How to start your own idea factory
he duplication of ideas within a single industry
can lead to what’s been called “business
incest.” For example, Cleaner B gets an idea from Cleaner
A, Cleaner C steals it from B, Cleaner D copies C and before
long everybody’s stupid.
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Walt Szeezil owned a large cleaner on the
north side of Chicago and whenever things around the plant got
dull and monotonous he would kidnap key people from his
company, give each one a clipboard, legal pad and pen, hustle
them into a van and drive them to Chicago’s Loop to visit
businesses which he hand-picked in advance.
This little group would enter each
establishment and carefully observe every aspect of the
operation. While privately taking notes, they would talk freely
with owners and managers in an effort to uncover key service
tips and marketing techniques.
In the evening, they shared their
observations over dinner in an effort to, first of all, define
these keys to success and then to figure out ways to implement
the very best ones in their plant operation.
Supermarket guru Stu Leonard uses this
technique as well. He calls it the One
Idea Trip. His employees have
used this system over the years to come up with scores of
unique ways to get business. One such idea was the “high
and deep” concept in which the grocery aisles were piled
as high as possible with key items. Special care was taken to
make sure these stacks stayed high. The tall stack made the
item appear “hot” and, as we all realize, no
shopper wants to miss out on a good thing.
A variation of this “high and
deep” idea is used by drycleaners in which a special
shirt rack (at least two tiers high) is built in the front
window of the store. It gives the appearance of a busy
sales area and calls attention to a key service — the
shirt laundry.
If it’s done right, this can be a
very impressive display, especially with a one- or two-tier
conveyor built around a glass corner.
The ingredients
At least two key ingredients are needed to
start your own idea factory.
First, you’ve got to establish a
research and development department… even if you’re
just a one-man operation. And, second, you have to devote a
certain amount of your time to undisturbed creative thinking.
How much will it cost to start your own
R&D department? Actually, with today’s access to the
Internet, you can do this for free, but if you have to spend
money it could cost you as much as (are you ready for this?)
$25 a month. On top of that, you must also be willing to devote
at least one full day out of your schedule like Walt Szeezil
did.
Go to the library or go on line. Spend the time researching out of town
newspapers and yellow pages. Try to find out what drycleaners
in other parts of the country are doing to promote their
business. Look for new ideas, marketing strategies, headlines
and offers that you could transplant into your own business. If
you’re not using at least 5 percent of your time to
“treasure hunt” for new ideas, you’re missing
out.
Of course, you don’t want to look
exclusively at drycleaners. Get outside your industry. Check
out other service businesses. Do some research. I’ll bet
you’ve got plenty of problems right now that other people
have already figured out how to solve. Why try to blaze a new
trail when the road has already been paved?
Read newsletters, books, newspapers and
magazines. Start a
“swipe file” of really good space ads and direct
mail promotions that you’d like to duplicate in your
business.
Incidentally, if you want to read a good
book on the subject of ideas, I recommend A Technique for Producing Ideas. It’s a 60-page paperback written by James
Webb Young.
This is low-tech R&D, but it can yield
some fantastic results. In fact, just one killer idea might
make a life or death difference to your business.
Sign up to visit some trade shows. Attend shows that have no relation to
drycleaning at all. For example, I’ve attended the
National Design and Engineering show every year since 1987 and
our company regularly attends the Motivation Show held in
Chicago every year.
If you’re thinking of using premiums
or giving gifts to your customers, you should check out the
Motivation Show or the Premium Show. Read your “junk
mail” before you throw it out. I have a brochure on my
desk right now inviting me to the GlobalShop in Las Vegas this
March. The headline reads, “It’s
more than three days of navigating aisles. It’s about
countless ideas to help exceed your expectations.”
Consider attending seminars. Stan Golomb and I used to fly across the
country to learn just one idea that we could use in our
business and share with others. A PhD in math held one of the
best seminars we ever attended and to be perfectly honest, it
was a bit boring; however, in one weekend we learned the
awesome power of exponential growth and its potential affect on
a small business of any kind. Dynamite stuff!
Join a cost group. This can be an invaluable source of good ideas
and feedback from your peers. But don’t consider joining
any group unless you’re willing to give all you know and
share everything you have.
After gathering your ideas, the next step
is to schedule time to think. You’ve got to actually plan this
time. It should be in a place where you can concentrate without
any outside interference. Treat this time like it’s the
most important meeting on your agenda — because it is.
Spend an hour or two thinking about some new ideas and
solutions to problems.
Thomas Edison, one of history’s
greatest inventors, spent most of his time thinking. In fact,
he spent almost an hour a day fishing off the end of his dock,
but he never caught any fish. When asked why he continued to
fish when he was obviously no good at it he replied, “I
really never caught any fish because I never used any bait.
When you fish without bait, people don’t bother you and
neither do the fish. It provides me the best time to
think.”
If you’re truly serious about
starting your own idea factory you’ll have to keep your
antennae up. Observe. Keep your eyes and ears open. Read. Keep
a “swipe file” of your best stuff. Maintain a
record of the things that impress you most and write down why
they impacted you the way they did. Then take time… lots
of time… to think about these observations and how they
can be applied to your business for the greatest impact.
Bill Bishop has been a consultant with the
Golomb Group for the past 12 years, designing marketing and
promotional programs for drycleaners. He can be reached at the
Golomb Group at (800) 679-5856 or by e-mail at billbishop@golombgroup.com.
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