’t offer
You can’t keep up with innovations in our industry
There’s nothing unique about your product line
You no longer offer the most cost-effective solution
You haven’t innovated your product or solution

Now imagine what things would look like if you overcome these obstacles. Could you grow your sales? Expand your product offerings? Serve customers in new ways? Stop stressing and sleep at night?

Spend some time visualizing what your life would be like with that obstacle destroyed and your business flourishing. It feels real good, doesn’t it? When the rest of this post starts to feel overwhelming, come back to this and how you WILL feel when you are out of this slump!

One of the first steps is just a little market research.

What gaps do you competitors have, or what do they kinda suck at?

You would be shocked when you look closely and start to identify gaps in their offerings and weaknesses in their operations. You could totally fill those, right?!

Still stuck? Here are a few examples of how your competitors might be missing the mark:

Slow customer service response time
Their social media presence is severely lacking
No community engagement
Not personalizing services
No new products or innovations

Of course these are very general examples. Your industry and local competitors will have specific gaps, you’ll see them! Knowing these areas can give you direction in how you can innovate and help you decide which aspect of your business you should focus on.

The next question is how will you connect with your customers and rebuild that spark and excitement you may have lost along the way?

Above all your goal should be delivering value to your customers.

How? Here are some ideas:

Call your customers personally and ask them how their business is or how they are liking your product
Give an hour of complimentary consultation with a services package
Provide access to online tools and resources or start a blog
Offer a free gift with purchase

  
    The ultimate question you should reevaluate regularly is what do your customers want, really, really want?

Even if you’re not sure how to innovate out of your slump, your customers are a fantastic place to start.

Listen to them: on social media, in person, via email, and by carrier pigeon. Ask them their feedback on how your company is doing, its weaknesses and what they WISH you did better.

Here is the golden key: then act on their suggestions!

Being stuck in a rut can be a temporary situation if you’re willing to do the work to get out of it. There is no shame, it happens to all of us. Taking that opportunity to evaluate where your business can grow and innovate is something you will never regret. Do it, and let me know what mind-blowing, brilliant and seemingly obvious actions you are taking next.