Innovation in a service organization is usually driven by consumer demand or displeasure with previous services available where as, in manufacturing, innovation may be the result of engineering or VOC. As services are not protected by patent, it is more difficult for service companies to maintain the advantage over subsequent competitors. To win at this game, the company first-in-market must expand or adjust its service quickly to pre-empt the competition, and invest sufficiently to establish and maintain a leading brand image. For the more commodity-like services, response time and flawless execution are relatively more important. Ongoing continuous improvement and performance metric strategies are recommended to maintain a leadership position.

Consider that marrying new technology to a new service (especially if patentable) is an effective way to slow down competitors. On the other end of the spectrum, providing a deliberately higher level of touch with the customer provides an advantage.

For any of these strategies, the company that spends more time carefully designing and process-mapping the service to be offered in depth before launch will be more successful. Similarly, the company should invest heavily in training its staff and run simulations before opening for business with the public.

Note that the distance between tangible and intangible activities is blurring in the discussion above. The service companies that dissect their services and activities into tangible, trainable, measurable competencies – even for activities that provide a higher touch experience for the customer – will have the advantage.

Topics: innovation, management skills, product development, selling skills | No Comments »

Innovation may occur over the short term, but it can’t be forced, and is usually the result of very few independent people in the organization. To be sustainable where it did not previously exist, innovation requires considerable long term strategic planning in the products/services offered and cultural change across the organization – and the two need to be integrated.

Cultural change: The vision

The vision defines company culture and shared attitudes amongst employees. Most efforts to sustain innovation fail because various stakeholders withdraw support when their personal status quo is threatened. It is imperative that people within the organization (even a start-up) are willing to continually evolve in the way they deal with each other. Long-term innovation also requires dynamic attitudes towards suppliers, competitors, investors, and the media.

Strategic product change: The mission

The mission defines the strategies for the physical deliverables or products and services of a company. It is the “what we will sell” versus the “how and why we do things.” The mission is reflected in the brand and positioning, target audience, technological edge, quality standards, pricing, or geographical coverage.

Integration

Because decisions about the product/service strategies are made day-to-day, and are frequently focused on an existing customer base, they tend to be shorter-term focused, more pragmatic, and it is easy for the mission to become out of sync with the company vision. The vision itself becomes impractical.

For innovation to be sustained, the strategic product and cultural planning and execution need to be developed concurrently, not sequentially, and not limited to a once a year discussion at annual planning meetings. This requires a closer cooperation between product development and the company vision champions than most companies are used to, especially with the lean staffs resulting from the recent recession.

Topics: communications, innovation, leadership | 1 Comment »

Most folks only think about their brand when they are updating their resume or marketing plan. Consider this. You are reinforcing your brand positively or negatively, consciously or unconsciously, 24 hours/day, 365 days/year.

If you want to be more memorable and influential in a sea of other executives, separate yourself from the pack at every opportunity:

1. Elevate the thoughtfulness, strategic depth, and currency of all your conversations. Talk more about the latest trends in your industry, and cutting edge technology. Show thought leadership.
2. Demonstrate your ability to sell ideas, build consensus, and grow business. This goes beyond showing you are a good networker and relationship builder. Your community needs to know how well you can influence key decision makers, facilitate across departments, get results, and create revenue.
3. Create opportunities to network with business peers on a deeper-level than possible in a typical monthly networking event or occasional networking lunch. Increase the percentage of people in your network with heavy business influence.
4. Upgrade the quality of your interpersonal interactions. A salesperson I know never ends a conversation without asking “what can I do for you today?” He stands out amongst the thousands of sales people I know because of the way he communicates it. He really does mean it. His customers and network know it.
5. Improve your LinkedIn profile and activities. It says volumes about you. Whether or not you have self-awareness about your value to employers, and can communicate and sell your ideas. Whether you are interested in helping others in the industry, or just want their contacts. Whether you are willing to read and comment on someone’s blog or discussion in a LI group in exchange for reading your sales pitch. I believe most LI profiles are doing more damage than good to their owners.
6. Update your clothing and hairstyle, look less generic. Be more hip. Have a professional quality picture in LinkedIn.  Free, generic business cards are out. Even your email signature matters.
7. Lastly, once you have turbo-charged your brand, create “buzz” and sustain it.

The key is to establish and maintain your brand in terms that are as relevant as possible to current business needs. Your brand needs be memorable and easily repeated by your fans. (Most elevator speeches are not.) Your pitch needs to have focus and a theme offering synergy amongst skills. Emphasize how you are different, not how you are similar. Highlight what is most in demand in the marketplace.

If you don’t groom and maintain your brand image, you may have no recognizable value to the community or a very muddled image that makes people avoid you for fear of a poor return on investment. Establishing a positive brand in the industry for future contingencies takes time and is crucial to long term stability and growth. It takes little time to damage a brand and forever to repair negatives.

Topics: branding + positioning, communications, getting ahead, leadership, networking, selling skills, technical skills, visibility | No Comments »