Successful People Come In A Variety Of Shapes And Sizes. Have You Ever Taken A Good Look Your Business Heroes? They Might Look Like They Just Stepped Off The Runway Of A Modeling Agency, Or They Might Look Like A Windstorm Dropped Them In A Rumpled And Mismatched Heap. Appearances And Personalities Dont Define The Perfectly Successful Businessman, But There Are A Few Things They All Have In Common. One Of The Most Out Standing Characteristics That Ive Noticed Is Innovation.What Exactly Is Innovation? There Are A Lot Of Different Ideas Of Exactly What Innovation Means, But Since Im Writing This Article Well Go With Mine The Ability And Guts To Come Up With A Brand New Idea, Develop It, And Make It Sell. Now, Just To Get Your Imagination In Working Order, Lets Go To The Land Of Lets Pretend For A Moment. Somewhere Out There A Young Princess Realized That There Were A Lot Of Lonely Princesses And A Shortage Of Handsome Young Princes. This Enterprising Young Lady Brainstormed And Came Up With The Idea That If She Kissed A Frog Hed Turn Into A Dashing Prince To Dance The Night Away With. How Many Frogs Did She Kiss Before She Found The Perfect Species? Who Knows! Maybe She Analyzed Species And Counted Warts Before She Found One That Actually Worked. Then She Sold The Idea To The Young Princesses Of The Surrounding Kingdoms. She Mustve Done A Heck Of A Good Job At Marketing The Idea, Because Its Still Being Printed Today.Okay, Its A Bit Corny I Know, But Innovation Is More Than A Fairytale Skill. It Truly Does Work In Todays Market Place. Unfortunately Theres No Magic Wand That Will Give You Instant Innovative Skills. It Must Be Practiced, And Developed With Painstaking Care And Diligence. Why Work At Developing Innovation?1. To Recognize Market Needs And OpportunitiesHow Many Gaps In The Market Have Gone Unfilled For Generations? At First You Might Scratch Your Head And Say, No Way, Everything That Can Be Marketed Has Been. The Best Place To Start Is With You. Take A Look At Things That You Wish You Could Change. Brainstorm Different Ways To Meet Those Needs And Ways To Market Them To Others Who Are Just Like You.2. To Capture Potential Value You Might Be Surprised At What Putting A Brand New Spin On A Ho-hum Product Can Do. A Few Examples Are: Artists Using Saw Blades To Create Rustic Paintings, Or Even The Vietnamese Using Thrown Away Rubber Tires To Create Sandals. 3. To Develop New Products And ServicesA Sharp Eye For Undeveloped Customer Needs Might Put You On Point For A Brand New Product Or Service That Will Put Money In Your Pocket.4. To Gain Market Share From CompetitorsAnything New Is Exciting, And Americans Have To Try It Out. Whether It Turns Out To Be A Passing Fad Or A Market That Will Make A Permanent Place In Society, Theres A Buck To Be Made. Dont Forget That Passing Fads Make A Comeback. Ive Recently Noticed That Cabbage Patch Dolls And Strawberry Shortcake Are On The Rebound.Developing Innovation And Getting Your Creative Juices Flowing May Take Some Time And Energy, But The Payoff Could Just Be Your Pot Of Gold.
