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This is a guest blog post written by Jamie Turner, founder of the 60 Second Marketer. He is an in-demand marketing speaker who is currently writing a book entitled “Go Mobile” with Jeanne Hopkins, director of marketing for HubSpot.
I’m currently at Dreamforce in San Francisco reporting on some of the new and innovative concepts that are being discussed here. Dreamforce is hosted by Salesforce.com, which is an unusually forward-thinking organization that was recently ranked by Forbes as the most innovative company on the planet.
As you know, innovation is the fuel that drives any successful company. Oh, sure, there are other things that make a company successful, like a great sales force, a terrific marketing department, and a finely-tuned lead generation program. But innovation is what keeps successful companies one step ahead of its competition. Without it, the company will gradually lose steam and, eventually, fade away.
When Forbes was analyzing the world’s most successful companies, it arrived at five key skills that separate the most innovative companies from the rest. Which of these skills are you incorporating into your corporate DNA? The more of these you’re practicing now, the more likely you’ll be successful in years to come.
1. Questioning
This skill allows employees to challenge the status quo and consider new possibilities. Do you encourage your employees to ask “Why?” Do you reward them for coming up with new ways to solve old problems? If so, then you’re practicing the art of questioning, which is a skill the most innovative and successful companies use to stay ahead of their competitors.
2. Observing
Are you so focused on meeting deadlines that you don’t have the time to observe the activities of customers, suppliers, and other companies? If the day-to-day grind is pre-occupying you, then it might be time to step back and observe how companies outside your industry are solving problems. Forbes found that the world’s most innovative and successful companies took the time and the trouble to step back and observe the world around them.
Are you using certain inbound marketing techniques simply because it’s what your competitors are using? It’s time to question that tactic. Better still, try exploring what it would mean to do the exact opposite.
Furthermore, when was the last time you observed what it was like to be one of your customers? Have you called your customer service line to see what your customers are experiencing? Have you conducted a secret shopper test to see what it’s like to buy your product or service? When you observe all the little details, you’ll find little tweaks that can make a big difference in your customer’s satisfaction.
3. Networking
This is a form of idea-sharing that can help your company grow significantly. Networking allows you to generate new solutions to your problems by sharing ideas and swapping concepts with others. The trick is to network inside and outside your industry. After all, if you only network with people inside your industry, eventually you’ll just be sharing the same ideas. The big idea is to get outside your industry to see what you can incorporate from unrelated professions.
If you’ve only surrounded yourself with people from your company or your industry, you’re missing out on one of the best ways to generate new ideas for your inbound marketing program. Network with people outside your industry, and see what’s happening. Then, incorporate those ideas into your own strategies.
4. Experimenting
The most innovative companies are constantly experimenting with new concepts and new ideas. They’re taking things apart and putting them back together again in unexpected ways. Do you encourage experimentation within your organization? If so, then you’re practicing one of the skills the world’s most successful companies use to grow their businesses. Keep it up!
5. Associative Thinking
This is the technique of drawing connections between the questions, observations, networking ideas, and experiments you came up with in steps 1 through 4. Associative thinking may be one of the more challenging items on the list, but it can also be one of the more rewarding because it’s how awesome things like the iPhone, Wikipedia, and Netflix were invented.
Associative thinking happens when you’re able to step back and take a look at how everything fits together. Sometimes, the best way to do that is to take a break and get away from the office. In fact, many of the world’s most successful CEOs make a point of taking extended vacations – it’s where they’re able to put associative thinking to work for their business.
Putting It All to Work
It’s one thing to understand the skills and concepts outlined above, but it’s another thing entirely to put them all to work. In the end, you can talk about innovation all you want, but if you don’t put it into action, then you’re just blowing hot air. The truly successful companies do two things: 1) They generate innovative ideas, and 2) they execute them.
What are you doing to encourage a culture of innovation at your company? Better still, how are you using your new and innovative ideas to drive new leads to your business? That’s where the truly innovative companies stand out from the rest.
Image Credit: Matthew Wynn
