Verizon Small Biz Blog

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Guest blog post by author Alan Gregerman who wrote Surrounded by Geniuses, he has been helping companies and organizations unlock the genius that exists in all of their employees.

Greetings.  During the next three weeks I’ll be giving two upbeat and practical webinars on the topics of innovation and customer service as part of the Verizon webinar series and as part of the newly launched Verizon Author Series.

I’ll be covering two essential topics for small- and medium-size businesses in these challenging times. The sessions are based on my latest book titled Surrounded by Geniuses which is all about unlocking the brilliance in ourselves and our companies in order to create the most remarkable experiences for those we have the privilege to serve.  And, as I’m sure you realize, business success is all about bringing the right products, services, solutions, and ways of doing business to the right customers and offering greater value than any of our competitors.  So I look forward to the chance to share some ideas that will help you stand out from the pack.

And here are a few things that I’d like you to think about…

First—that companies and the people in them don’t have to be brilliant to win in the most competitive marketplaces.  Instead they need to be more talented at unlocking their own genius and the brilliance in the ever-shrinking world around them and turning it into new and compelling value for the customers they choose to serve.  We often think that innovation is the work of a few “geniuses” who wear lab coats and wander around solving difficult problems.  But, in fact, 99% of all innovations are based on ideas that already exist and an ability to pay attention to the insights of others.  So the only critical skill that you need to be more innovative is a sense of curiosity and openness—which is a gift we all possessed as small children.  So I’ll spend some time in these sessions showing you how to get it back and use your curiosity to ask the right questions and create real breakthroughs for your business. 

Second—that the best business ideas, and the best insights on how to execute them with skill and passion, are likely to be found in some of the most unlikely places.  The problem is that most small and even large companies don’t realize this.  Instead they try to “reinvent the wheel” when faced with a problem or opportunity.  Or they look at the best practices of the leading competitors in their own industry.  While this might be helpful in putting your business on a more even footing, it doesn’t enable you to be different and remarkable.  And how can you stand out in a crowded marketplace if you’re not different in a really positive way?  So the real challenge is to cast a wider net in our search for new ideas which, combined with what we already know, will enable us to meet customer needs in uniquely valuable ways.  And that means looking at other industries as well as history, popular culture, other cultures, nature, science, and even science fiction.  And in each of these webinars I’ll show you how to get started and tie it to your key business objectives.

Third—being remarkable is easier than you think if you are committed to raising your game.  And all it might take is one brilliant idea executed well.  Ideas like offering an unconditional guarantee of satisfaction, or making customers smarter and “healthier,” or being faster than the competition, or being available and helpful 24/7, or having conversations with customers that really matter, or anticipating the customer’s needs, or being as responsive as the world’s finest concierge, or using technology and the internet in new ways.  All ideas based on the practices of world-class companies that you can adapt to your business to achieve greater success.  And ideas that we’ll explore in each of the webinars.

For more insights, join my LIVE free webinar presented by the Verizon Small Business Center this Thursday, April 14 at 2 p.m. EST.  During the webinar you’ll have the opportunity to ask your questions and even the chance to win an autography copy of my book: Surrounded by Geniuses. For additional ideas for enhancing innovation and delivering greater value to customers visit my blog at www.alangregerman.typepad.com.

 Cheers!