One of the things I have always looked to do is push the boundaries and consider different ways to do things compared to the rest of the marketplace. It was how I created the Strategic Impact Process, and the Professional Impact Profile, as I’m naturally an innovator.
Pushing boundaries and doing things in a different way ensures that you stay ahead of the game. However in doing so it can also take years to establish yourself, coming at a great expense as you corroborate your findings and research. When you get it right though, the rewards are endless and the impact you make is immense. Just look at the likes of Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who all had incredible achievements through their highly innovative products.
Don’t get me wrong, many have had great success by pure replicating only, with no innovation or creation; but that creates a problem. The world is changing faster now than it ever did before, so something that was successful 20 years ago, may not work particularly well today and needs a fresh look a appeal. Plus if you are always following the market, you will never stand out as a market or industry leader.
Being innovative has come to my attention as within the SME market I’m seeing a lot of businesses following the same old tired techniques. Most seem to follow, not lead and leap on each new strategy when everyone else does. A prime example is email marketing that was hugely successful a few years ago. But now, there are not the same level of returns as customer inboxes are full of sales and offer emails, or rather the standard is to send a few value newsletters or emails with gifts etc and then send a big sales email. While I joke about the predictability of this strategy, it is something that I still use until I can figure out a better alternative. And when I find it… I’ll let you know!
So why do I find this a problem?
In recent times I have seen everything move online away from the live event and meetings, to pre-recorded webinars and online calls. I can understand why, as online is cheaper and more time efficient for both the producer and recipient. However I find myself at odds with this change as although online does have its uses in this era of technological advancement, people are missing one fundamental fact…
The Human Experience!
As social creatures, we crave the connection we get in live face-to-face interactions.
My mother lives in the US, and while it is great talking to her online every week, there is no comparison to jumping on a plane to see her in the flesh. Also while I’m there, I am being stimulated in a different environment, get to go to the beach and enjoy the company of other members of my family.
So as an innovator, I find myself going in the other direction back to the fundamental principles of human connection. Somehow I believe that with this foray into digital everything we have forgotten who we really are, but I anticipate we will be drawn back to our natural instincts. Actually we’re already seeing an indication of this with Amazon, the largest online retailer, considering introducing physical stores to provide a better human shopping experience.
That is why, while everyone is going to go online, I am going to go back to the future to meet people face-to-face to provide them with an experience that is being lost.
For one day a month I hold an Impact Surgery in Central London where people can book a free 20 minute consultation to discuss how they can raise their profile and their position in their marketplace. While doing this is not as easy as online for me, I am providing a far better service and the highly valued positive human experience.
Now this might sound like a contradiction, but I recognise that not everyone can get to London, so I also offer that service to those whose physical location doesn’t allow them to meet face to face.
- How to Make Yourself Marketable as a Business Owner. - October 2, 2019
- Starting A New Business – Know your market landscape - September 24, 2019
- Starting a New Business – The Prepared Business Owner - August 22, 2019
