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I know that in recent years, many of you have had experience with the topic that I discuss below. Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends....

Service Providers and Clients: Get What You Deserve

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Corporate marketing and R&D executives are continually challenged to evolve their product lines to enable them to sustain and grow their volume and profit contributions. This is where product road maps can play a valuable role.

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends.

O.K.,You've Launched Your Latest New Product, Now What?

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Uncovering potent customer insights can provide the spark for new product development. The art of translating these insights into motivating and viable product concepts can involve a variety of skills and methods.

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends.

Customer Insight In Sight

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Last week's newsletter discussed my use of scientific research as stimulus to help ideate new product concepts. A number of readers have asked me to discuss this subject further.

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends.

Consumer Intuition in New Product Concept Development

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People typically tell us what they want us to know...which may or may not be what we want to know. As most people can only guess at our interests, we must learn to ask incisive questions and listen carefully. In doing so, we can learn information necessary to help create the basis for new business possibilities. It requires an open mind, respectful curiosity, the ability to connect the dots, and the drive to pursue where the leads take us.

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends.

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I routinely encounter new, niche products from small companies. The developer is usually seeking assistance to achieve retail distribution. While niche products often face these and other challenges, they will become robust businesses only if they possess certain essential characteristics.

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends.

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I've been at this external innovation thing for 10 years now. I've learned a few things over this time:

First, it's tough to accurately guess what Marketing wants, because for a variety of reasons, it can be a moving target. Next, it's tough to find existing technology solutions that are precisely what is desired because the external parties that created them didn't design them for you.

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When we read about "game changer" products, it is routinely from the perspective of the pioneer and the news generally features the attractive business growth their innovation has enabled for them. Less frequently, we hear about the companies that got "gamed", i.e. the ones that are negatively impacted by the disruption, and what (if anything) they are can do in response. Since change is inevitable, is your company ready for a category or industry game changer?

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends.

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Today, it seems that everyone is connected to everyone else's "network". Whether it's LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or what have you, people are becoming connected like never before. The problem with this is that while our networks seem vast, the emotional investment that each of us typically has in the bulk of the individual relationships within these networks is often superficial, at best. Which means they aren't worth very much.

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends.

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New product ideation sessions are designed to enable groups to rapidly generate ideas. I have some suggestions that could help make them considerably more useful.

Curious to learn more? Read on, dear friends...

Some Ideas to Enhance Ideation