RAINMAKERS
Ideas Are Everywhere And Everyone Can Come Up With Them !
By Dr . Clifford Ferguson
Willie Nelson , the acclaimed country singer-songwriter , has written over 1000 songs . A journalist once asked him , “ How do you do it - how do you keep coming up with new songs ?” His reply : “ Songs are everywhere .” John Lennon and Paul McCartney of Beatles ’ fame similarly had a knack for observing the world around them and incorporating the most mundane of things into their music - think of beloved songs like “ Lovely Rita Meter Maid ” ( about the meter maid who was ticketing parked cars in front of their recording studio ) or “ Martha my Dear ” ( a song about Paul ’ s sheepdog !).
The most common refrain I hear from client executives is a desire for more new ideas and perspectives from their service providers . In most markets , the core products and services that firms offer are nearly identical , and therefore outperforming the competition in ideas , innovation , and creativity can be a meaningful source of differentiation .
It ’ s hard to come up with really great ideas , however . Or is it ? And do they have to be “ really great ” - as opposed to just thought provoking - to be useful to your clients ?
Let ’ s look at some misconceptions about creativity , the different types of ideas you can bring to your clients , and specific sources of ideas . The truth is , ideas are everywhere , and you don ’ t have to be a Thomas Edison or Mozart to come up with a steady stream of them for your clients .
Remember , however : The goal of idea generation for clients is two-fold . First , you are concretely trying to come up with specific ideas to help improve their business . Second , you are sharing ideas with them to engage them in a discussion about what their most important priorities are . The latter , frankly , is just as important as the former .
Misconceptions about Creativity and Clients
“ If I ’ m going to go to a client with a new idea , it needs to be really compelling and original .” Rubbish ! This attitude is an excuse to avoid talking to clients and taking any risks whatsoever . One client of mine , a top investment banker , told me , “ If I waited until I had a brilliant idea to go see my
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While it ’ s common sense that some people are naturally more creative than others , good ideas are not generated in a vacuum . Ideas often derive from intimate client knowledge , careful observation of the world around you , reflection time , and a willingness to be bold with clients . client the meeting would never happen .”
“ The idea better be a fairly sure bet - if it ’ s half-cocked I ’ ll look stupid and reckless .” Well , the whole point about an idea is that it ’ s just ... an idea . You ’ re not making a firm recommendation just yet , you ’ re simply provoking discussion . Through discussion you can then develop it into something more practical and implementable .
“ Some people are uniquely creative and can dream things up while sitting in their garden .” While it ’ s common sense that some people are naturally more creative than others , good ideas are not generated in a vacuum . As we ’ ll see below , ideas often derive from intimate client knowledge , careful observation of the world around you , reflection time , and a willingness to be bold with clients .
“ Clients won ’ t pay for ideas . Even worse , they just steal them .” This reflects what I call a “ scarcity mentality .” It ’ s true that in general clients don ’ t pay directly for new ideas . They pay us for the provision of a specific product or service ( which might be idea generation ). But if you don ’ t surround your core service with creativity and innovation - if you don ’ t infuse your relationships with imagination - then you become a tradesman , a fungible expert for hire .
Different Types of Ideas
It ’ s useful to think about four categories of ideas :
Ideas to help improve an individual client executive ’ s performance , career advancement , and overall well-being .
64 MAL51 / 22 ISSUE