Creating customers is the main goal of any business because they are the one who makes the business itself. Sometimes, providing time, money and effort in improving your products and services is important, but what counts a lot are the customers. They determine your success whether you are just a small business owner.  Therefore, many companies are providing excellent customer service to ensure their continued patronage.

Keeping the old ones is very vital because they spend more of their money buying your products. Because they are more likely t refer you to their family, officemates and friends.  The loyalty of the customers to the company is developed. But as a company expands and grow into larger one, new customers are coming in.

New customers are another challenge for entrepreneurs. Some are just “window shoppers” who are just looking around and trying to figure what is new with your product. Some are “doubters” who tend to look that they want to buy but having second thoughts.  The goal of the company now is to lure them into the fold and make them their patrons.

There are so many tested tips to attract more buyers. Many corporations had adopted the procedures and were successful. But as time changes, innovative methods in attracting more clients are now being used. Here are some of those:

To increase the potential of gaining more clients, join social networks. To publicize your product, think of signing up in any social network sites. This is where people go to connect to one another. Promoting your product in these sites would probably generate more sales since people are here to chat and talk about what is in.



Follow up letters and e-mails would help. Usually, customers would ask inquiries about your product; take time in answering those questions by replying to them. Give them all the details of your product. Your response would be a clear sign that you are interested making a deal with them.



Offer your clients with some freebies. Consumers don’t purchase the product unless they have tried it themselves. By putting the product in client’s hands, this gives them a first-hand experience and sees the results for themselves.  You may be giving a lot of free samples, but in return, you would have more sales more than you have spent.



Try direct response marketing. This one works like as if you are just getting to know a certain person. You call your clients and befriend them. Your new acquaintances would earn you new customers. Then slowly  introduce your product to them provide them an irresistible offer plus a gift to make them buy your product

Do direct selling. The salesperson comes in direct contact with the client. These include demonstrations, free delivery, and satisfaction guarantees. The client doesn’t need to go out anymore in order to get something, therefore minimizing the hassle in purchasing.



The traditional way of customers going to the mall to buy is slowly fading away. The trend today is bringing the product to customer’s right in to their doorsteps. The Internet has also revolutionized the system by simply directing their needs in just press of their keypad.

That is why an entrepreneur, in order for him to gain more profits, should switch now to modern methods of attracting more clients into his company.



By: Donna Price

About the Author:

Having found that the top growth performing CEOs were continually improving their business models to become more profitable, the next challenge was to see what else could be learned about business model innovation. When I began to look at the earlier history of business model innovation, I saw that improved business models usually came from start-ups and new entrants. So entrepreneurs were obviously focused on this opportunity.

I then became curious about the frequency with which companies enjoyed ongoing success in improving their business models. Where should I find the answer?

I read the profiles of all public companies described in the Value Line Investment Survey over 12 years. I noted the companies that seemed to have completed at least two major successful business model innovations during those years, without regard to their stock-market performance. As a result of either lower stock-price growth or changes in CEOs, many of them did not make my CEO 100 lists during those years.

I contacted these companies by e-mail to request interviews with their CEO and some of the other senior executives. From these contacts, I was able to arrange CEO interviews at over 40 companies.

I performed literature searches on another few dozen companies that confirmed that they had been frequent business model innovators, but these companies declined to be interviewed. Obviously, you can still learn lessons by characterizing the direction that those companies take even if you cannot learn more fine-tuned details.

From these investigations, I became convinced that at least 70 public companies had performed at least two major successful business model innovations in the same business over the 12 years.

I began a year-long analysis. I took what was learned and summarized it in simple form so that more companies could understand how to choose and successfully follow this path. You could obviously do the same thing for the examples that interest you.

To test my thinking, I discussed the work in progress with many of the CEOs and their staffs as well as top strategic thinkers in other companies. Many valuable corrections and improvements were made as a result.

Next, I sought out individual, small company, and nonprofit examples of the themes that the larger, public companies exhibited. Many of these examples are drawn from my personal experiences with the subjects or my long-term interest in their work.

Finally, I kept in touch with all of the individuals and companies so that the information could be as up-to-date as possible.



By: Donald Mitchell

About the Author:

Large successful corporations started as small companies. They were once unknown entities thriving on with their limited available funds. In a world where large corporations dominate the market, small companies would easily collapse.

So what have made these used to be small companies stay in the market? Innovation breeds success. When these companies were just starting out, they were not afraid to try out something new. Innovation is taking improvement to a much higher level. Whereas improvement is just making an existing process or product better, innovation is creating changes and discovering new methods.

Innovation is thinking out of the box. To be innovative, one must not set limitations to what he could do. Chances for success stops the moment limitations are set upon the horizons.

When things might seem hopeless, innovation could give more options. Companies that are just starting up definitely needs a lot of innovation. External factors might lack confidence in what a company can possibly do. Funds might be low but it shouldn’t hinder a company from succeeding. Innovation is capable of creating opportunities when none could be found.

At first, ideas generated might seem absurd but when these ideas are taken further, these create more feasible possibilities. Success stories usually begin with formulating ideas and creating ways to materialize them. At the onset, ideas are usually ridiculed and thought of as silly imaginations which couldn’t be done.

With the very competitive market that we have today, innovation is important. One small innovative idea could spell great success for a company. Innovation gives the lead from other competitors. Opportunities will continue pouring in as more and more ideas are generated.

In a day, millions of ideas are generated, but only a few of them really make it out to the market and fewer stays in the market. In business, pursuing that brilliant idea would make a significant difference. Starting from scratch is not at all a problem. That’s precisely what innovation is – creating something out of nothing. A lot of businesses benefit from this.

Innovation could also be applied to marketing strategies. New approach to business marketing would lead to better product advertising. Customers are always dying to try out something new. There are always room for improvement, as well as lot more room for more new business ideas. In the fight to stay in the market, those who have shown surprising and breakthrough ideas are the ones that stay.

Most of the time, failures are inevitable but these do not dampen the spirits of an innovator. Being innovative does not happen overnight, it is a product taking each outrageous idea to the next higher level.

Failures contribute to successes. Successful companies definitely had their share of failures. Usually these might even outnumber their successes. However, success due to just one innovative idea reap greater effects than a million failures. Those failures will just then be considered chapters of a great success story.

Anybody could be innovative if they chose to be so. All it takes is just a lot of freedom to let the thoughts wander about. Businesses are in cutthroat competition with each other. Whoever gets to discover new ways and products usually gets the edge.

Being innovative is defying every limits set by yourself or by other people. When others might think that it won’t be possible, innovators take it as a challenge. To be innovative means developing strong visions and working on those visions for the success of the business.

Usually, innovation would initially draw negative reactions. It would shake up the existing status quo. It is not afraid to take calculated risks. When this happens, it would broaden the opportunities for the business, thus giving it greater chances for success.

By: Mario Churchill

About the Author:

As companies and organizations pursue innovation to transform themselves from what they currently are or offer, to what they want to become or provide the marketplace, accountability is the rudder that steers pursuits and prevents a wandering, directionless ship.

Wikipedia defines “Accountability” as part responsibility and answerability, liability and enforcement, blameworthiness and consequences. “Accountability is defined as ‘A is accountable to B when A is obliged to inform B about A’s (past or future) actions and decisions, to justify them, and to suffer punishment in the case of eventual misconduct.”

Whether an independent endeavor or one pursued with the counsel of an Innovation Coach or consultant, accountability within a team is like the principle that guides a group of mountaineers. Each member is tethered to the same length of climbing rope. Each climber lends stability and confidence to the next. But slippage jeopardizes the entire team. One member slips, and while the team is there to catch and recover, the group nonetheless becomes vulnerable.

Accountability is owning up to what’s yours – earning kudos when things go right, and shouldering the blame when things go wrong. For the organization in pursuit of innovation, no component is more critical than the trust borne of accountability. It’s team members holding to deadlines, having your back, or adhering to schedules so the team can advance as a whole.

How should your organization infuse the concept of responsible accountability throughout the enterprise? The following methods can be highly effective at inculcating a culture of Innovation Accountability in an organization…

-          Give Them Enough Rope To… Allow team members decide “how” projects or tasks will get done. Should they get off track, guide them back.

-          It’s Expected: From the start, tell team members what their responsibilities are.

-          We Know that You Know the Answers: Don’t create organizational co-dependency. Step back. Let your people come up with the solutions.

-          Tread Lightly on the Gas Pedal: Once the initial role of providing direction and support is over, build your team’s confidence by backing out of the situation.

-          Skinner Was Right: Positive reinforcement works. When your team, or a team member, does well, lavish praise.

For more tips, visit Robert’s Rules of Innovation’s Accountability page  and click on “Tips“.

In a corporate environment, each team member must feel a responsibility to deliver, to be held accountable, to make good on expectations. This level of accountability is about culture. It’s about buy in. It’s about people knowing their roles, and the limitless possibilities – and positive personal rewards – of jobs performed in an organization guided by the rudder of accountability.

Robert Brands is Author of “Robert’s Rules of Innovation” by Wiley Spring, 2010

www.robertsrulesofinnovation.com

By: Robert F. Brands

About the Author: