Power of Brainstorm

If we knew how many creative thoughts and ideas we really had, we would be simply amazed. Brainstorming is a fabulous tool that is used by businesses to bring out ideas and bring all the minds together bringing on new paradigm shift in thinking.

There is something about being able to bounce your thoughts and ideas off another person and then they have an idea which sparks the ideas of another person. It is like a virus but in a good way….everyone becomes infected and part of the process of thought innovation.

Some of the benefits of brainstorming are:

• It encourages creativity, expanding thinking to see all perspectives of a problem, providing a wide range of options
• Everyone equally involved, no one judging another persons ideas, every idea is recorded as worthy
• Ideas grow quickly, by allowing everyone to offer any ideas that come to mind
• Sense of ownership. With the entire team actively participating in the brainstorming session, this creates a sense of ownership in the topic that is being discussed.
• Environment free of criticism
• No discussions going on, no story telling
• Everyone paying attention and really focusing on the question
• Improvements in productivity

These are just a few of the benefits of brainstorming.

Maybe you are a manager of a business, and you are responsible for taking care of some problems within the staff, but you don’t want to point fingers because this problem really affects everyone. What if you had a brainstorming session with the questions posed on making the business more effective? What if you brought everyone together, placed the problem at hand before your staff, let them solve their own problem and also be the owner of the solution. Everyone has the dignity still in tact and your problem is solved.

There are benefits of brainstorming that reach beyond just problem solving, this is a chance to help your employees realize that they are able to really contribute to the success of the company, they feel more a part of the team, a place to feel like they really matter.

In order to be successful, you need to constantly educate your market.

In marketing a new product you need to select it carefully.

Although a product may be new and exciting to you,
this does not automatically make it a winner.
The risks are high.
With new concept launches,
it sometimes take years and millions of dollars to educate the market!

It is usually better to market a product that is well known to consumers
yet is new and improved by you.

This is a safer route for you,
especially if you do not have an unlimited budget for marketing and promotion.

Launching a new or improved version of an existing product
requires far less customer education
than if you are offering a new product concept.

Note that inventors are not usually the ones who end up rich.

It is almost always the entrepreneur who picks up the concept
when the timing is right and makes the product successful.

In order to be successful, you need to constantly educate your market.

There is a big cost difference

between educating your market about a new concept

and

educating your customers about what is unique about you,
and why they should buy from you as opposed to someone else.

However, the cost can't be too high, because if it is,
something must be wrong with your product or service,
your message,
or your market timing.

If you are offering a product or service that is already understood, or not difficult to understand,
then your goal must be to educate your customers about why they should buy from you.

This means giving them solid and plausible reasons why they should select you or your company to do business with.

This important educational tool is called a

Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

THE MACHINE THAT DRIVES YOUR BUSINESS

Marketing
is focusing on your customers' needs,
rather than on your product or service—and profit is the by-product.

Marketing and key staff hiring are two business functions that should never,
on any account, be reduced in importance or delegated to anyone lower in an organisation than the CEO.

Look at your marketing campaign and strategy.

Put yourself completely into your customer's shoes, use your commonsense
and see if you would respond to your own advertisements or promotions.

If your answer is 'probably not', then the bad news is: neither will your customer.

If you can't clearly see how the strategy or campaign will sell— dump it!

If your marketing effort does not bring a new customer to your business and generate a sale, then it's a waste of money.

People want value, fun, excitement, honesty, fairness—and not necessarily the cheapest prices.

They want to be treated with care and respect, and as individuals.

They don't want to take risks in dealing with you, and they don't want it to be hard to do business with you.

They want to be treated as a friend.
(All this is simple commonsense.)

Think about it:
if you wanted to invite friends over for a party,
would you run a boring ad,
or send them impersonal letters they wouldn't even read?
(This might sound ridiculous, but this is precisely what most businesses do—and still expect people to respond to them.)

What you must realise is,
that you need the best product,
or service,
suited for your market.

When you choose a product for your business, you need to be sure there is a big enough market for it.

If only you and your friends are going to buy it, you're not going to get rich selling it.

Be careful about what you choose, look at the market, do your research and watch the trends.

Be careful not to select or develop products or services that are ahead of their time or their market, unless you have very deep pockets.

This is a sure-fire way to go broke— waiting for your product or service to catch on.

On the other hand, the same danger awaits when you try to get in when the market is on the decline.
You may be caught with too much stock and too few customers.
This is a real danger today, as customer choices and markets change so rapidly.

As obvious as this sounds, it is not always the best product or service that is the winner.

What sells best
is the product or service
that appeals best,
to the most buyers in a market.

And that depends a lot on your marketing skill, not your product.

MOVE FAST OR GET OUT OF THE WAY

Get a reputation for speed and urgency, and you'll be amazed how it will repay you.

It is essential, because if you don't act quickly on things that matter, your customers will go somewhere else and your life and business will stagnate.

If you have to do something, do it now.

In business you have to decide fast as well as act fast.

Dithering will only make things more risky, not less.

The important thing is to read up on what you can, ask the experts, and learn from them.
Then decide and act, even if you're not sure.

Deciding without being sure is often what entrepreneurs have to do.

If it needs doing tomorrow, do it today.
(And then get onto the next task.)

FAILURE—YOUR GREATEST FRIEND

Failure is there to make us better, wiser, smarter, more cautious, or even more adventurous.

Failing gives you the information you need to do better.

Most acts of genius come after years of trying to solve a problem, and failing.

At some stage in business you may find you freeze, are unable to make a decision, and feel afraid of where you're going.

This is what I call stage fright, and it's very common.

It usually appears at the time
when success is just around the corner, or when changes are coming !

YOU GET RICH BY HELPING OTHERS GET WHAT THEY WANT FIRST

It should be an honour to provide genuine service to someone else.

The Japanese certainly think so, and their attitude has taken them from financial disaster just 50 years ago to becoming one of the world's most powerful economies.

Serving others is about finding a way to help answer their needs and interests.

It's about helping people achieve what they want.

When you focus on doing what you can to help others get what they want,
you will have discovered one of the greatest secrets to success.

THINK POSITIVE

Being positive is about understanding that sometimes you'll be given a lemon,
and positive thinking begins and ends with your initiative
in turning that lemon, into lemonade.

HOW TO GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT IN LIFE

"Be gentle with yourself and others—don't judge people on whether their ideas are good or bad,
but congratulate them for their creativity."

You never know where the next great idea is coming from.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A BUSINESS CHAMPION ?

THEN GET A BUSINESS COACH!

Every successful person has had help, has had a mentor or coach or has had a team supporting them.
But that support doesn't come from just anyone.

Successful people surround themselves with successes, just as losers tend to hang together too.

You should also recognise that you don't have to reach success on your own.

In fact, you can't do it on your own.

Coaches play a vital role in their successes. Playing at peak performance day in and day out is difficult and draining. Coaches advise, cajole, demonstrate and inspire them to perform better. Coaches give players new and different perspectives on what they do, and help them to continually improve.

Without a coach or mentor, you can struggle unnecessarily with decisions and problems someone else has experienced and solved.

No-one can take up a new sport and expect to win without lessons from someone who knows what they're doing.

When you're genuine about what you are asking for, and if you ask in the right way, you'll be amazed at who'll be prepared to help.

While you can't expect people to help you for nothing, many of them will. But for those who do charge, you should always be happy to pay for the help— it's only fair.

BE UNIQUE OR BE NOTHING AT ALL

Your uniqueness is what makes you stand out !

It's what makes people choose you rather than another person to deal with, or select your business rather than a competitor's.

What is unique about you, or about your business?

What is it that makes your business different?

Find it, develop it and use it every day.

Successful people know the power of uniqueness and make sure they use it.