Twitter Gets It
Stop beating your head against the wall trying to conjure up great, new products and services. Get your customers into the act!
Take a tip from Twitter, who has found a number of ways to access -- and execute -- their users' cool ideas.
Explains Twitter co-founder and CEO, Evan Williams, "Most companies or services on the Web start with wrong assumptions about what they are and what they're for. Twitter struck an interesting balance of flexibility and malleability that allowed users to invent uses for it that weren't anticipated."
Complete NY Time article here. (Thanks to Tim Moore for the link).
Want to help your customers generate great ideas? Give them this.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:09 PM | Comments (0)
October 26, 2009The Commissioner
Most artists hate marketing. This I understand. After all, painting is their passion, not business. That's why they accept commissions. Instead of painting on spec, there's a paying client in the wings.
Historically, most commissions have been for portraits.
Ho hum. Not very innovative.
Today, I am happy to announce, my beautiful wife -- Evelyne Pouget -- is putting a spin on things and offering you and the rest of the known universe an opportunity to commission a nature scene or landscape.
It's simple. You choose one of Evelyne's photos from the slide show below and she'll paint it for you. Voila!
Choose from these (or email her a photo of your favorite landscape).
Examples of her work
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2009The Perfect Woodstock Getaway
Need a break? Looking for a relaxing weekend in a beautiful setting, with mountain views, just a 10 minute walk from the center of Woodstock? Come to the Blue Pearl, just two hours north of NYC. See the flowers bloom. See your spirits rise. Have fun. Breathe deep! Renew!
Includes free copies of Awake at the Wheel and Free the Genie.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2009Rapping Southwest Airlines Flight Dude
Hallelujah! Finally an airline gets it right! I am definitely flying Southwest sometime soon. (What can YOUR business do to spice up it's communication -- delivering an old message in a new way?)
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:52 AM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2009Let Your Boss Have the First Say
A sales rep, a clerk, and their manager are on the way to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp on the side of the road. They rub the lamp and a Genie appears.
"Thank you for releasing me!" exclaims the Genie. "In return for your kindness, I will grant each you a wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."
Poof! The clerk is gone.
"Me next! Me next!" shouts the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas, and the love of my life."
Poof! The sales rep is gone.
"OK, your turn," says the Genie to the manager.
"Hmmm..." replies the manager. "I want those two back in the office right after lunch."
Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2009The Man Who Invented the Wheel
Since 1986, I've asked more than 5,000 people where and when they get their best ideas. The answers have been all over the place -- everything from "in the shower" to "ironing" to "in my dreams."
But no matter how diverse the answers are, 98% of all respondents say the same thing -- their best ideas happen OUTSIDE of the workplace. I find this fascinating -- especially when you consider how much time we spend at work -- and how much brilliance is expected of us.
That's one of the reasons why I wrote Awake at the Wheel. I wanted to give people a more dependable way to conjure up (and commit to) the kind of meaningful ideas that make a difference in the world.
Listen to a three-minute intro. Watch a nine-minute video. Read what others have to say about it. Buy one for your boss, spouse, kids, chiropractor, CEO, mother, friend, team, accountant, neighbor, numerologist, or business partner.
PS: The book was a Silver Medalist in the 2009 Axiom Business Books Awards competition (scroll down to category #22).
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:23 AM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2009Clean Machine
With this blog posting, Idea Champions is pleased to announce a totally new, high tech, environmentally friendly, productivity-enhancing service.
Based on the surprising results of a survey we conducted with 3,500 people who attended our innovation workshops and kick asss in 2009 we have come to understand that an astounding 87% of all laptop owners never clean their screen.
Our product development team has been working hard to bring this new product to market and now it is done -- a unique, low carbon footprint, screen-cleaning service -- very much in tune with our inside out approach to innovation.
No sprays. No static-free cloth. No muss. No fuss. And absolutely FREE to all the the faithful readers of this blog. Enjoy!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:47 PM | Comments (0)
October 15, 2009The FUNdamentals of Innovation
OK. Here's a clue. If you want to create a product or service that makes a difference in the world, consider making it more FUN.
"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct arising from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the object it loves." -- Carl Jung
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2009Adapt Like an Iguana
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." - Charles Darwin
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)
October 04, 2009Swish!
Think you're in the "4th quarter" of your life? Getting down to the wire? Feeling like you'll never get your big break (or your big breakthrough)? If so, have heart... and take a cue from an autistic basketball player named Jason McElwain.
PS: You can do it! All you need to do is take your best shot!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
